The Marketing Blueprint

1. Word-of-Mouth is King: Earn "Coolness Points"

Bottom line is, word-of-mouth is the ONLY way to not be tied to your advertising budget.

The Power of Advocates. Word-of-mouth marketing is the holy grail because it transforms customers into brand advocates. Unlike paid advertising, which requires constant investment, word-of-mouth creates a self-sustaining cycle of promotion. Think of brands like Disney or Starbucks, whose success relies heavily on customers sharing their positive experiences.

Earning Coolness Points. The key is to make people want to talk about your brand. This can be achieved by offering exclusive information, creating a sense of secrecy, or providing unique experiences that customers can brag about. The goal is to make talking about your brand synonymous with earning "Coolness Points" in their social circles.

Examples in Action. Consider a restaurant with a secret menu, a clothing store offering bonuses for successful referrals, or a hotel with a tiered reward card system. These tactics tap into people's desire for status and exclusivity, motivating them to spread the word about your brand. By giving customers a chance to brag, you gain a larger clientele through inexpensive means.

2. Marketing and Sales: A United Growth Department

Yes, marketing creates leads and sales close them. And that’s the key: successful businesses recognize that these two concepts come together, not apart.

Integrated Growth. Marketing and sales should not be viewed as separate entities but as a unified "growth department." Marketing generates leads, and sales convert them, but both functions must work in harmony to achieve optimal results. The internet has made growing a business easier, but face-to-face meetings and human connections remain crucial.

Sales Meeting Checklist. To rock a sales meeting, dress for the sale, find mutual interests to build rapport, know your objectives, follow up diligently (most sales happen after the 5th contact), maintain eye contact, and be prepared by doing your research. A simple checklist can help ensure you're ready to close the deal.

Follow-Up is Crucial. A survey by the National Sales Executive Association reveals that only 10% of sales professionals follow up with leads more than three times, yet 90% of sales are made after the 5th contact. Consistent follow-up, even if there's no initial interest, keeps the momentum going and significantly improves your chances of closing the sale.

3. Pick Up the Phone: Direct Contact Still Matters

I believe that the biggest reason why marketers and entrepreneurs fail is due to the fact that they do not ask to sell.

The Power of Asking. Despite the rise of social media and digital communication, direct contact, especially via phone, remains a powerful growth strategy. Many marketers fail simply because they don't ask for the sale. Calling potential clients and offering your product can yield surprising results.

Key Questions to Ask Yourself. Are you picking up the phone enough? Are you sending enough emails? Are you reaching out to every lead? Are you clearly asking for the sale? If the answer to any of these questions is no, you know where to improve.

Avoid Yes/No Questions. Studies show that the best way to propose a sale is to ask questions that cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." This encourages engagement and avoids immediate rejection. For example, instead of asking "Are you interested in our product?" ask "Which day would be best for a demo?"

4. Build a Loyal Audience, Not Just Customers

Great marketers do not look only for customers, but for fans.

The Power of Fans. In today's world, building an audience is more crucial than ever. Great marketers focus on creating fans, not just customers. A loyal audience provides a kick-start for new projects, directs sales, and generates powerful brand advocates.

Nurturing Your Audience. Audiences need to be nurtured with stories, content, and freebies. Sharing valuable information and consistently rewarding their loyalty makes them feel special and grateful to be associated with your brand. This also provides opportunities to spread your brand's message in different mediums.

Tips for Building a Fan Base. Build your email list by offering incentives, grow your social media accounts through networking and giveaways, organize events to celebrate milestones, attend tradeshows, and constantly update your address list. Social media advertising can also be a powerful tool for audience growth.

5. Create Demand Before Distribution: Build a Pre-Buzz

One of the most fatal errors an entrepreneur can make is creating demand after the product is released.

Demand-First Approach. Many entrepreneurs focus on building a great product and distribution channel, but forget to create demand beforehand. Building pre-buzz, or having clients before having the product, is crucial for success. This strategy applies to startups, new projects, and entering new markets.

Distribution Follows Demand. The distribution strategy should be planned in unison with the demand's growth. Focus on demand as your indicator of business success. A good strategy is to start selling online and with select retailers, then expand as demand increases.

Examples of Pre-Buzz. Ciroc Vodka marketed private events in restaurants before entering the Quebec market, creating demand before distribution. Redbull placed empty cans in public spaces to create the impression of popularity before establishing a strong distribution strategy. Always have customers lined up before distributing a product.

6. Keep the Momentum: Marketing is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

The day you stop building your brand is the day it will start to perish.

Constant Motion. Marketing is all about momentum. The day you stop building your brand is the day it starts to decline. Businesses cannot "stay" where they are; they are either progressing or regressing. See the marketplace as a hill you are climbing, and your brand as a heavy wheel you are pushing.

Long-Term Vision. Brands that last see marketing as a marathon, not a sprint. They invest consistently in their brand and avoid short-term thinking. Ask yourself: Can my brand, and I, sustain what we're doing long term?

Stay Young and Trendy. Long-term brands find ways to stay "trendy" by constantly repositioning and innovating. They recognize when their target market loses interest and adapt accordingly. Great brands reinvent themselves every day to stay relevant.

7. Brand Name Matters: Avoid Generic Terms

Giving a generic name to your brand is the worst thing you can do.

The Power of a Name. Developing an effective brand name is essential. It's what people will use to talk about you and defines your brand's personality. Generic names are deadly because they fail to make a lasting impression.

Make it Significant. Aim for a remarkable name that reflects your brand's personality. Up to 60% of top global brands are made-up words with a touch of eccentricity (e.g., Nike, Rolex, Adidas). It is with years of marketing efforts that those brand succeeded at making their made-up words significant.

Keep it Short and Memorable. Short names stay in the consumer's mind. When finding new brand names, try to shrink them to no more than 3 or 4 syllables. Also, do your research to ensure the name has no negative connotations and that you can secure a great domain name.

8. Diversify Smartly: Solve Multiple Needs

By offering multiple products, you improve your sales, since you solve multiple needs.

Meeting Customer Needs. Product diversity is integral to business success. By offering multiple products, you solve multiple customer needs and improve sales. Offer different products that solve different needs, like Apple's iPhone, iPod, and iMac.

Price Range Strategy. Offer a wide price range for services, such as subscription services with varying prices. Service providers can offer premium and basic services to gain negotiating power. Both price and product diversification should be used in unison.

Stay Focused. Before diversifying, ensure you have the time, money, and resources. Introduce new products when they are easy to scale and complementary to your existing offerings. Make sure everything added to your brand strengthens your hold on your market niche.

9. Touchpoints Matter: A Brand is Only as Strong as Its Weakest Link

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Holistic Brand Experience. As a marketer, it's your duty to look at your brand from a third-person perspective and ensure all touchpoints are perfect. Touchpoints are all the ways a customer interacts with your brand directly, and they determine whether a customer becomes addicted to your brand or avoids it.

List, Evaluate, and Act. List all your brand's touchpoints, evaluate and rate them using a neutral perspective, and take corrective action based on the results. Start from the weakest points and correct them as soon as possible.

Constant Evaluation. Perform evaluations regularly to maintain quality and improve when needed. Since every touchpoint is equally important, not paying attention to one can be deadly. A good logo won't compensate for a bad product, and vice versa.

10. Spotlight Your People: They Are Your Brand

A great brand is all about its people.

Human Connection. A great brand understands that its people are its greatest asset. Customers love doing business with people, not just corporations, as it gives them a sense of forming a human relationship.

Personal Branding. Improve the personal branding of your team, as the better your organization's team is, the better your brand is. Having a great personal brand improves credibility and helps employees close more deals.

Key Concepts for Team Branding. Make your brand's purpose clear, help employees discover their unique value, give them a network for their voice, give them the spotlight, and make them want to improve their brand. Improving your team's image is mutually beneficial.

11. Value and Scalability: Work Smarter, Not Harder

As marketers, we need to work smarter, instead of harder.

Leverage is Key. The more leverage you have, the better the results. Marketers need to work smarter, not harder. Results aren't proportional to the amount of work put in; they are proportional to the value and scalability you create.

Increase Value. Increase the value of your brand by investing in quality, building your brand, and improving your skills. If you own a clothing line, search for quality fabric and build your brand. If you are a personal trainer, improve your skills and grow an online audience.

Improve Scalability. Scalability is the ability to multiply revenue and sales with minimal increase in cost and resources. Improve scalability by building information products, using franchising and licensing, and thinking big. The goal is to help more people with minimal increase in cost and time.

12. Push and Pull: Balance is Key

Marketing is like flirting with someone: never come on too strong, but don’t be afraid to present yourself.

The Perfect Balance. Marketing is about creating and keeping customers. To successfully create and retain customers, both push and pull strategies must be employed. When push strategies are perfectly balanced with pull strategies, expect new customers to come in like clockwork.

Push vs. Pull. Push strategies aim at taking the product straight to the customer (e.g., tradeshows, direct selling). Pull strategies aim at getting the customer to seek out the product (e.g., advertising, public relations).

Supply and Demand. Pushing the product without enough demand makes negotiating prices difficult. Too much pull without push means fewer interested customers will receive your product. Ensure both supply and demand are accounted for.

Last updated: February 6, 2025