The Four Components of Every Marketing Effort

There are four components to every marketing effort. All four of these key components must be given careful consideration—for each can cause the failure or success of your marketing.

The Product
The Message
The Prospect
The Media

Consistently successful marketing requires knowledge and mastery of these four factors that, together, can produce the desired results.

Rating the Four Marketing Components

PRODUCT – You have to do your research.
Is the product or service you're offering going to meet an existing need or demand?
Who needs or demands it?

You must know the exact demand or need you are trying to fill.

Can the product be priced profitably and competitively?
Does the product offer value?
How about quality?

Do the best you can to objectively evaluate your product—from the prospect's point of view.

MESSAGE – This includes the offer you're making (FREE booklet, bill me, FREE gift w/order, etc.), how you say it (the words), and how you present it (design elements).

Have you made an enticing offer?
Does your headline grab the attention of your hottest prospects?
Have you made your promotion look uncluttered, easy to read, professional?
Once again, you must put yourself in your prospect's shoes. How will your message be perceived by them?

PROSPECT – Who are the best candidates for your product or service?

Will apartment dwellers be interested in your lawn tractors? Not a chance.
Will the small business owner who spends only $2,000 per year on
marketing be interested in my consulting services? Probably not.
Sending the right message about the right product to the wrong prospect can be a total waste.

MEDIA – How will you get your message in front of your hottest prospects?
Direct mail?
TV? Radio?
Print ads?

This element of your marketing is just as important as the other four. Spending the money for a professionally written and designed ad will do you no good if you place it in the wrong publication.
How sure are you of the media you've selected?
Have you had success with them in the past, or are they untested for you?
Are detailed demographics available?
Do the best you can to rate your overall confidence in the media you plan to use.

In general, people want to spend money, be affluent and feel good.

People do not want to budget or be austere. They do not want to be involved with things that require work, cause risk to what they already have, or that are time consuming.

Use this knowledge to rate the four components of all your marketing efforts, then make needed adjustments as are indicated by the formula. You'll be amazed what happens to your response rate!