Ninety percent of the advertising and marketing flooding the market today (including, I’ll admit it, some of mine!) fails because it fails to answer four questions.

I was listening to an audiobook by Perry Marshall, the author of Guerilla Marketing and High Tech Marketing, and he reminded me of the following four questions that are really key to what marketing is all about.  And they’re great for the aviation industry where people value directness. Busy people don’t like it when you dance around the subject and waste their time.

  • Why should I read or listen to you?
  • Why should I believe what you have to say?
  • Why should I do anything about what you’re offering?
  • Why should I act now?

Your potential customers may not articulate these questions, but they are asking them internally.

If a marketing piece doesn’t answer those four questions, we have some work to do!

I do a lot of marketing for my client companies, but often get too busy to spend much time marketing ABCI. That reminds me of a story about why the cobbler’s children have no shoes . . . because the cobbler was so busy making shoes for clients!

Most of our marketing doesn’t answer these questions quite so directly, but I’ll give it a shot as an exercise: (I recommend you do this too, even if you don’t publish the “raw data!”)

You should read or listen to me because I’ve spent 20 years in marketing, for companies like Wells Fargo, Pearson and Franklin Covey; specializing in online marketing. And I’ve spent the last year and a half focusing on, and developing contacts and experience in aviation. I’ve done a lot of things that don’t work.  I’ve also created a lot of great material that’s gotten really great results. And I’ve improved on that ratio every month.

You should believe what I have to say because of what my customers say. They talk about the value I bring much more credibly than I could.

“Paula is an incisive speaker who demonstrates proficient knowledge in both aviation business and electronic marketing. She is engaging, articulate, and most importantly, she is genuine. I look forward to working with Paula in the future and continuing to learn from her how to best utilize the time and effort I put into my social media initiatives.”

Brad McAllister , Editor: Airport Business Magazine , Cygnus Business Media

“Paula is an effective and organized consultant. Her success is due to her impeccable communication and organization skills. I very much look forward to working with her again”

Jerome Abregana, Technology Manager, Wells Fargo Bank

“Paula is not only a terrific writer and marketing thinker, she’s the real deal when it comes to knowing the aviation market! Her experience as a pilot makes her the perfect guide for aviation companies looking to boost their marketing efforts online and offline. I highly recommend Paula for any aviation marketing consulting and writing work if you’re looking for results.

Pam Foster, Sr Copywriter, Web-SEO Writer and Consultant, ContentClear Marketing

Why you should do something about what I’m offering:  Marketing is the first or second most important activity of any company. Marketing is simply the activity of finding and engaging with customers. Without customers, the product  you provide will sit in a warehouse, and you’re paying good money to employees that aren’t busy serving the customers you don’t have. You should expand, manage and safeguard your customer list as carefully as you invest your money.

Marketing isn’t magic, it’s actually far more formulaic than creative, and it’s hard work.  But ABCI has the experience, skills and economies of scale to make it much more efficient than a company that does these things in-house. We can make web sites, lead generation, trade show appearances, lead fulfillment and follow up much more automated and inexpensive than you might think.

Your salespeople will be much more motivated when they have a steady stream of high-quality leads from people who have sought out YOUR company, product or service as a solution to their problem.   Advertising impact CAN be measured, and marketing CAN be accountable for every dollar spent.

Why you should act now: – Every day that you put off getting a marketing plan working and generating leads for your product or service is another day that your products are sitting on the shelf, and another day that you’re paying your employees to surf the web and read articles about how bad the economy is getting.

So, email me today and ask for my New Client Questionnaire. There’s no cost, but it takes some time and thought to complete. My clients tell me it’s very enlightening and helpful in itself- and it leads to a great conversation about how we can improve your marketing system in a way that’s very profitable for your company.

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