Brand Against the Machine: How to Build Your Brand, Cut Through the Marketing Noise, and Stand Out from the Competition

48

The Prospect Cycle

MOST BUSINESSES KEEP SHOVING ADS IN OUR FACE until we go insane. They continue to interrupt us hoping that eventually they will wear us down and we'll give in. They don't care that we aren't waiting in anticipation to see their ad. For example, no one looks forward to a TV commercial unless they have to pee. Interruption is not the way to move someone from being a prospect to becoming a customer.

Results do not come from marketing that is based on intrusion.

Somewhere along the way we forgot that it's real people buying our products and services. Stop focusing on marketing so much, and start focusing on people. When you focus on people, your brand will quickly reflect that. 

You see, the old way of promoting a brand was to go around telling the world about it. It wasn't very effective. Then brands started getting a little smarter and began showing people what they do rather than telling them. The results weren't much better. The future of marketing is based on involving people. This will create massive results. The interest level increases with each method.

Your prospect cycle should look something like this:

Strangers turn into prospects.

Prospects turn into fans.

Fans turn into customers.

Customers turn into advocates.

Your marketing funnel should be based on moving someone through this cycle and building a relationship with them along the way. Each step should be geared toward earning their trust and establishing your credibility.

The brand with the ...