Marketing Made Simple summary

Let’s say you’ve created a brilliant new product. Maybe you’ve written a phenomenal book that’s full of action, adventure, and insight. Perhaps you’ve built an innovative stereo system that delivers that pristine sound audiophiles crave. 

Or maybe you’ve simply made the perfect breakfast pastry. 

Now, you have this amazing product, so customers should be lining up all around the block, right? If only it was that easy. The truth is, even if you have a perfect product, no one will buy it if they don’t know about it. And that’s where marketing comes in. 

The art of marketing is all about connecting people to goods and services that they don’t yet know they want. 

The key message here is: Marketing creates new customers through curiosity and enlightenment. 

Oftentimes, people conflate marketing with branding. But these are two very different things. Branding molds how people feel about your company – it gives your products a character, based on images, design, and logos. 

Marketing is different. It makes customers understand what your company or products can do for them. In other words, it communicates a specific offer. 

Good marketing is a process that comes in three stages. The first is curiosity. All you need to do here is catch a potential customer’s eye. More often than not, it’s about a split-second decision or snap judgment. 

Maybe the customer sees a flashy picture of your product, glimpses a well-designed advertisement for your service, or simply hears a friend mention your company. Either way, they’re now curious to know more.

They’re ready for the next step: enlightenment. At this stage, your marketing campaign fills in the details. You explain what problems your product solves, what solution your service provides – in other words, how the customer’s life will change after they’ve made the purchase. This could be as simple as giving a flashy synopsis of that thrilling novel. Or, it could be more engaged: perhaps a technical explanation of why your stereo delivers superior sound.

Finally comes commitment. This is the crucial stage where you actually ask the customer to make a purchase. And you should ask – giving your customer a direct call to action is often necessary for sales.

For instance, placing a prominent buy now button on your website is a simple way to remind visitors to close the deal. 

Of course, all of this is easier said than done. But there is a way to streamline the process. We’ll delve into this five-part plan in the next blinks.