Why your Marketing is Failing and what to do to Save it

If your marketing is focused on “getting the word out”, aka like a circus barker, not only will your sales plummet but it will take your brand down with it.

Marketing in today’s world is about innovation and showing others how the inclusion of the innovation will measurably improve their lives and the lives of others.

Today’s marketing officer is tasked with saving the planet, easing human suffering, bridging the gaps of inequality and dissolving animosity across the planet. These core values are far higher callings than simply improving the bottom line and carry fundamental moral values on an anthropological scale. Is your marketing doing any of that?

We’ve heard the tired mantra in the tech sector of “making the world a better place”. While this resonated well in the beginning, overuse turned the phrase to parrot fodder. But the message still rings true. Humans in the modern first world have been pitched their entire lives and receive upwards of five thousand marketing messages a day.

There’s an area of the brain called the reticular activating system. This area is responsible for a myriad of functions and includes what you pay attention to. With all those messages flying at us every day, our brains “filter” out most stimulus only let through, by a physiological response, what we decide is important to us.

So there are two things at play here. The first is if you want people to pay attention to what you have to offer, your message needs to speak to their well-being and their desires for “making the world a better place”. Second and most important is ask yourself if your new product or service actually has the capability of “making the world a better place” by actually solving a real problem and not just a band-aid.

At the core, if your message is “check out my new cool thing”, you’re missing both touch points immediately. By the structure of the message, it has nothing to do with the other person and it presents no case for solving a problem.

Even as an entertainer your products and services could hit the two marks. Your content helps people feel ranges of positive and excited emotions and hopefully you foster good will among the crowd, making the small world of those in your venue a better place during the time of your performance.

Marketing at its core is about driving sales to grow and sustain a business. If you want people to pay attention and vote with their wallet, your message needs to primarily show how their lives benefit and the world around them benefits by the consumption of your product or service. Consider how your next startup innovation or crowd-funding campaign will serve these core values. Combine this with strong publicity and you’re guaranteed success!

James DeCicco is an American Entrepreneur, Speaker & Author in new technology, web & finance. He is an expert on personal success psychology with training from Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Deepak Chopra, Neuro Linguistic Programming and several successful company exits to his credit.

James is also the founder and CEO of El Segundo-based BeachCoders.com web coding academy.