Remember the kid from “The Sixth Sense?” He saw dead people. Not a good gift to have, but he was able to learn how to turn it to his advantage so he could help people who needed it.
If you want to succeed in marketing, you need to start seeing marketing. This is pretty easy since it’s all around us. You just need to start paying attention.
Be seeing marketing — and I mean really seeing it — over time, you’ll amass a powerful arsenal of tools to grow your business.
If you feel you really don’t know what to look for, try reading Robert Cialdini’s excellent Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. That will give you more than enough material to work with.
Don’t pay attention to what people or companies say or do from the perspective of a consumer. Watch how they do it. Look for patterns and tactics.
Some questions to ask yourself:
1.) Have I seen this technique before?
2.) What is the desired call to action (what they want you to do)?
3.) How does the market react to this marketing?
4.) How does this particular element integrate into this company’s other marketing?
5.) If appropriate, how can I implement this tactic into my marketing?
6.) How can I test this technique to improve upon it?
See anything interesting out there? Tell me about it! What did you learn?
