When Abraham Maslow conceived his Hierarchy of Needs in 1943, he couldn't possibly have known that it would be one of the most influential advances in the field of human behavioral study and would remain so well into the subsequent century.
The theory developed by Maslow put forth that the motivation for any action made by any human being is an unfulfilled need. When we have unmet needs, we are motivated to meet them in a specific order. Once the needs on the first level are met, we move on to the needs of the next level, and so on until we reach the top tier.
Physiological requirements are primary concern to a person that keeps him alive. Next is safety needs and then comes social needs. Later in the list is the need for self esteem and last is self-actualization. A student following Maslow's theory will know how this can be adapted in the marketing world. During the attempt to make a sale, it applies not only to the product that is sold; the idea of the product, and the image, but, in the end, the result of the product is also sold. Thus, one or more requirements in the hierarchy may be fulfilled.
Obviously, a marketing campaign will be more successful the more it appeals to the lower levels of unfulfilled need in a person's life. What this means for you, the marketer, is that knowing your audience's needs is key. A product that promises to fulfill an esteem need will be virtually useless to a customer whose safety needs are not yet met.
In order to be successful in any marketing endeavor, the first step is to get a firm grasp on the psychographic motivators to which you will be appealing. Which need on the hierarchy is your product going to fulfill? How will it fulfill this need, and how can you prove to your potential customers that it will effectively fulfill their need?
A more important issue is how you can address the level of need of potential customers you are trying to reach. If a product is requested by a customer, then they are doing your work for you. It is hard, however, to tell what a total stranger wants when you are trying to approach them for the first time.
The best way to overcome this obstacle is simple, and it's one that every marketer is taught from the very beginning of their career: just talk. Talk about sports, the weather, or family life - anything other than the product you are trying to sell. Chatting with your potential customer in a friendly, non-pressured way will allow you to pick up on invaluable clues about their needs.
When you are able to understand the motivations of your potential customers, you approach the ability to meet their needs. After you figure out what motivates them then you can gear your sales pitch towards what will be effective for each customer. As you understand the needs of customers in general you can be more effective in selling to the market in general.
Many management practices today are based on Maslow's theory. His theory can also be useful when it comes to marketing. The most important thing is to be aware of how you can help the customer decide that they need your product.
Showing posts with label MARKETING. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MARKETING. Show all posts
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
Article Writing Secrets To Help Increase Your Profits
By: Mark Burdett
If one of your New Year resolutions is to make your business more successful then read on as writing articles could (and indeed should) form a big part in making sure your resolution comes true.
And these 2 tips can turn your article into something people might want to read and publish into a piece of writing that will get you and your business exposure.
Top Tip Number 1: Be different
The internet more so than any other communication tool gives people the chance to air their views and have a voice. The trouble with such a forum is that you are usually competing with hundreds, thousands and indeed millions of other people also wanting their views and opinions to be read or heard.
The truth therefore is that when writing articles you have to stand out from the crowd in order to get maximum exposure and results. The good news is that so many people who you are up against dont do this so opportunities exist for the minorities who do have something different to say (or say something in a different way). Here are just a few ways in which you can stand out:
a. Be controversial. This is a sure fire way to get your articles published and read.
b. Be trusted. By becoming a recognised expert in your chosen field your views and opinions will make you stand out.
c. Be funny. If the opportunity arises for you to put a humorous slant on your article then give it a go and see how it goes. Remember people like to be entertained.
d. Be first. If your article writing is on topical subjects then very often the person who gets their article and opinions in first will get the most exposure.
e. Be passionate. People with passion about a subject stand out of the crowd. Weve all seen them and their passion is contagious. It makes you want to know more and it makes them successful. Look at the top business men and women around and they all share one quality and it isnt to make money. The quality they share is that they are passionate about what they do. Be passionate about the content of your articles and I guarantee you will get results.
Top Tip Number 2: Get action
So you have written your article and are ready to share your thoughts with the World. How do you actually do this though?
Well the real beauty of article writing is that there are thousands of websites that are looking for articles to add content rich information to their sites. And there are 3 main ways in which you can get your article listed and read. These are:
1. Do it yourself and submit your articles to article submission sites. These are sometimes free sites that allow you to submit articles on a regular basis. The result is they pretty much do all the work for you and people from across the world can see your articles and even post them on their own sites. This means you and your business gets exposure and inbound links to your website (which if you dont already know is the number 1 way to help with search engine optimisation or SEO).
2. Pay an article company to get even more exposure. There are many article sites that for a fee will allow you to submit an article and they will then submit your articles to their network of article sites. This could well result in numerous inbound links and if you write an interesting and keyword rich article could really help with your SEO.
3. Get someone to do it all for you. If youre too busy to write and submit articles but still want to see how it could benefit your business (and believe me it really can) then you can now get people to do it for you. A Marketing Consultant or specialist article writing and submission service could both help out so shop around and see what is available.
The bottom line is that unlike press releases (where you are often relying on the media to help you get exposure) with articles you can make sure you get exposure by being pro active.
Articles can and will help you promote your business and are one of the best and most cost effective ways to help you with search engine optimisation. Give it a try and see how you get on.
If one of your New Year resolutions is to make your business more successful then read on as writing articles could (and indeed should) form a big part in making sure your resolution comes true.
And these 2 tips can turn your article into something people might want to read and publish into a piece of writing that will get you and your business exposure.
Top Tip Number 1: Be different
The internet more so than any other communication tool gives people the chance to air their views and have a voice. The trouble with such a forum is that you are usually competing with hundreds, thousands and indeed millions of other people also wanting their views and opinions to be read or heard.
The truth therefore is that when writing articles you have to stand out from the crowd in order to get maximum exposure and results. The good news is that so many people who you are up against dont do this so opportunities exist for the minorities who do have something different to say (or say something in a different way). Here are just a few ways in which you can stand out:
a. Be controversial. This is a sure fire way to get your articles published and read.
b. Be trusted. By becoming a recognised expert in your chosen field your views and opinions will make you stand out.
c. Be funny. If the opportunity arises for you to put a humorous slant on your article then give it a go and see how it goes. Remember people like to be entertained.
d. Be first. If your article writing is on topical subjects then very often the person who gets their article and opinions in first will get the most exposure.
e. Be passionate. People with passion about a subject stand out of the crowd. Weve all seen them and their passion is contagious. It makes you want to know more and it makes them successful. Look at the top business men and women around and they all share one quality and it isnt to make money. The quality they share is that they are passionate about what they do. Be passionate about the content of your articles and I guarantee you will get results.
Top Tip Number 2: Get action
So you have written your article and are ready to share your thoughts with the World. How do you actually do this though?
Well the real beauty of article writing is that there are thousands of websites that are looking for articles to add content rich information to their sites. And there are 3 main ways in which you can get your article listed and read. These are:
1. Do it yourself and submit your articles to article submission sites. These are sometimes free sites that allow you to submit articles on a regular basis. The result is they pretty much do all the work for you and people from across the world can see your articles and even post them on their own sites. This means you and your business gets exposure and inbound links to your website (which if you dont already know is the number 1 way to help with search engine optimisation or SEO).
2. Pay an article company to get even more exposure. There are many article sites that for a fee will allow you to submit an article and they will then submit your articles to their network of article sites. This could well result in numerous inbound links and if you write an interesting and keyword rich article could really help with your SEO.
3. Get someone to do it all for you. If youre too busy to write and submit articles but still want to see how it could benefit your business (and believe me it really can) then you can now get people to do it for you. A Marketing Consultant or specialist article writing and submission service could both help out so shop around and see what is available.
The bottom line is that unlike press releases (where you are often relying on the media to help you get exposure) with articles you can make sure you get exposure by being pro active.
Articles can and will help you promote your business and are one of the best and most cost effective ways to help you with search engine optimisation. Give it a try and see how you get on.
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