No such thing as "autopilot" marketing

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Lately I've encountered more entrepreneurs who have bought into the idea that they can just set up their search engine marketing and websites, and the orders will pour in. Oh, how nice it would be if it were true!

There are consultants who will say that it is possible, and say that they have made bundles of money doing it. But they sell one type of product (usually a guide of some sort), using one type of marketing method (usually a combination of search engine marketing, and a dedicated website that makes outrageous promises as it offers the guide for sale on the website). The website contains a single long-winded, direct-mail-like page that sells you on all the things that the guide will do for you, filled with convincing testimonials and "scientific" proof. And they let you pay and download the guide right there. This is a perfect product for the Web, and the method works well for that type of product.

These vendors often sell guides saying you can sell anything on the Web this way. Newbies have bought these guides and have become convinced that this method will work for any type of product - that all they have to do is set up this type of campaign and website, and then sit back and watch the orders flow in. It simply isn't true.

What really happens is these entrepreneurs pay good money to have the campaign created, and then they sit back - but nothing happens. Well, maybe a little something happens. But not enough to pay for the campaign and keep the company doors open.

Now they're really in trouble, and that's often the stage when they come to me. And, I'm the one who has to break the bad news to them. I have to tell them that marketing requires more work than ever:

• You have to figure out the promise you can keep, using your people, processes, and products. Then work on stating that promise simply - and making sure your organization keeps the promise in every customer interaction.

   

   

• You have to dig to find qualified prospects. You have to be very clever about it, targeting people by what they do or what they're interested in. There's no getting around the fact that this takes a lot of work.

   

   

• You have to develop relationships with the influencers - bloggers, reporters, and discussion group gurus. That takes time and energy. You have to follow up when you say you will. You can't let anything fall through the cracks. Never disappoint.

   

   

• You have to understand the problems your buyers have and the solutions they're looking for, then address those problems and solutions in all of your marketing copy.

   

   

• You have to understand their buying process and be ready with the next thing they need, when they need it, at every step.

   

   

• You have to go beyond simple product descriptions, in order to develop their trust. Create relevant, interesting copy that is refreshed frequently so it's picked up by search engines.

   

   

• Your website has to be state-of-the-art when it comes to navigation and your shopping cart. Expectations are set by the leaders in the industry, and customers want to buy from people who meet those expectations. Look unprofessional or make it too difficult, and they'll just click away.

   

   

• You have to find new ways to rise above the noise level, constantly looking for ways to make your message viral. You have to investigate and master new marketing vehicles, such as YouTube, before they become so saturated that you've lost the pioneer's advantage. New vehicles get saturated faster than ever, and are emerging faster than ever.

   

   

• You have to find vendors you can trust, even in the new areas. This has become increasingly difficult. So many small business owners are dissatisfied with their ISP, their website designer and content providers. But they have no idea how to find someone better. Even directories aren't much help; there's often some hidden agenda or the data is organized in a way that makes it impossible to use the directory to make an intelligent decision. The only tried-and-true method is to aggressively ask around. Sooner or later a friend or business associate will refer you to someone who can really help you.

   

   

• All marketing methods and vehicles have their own rules - and consultants tend to withhold their knowledge about those rules so they will be hired to do a project rather than assist someone "do it himself."

   

   

• You have to find a way to stand out from the crowd, more by what you do than what you say. You have to actually behave differently than the competition. You have to build business processes and policies that support customer-pleasing behavior on the part of your employees and partners.

   

   

• As much as you want your campaigns to be strictly online, print and other "traditional" media/methods still play a role in lead generation. One magazine article can bring in a worthwhile number of leads, if the article is in the right publication and readers find it useful. Most companies, especially those selling B2B products and services, must still attend tradeshows and speak at conferences. Direct mail can work well for consumer products, especially if you can include a sample in the mailing.

   

   

• You can't avoid the need to interview your prospects, customers, and partners, and you must test your ideas before you spend your whole budget on something you are "sure will work."

   

   

• You have to swallow your pride and actually respond to what customers are saying. If they can't find something or can't do something on your website, the usual knee-jerk reaction is, "Well, they must not be very smart." Obviously the wrong response, but it's the one we all have first - before we suck it up and fix it.

   

   

• Distributors and retailers are only interested in selling the "easy" products. If your product is a little funky, or requires too much explaining, they won't pick it up.

   

   

• Customers expect world-class logistics and service from even the smallest businesses. If an eBay seller can send something out from her garage in one day, why can't you?

   

   

• Customers have come to expect you to have all the information about their order at your fingertips - and be able to track the order online.

   

   

There's more, but this is enough to put any entrepreneur into shock. The best ones realize they've got a lot of work to do, and they start plowing ahead.

If you know someone who has come up with "the world's greatest" Whatever, and they think now that they have finished creating the product they can set up some kind of "automatic" marketing effort, send them this article.

Their real work has only just begun.