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Achieving marketing success in the limited time available

In this article, Derek Stockley comments on the very short time period available to achieve marketing success.

Gaining attention

One of my teenage sons is currently between cars. Consequently, we have made a number of car trips together recently. When we are not having a conversation, he listens to the car radio.

"Listens" is perhaps not accurate. He frequently skips from one station to the next. If the song, talk or advert does not quickly grab his attention, he goes to the next station. He keeps changing, occasionally stopping to listen to the radio or his father’s "comment" about the frequent channel changing!

His listening habits are not unusual. But they do pose a problem for all of us involved in marketing goods and services.

We need to gain the customer/client’s attention very quickly.

This means that we have to trigger a reaction to our message. Normally this is achieved by linking in some way with the situation or need of the customer or client.

I have already commented on our problems processing email messages (see Keeping up - our modern time impatience).

It means that our communications have to be short and to the point.

Our written messages have to provide value and meaning to the reader. We need to gain and keep the reader’s attention.

Personal review

If you are still reading this - thank you! I appreciate that you have already invested one or two minutes of your precious time with me.

Why are you still reading? How did I gain your attention? Does this topic "strike a chord" with you?

Your responses provide clues for you. Understanding your own responses will help you understand how others respond to your message.

Marketing

In a marketing sense, messages need to pinpoint problems or situations relevant to the potential customer or client.

To market successfully, you need to focus on how your solution meets their needs.

It is not so much what service you provide. It is more important to explain how your services meet needs and solve problems.

Effective marketing also means tailoring the message to the reader. If people do not immediately identify with the marketing message, they move on.

In summary, it is important to communicate directly. In marketing, we need to gain attention through a careful and concise explanation of the positive impact of our product or service.

Your comment

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Resources

The article quoted above is:

Keeping up - our modern time impatience - about our urgency and pace of life. The article includes a discussion about the processing of email.

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This page was last modified on 24 February 2005.