“If you build it they will come marketing” is really crap!
Posted in Business Strategy, Business systems, Marketing, Product Development, Product creation on 09/17/2009 01:07 pm by ThereseWhile that was an amazing movie, and I usually love the concept of building first in your mind, as a marketer I have to warn you that it may bite you in the butt!
I was recently talking to one of my mastermind buddies, Natasha Allrich, about this very concept. We were sharing the programs we were providing, and I told her about one I had done earlier in the year that truthfully, didn’t get the results I wanted.
Natasha asked one powerful question….
“Did you ask your market what THEY wanted, or did you just create a program based on what YOU wanted?”
OK, she busted me! That is exactly where I went wrong. I loved my concept, wrote killer copy, threw in loads of value….but never did the research to see if the offering and price point were what my fun lovin’ business owner types would want.
Have you ever made this mistake? More than likely, yes. We all do.
The secret is to go to your ideal clients and have them tell you what they would pay for.
I want to give you some tips on how to survey your audience.
1. Online Survey – I use www.SurveyMonkey.com – Super easy and very low tech! Make it short, but ask a few questions about price, content, and how to best deliver the program. Example, would they like a day time workshop live or an evening virtual teleseminar?
2. Pick up the darn phone – Calling your old (and ideal) clients about what they would want is a great strategy. You have to stay away from folks who aren’t your market. Example, your brother the plumber doesn’t get to tell you that you are charging too much….unless you are serving plumbers, that is!
3. The power of social media – using Twitter or LinkedIn polls to get answers is another effective way. You are getting access to way more people that you probably have in your neighborhood, so this is a no cost and easy way to gain some valuable information.
4. Offer an incentive – you can add something to your newsletter or survey that if folks take a few minutes of their time, you will gift them with xyz. It could be a free report, a $25 off coupon, entered into a drawing for a session with you, etc.
5. Make sure you keep it short – no one is going to answer 47 questions. But if you can come up with 3-5 questions that will get you the info you need, you are probably going to be able to get some good answers.
And finally…I’m gonna ask, because I’m not making the same mistake again!
Can I get your two cents? I have a quick 3 question survey that I’d love you to answer to help me better design my 90 Day Marketing Makeover Program. You can grab that here:
If you fill it out and email me telling me that you read this on the blog, I’ll enter your name into a drawing for a strategy session which is valued at $297 – cuz I REALLY appreciate you taking the time!
Now go out there and start asking your market what THEY want.
Blessings!
