5 Marketing Quotes to Always Keep in Mind

Peter Drucker (1909-2005), management consultant

I read an article this morning by Alex Honeysett, who had recently been to a digital marketing and business-building conference in Dallas. She talks about five powerful marketing quotations she picked up there. The event was primarily for entrepreneurs, but the lessons from these quotes are applicable to all of us who market ourselves and/or our products, online or offline.

1. "Remember the heart beating behind the screen." -- Nathalie Lussier, digital strategist

It's so easy to climb up on our soapboxes (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and issue a proclamation, a statement "for the masses."

You see it all the time, people -- especially marketers -- often seem to forget that they are trying to reach a person, maybe not every person, but certainly not a homogenous group called "customers." There may be dozens or thousands of people reading your words, but each of them is doing it one at a time. Try in your writing to reach one person, again and again. To build your community, try to connect with each person, not the demographic group.

I find it helpful to imagine one person on my lists that I know personally, and write as if I am writing to that one person. (What? You don't have any of your "real world" friends-in-the-flesh on your feeds?!) Write as if you're writing to that one person, and then follow up with that person to find out if he or she thought your post or tweet or whatever was on-target and effective. Yes, friends can get away with being highly critical. You don't have to take their advice, of course, but hearing an honest response to your work will go a long way in helping you become better at what you're doing.

2. “People don't pay to get to heaven. They pay to get out of hell.” -- Liz Dialto, founder of Wild Soul Movement

There are carrots, and there are sticks. Don't just talk about the benefits of your product or service. Talk directly to your reader about the ramifications of not having your product or service. Avoiding those ramifications are the true benefits of what you're offering.

Back in the silver age of comic books, there were drawings in the backpage advertisements selling a book about  bodybuilding. These ads didn't promote getting bigger or stronger for its own sake, for health reasons. It was all about becoming tough enough so that the bully on the beach would no longer throw sand in your face and take your girl. Fear of embarrassment or of loss, of being seen as weak or uncultured or as unable to keep up with the Joneses, is a powerful motivator.

Take time in your presentation to let your customer know what they will be avoiding by buying and using your product or service.

3. “Be a co-creator with your tribe.” -- Nathalie Lussier, digital strategist

Social media lets us be "social." Advertising and marketing is no longer a one-way street. Listen to what your customers and would-be customers say. Respond. Interact. Build a friendship and a community.

4. “It’s not going to be fun. It's going to suck. Do it anyway.” -- Sarah Jenks, founder of Live More

Enjoying your work, doing what you love, is important. But that doesn't mean everything that may be required of you is going to be fun. There are a zillion things an entrepreneur or a small business owner has to do to get their business going, or to keep it going, that aren't glamorous or exciting. Handling technical issues, interviewing prospective employees, tweeting and facebooking on a regular schedule, etc... not everyone finds doing these things an exciting part of their job. But do them anywhere, or get someone else to do them for you. To steal one of the most effective marketing slogans ever: Just do it.

Which leads us to the fifth marketing quote to always keep in mind:

5. “First things first. Second things not at all.” -- Peter Drucker, management consultant and author

It's hard to be more concise than Mr. Drucker was, but I'll try: "Prioritize." If it needs to be done, do it. If it doesn't need to be done, don't do it.

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