Adverts don't sell

Really, it’s a mistake to think that you can sell anything by simply advertising it.

You can hammer-in on the product’s unique selling proposition, and shoot the advert with Beyonce displaying the product. If it is such a useless and outdated product like a floppy disk or video cassette, it will not sell, at least not profitably.

Marketing is about envisaging and discovering customers’ needs and figuring out the best ways to meet them profitably. So the customer’s need, [which is an element of demand] comes first. Then the product which can meet that need comes into the picture.

People forget adverts as soon as they read them unless they happen to need the product at that time. Therefore, adverting is like offering a thirsty man a glass of cold water. The fourth or fifth glass of cold water will no longer be a temptation. He can ignore it. He is no longer thirsty.

So before you pump huge amount of money into advertising, make sure there is a demand [need + ability to buy] for it.

We once made this mistake too. My partner and I wanted people to know that we provide tasty barbecue at events. We put up a display advert, showcasing what we’ve got...

That advert did not work for some reasons. One of it is that the people in the region where we focused the advert did not need barbecue. They general could not afford hosting such parties where barbecue is served; beside they are mostly busy people.

So we had to change our strategy.

Lesson: Advertising is basically saying, “Hey, we’ve got what you are looking for.” And not “Hey, this is beautiful, efficient, and cheap. Would you buy?”

Telemarketing it

In spite of the increasing use of the internet, particularly emails in marketing, telemarketing is still relevant. Telemarketing is simply marketing over the telephone. Most telemarketing calls are "cold calls," that is, calls made to a prospect when he/she has not requested for it. Due to its often out-the-blue approach of people who may not find it pleasant, telemarketing is one of the most controversial types of marketing. However, its main purpose to make a sale or at least introduce the product or service.
Though, it can quite effective, telemarketing is mainly used as a component of an integrated marketing campaign. It supplements advertising and direct marketing campaigns. It can be used to handle a number of different tasks:
- Direct sales to prospect over the phone
- Maintain contact with current customer
- Generating leads from unqualified mailing lists
- Following up direct marketing programmes
- carrying out market research, using surveys to establish consumer response to products or side incentives
- Winning back lapsed customers by introducing them to new products that may be of greater interest following up leads generated through advertising or direct marketing or via intermediaries
- maintaining contact with customers as part of a relationship marketing programme
Telemarketing also can provide a point of response for queries generated through advertising or direct marketing campaigns or to obtain information from respondent as a basis for future database marketing.
But if it is done unprofessionally, telemarketing can ruin the gains of advertising and every other marketing effort. This is because experience is always more powerful, and is engraved in the memory, more than information. So a telemarketer must be grounded in professional telephone etiquettes.