Marketing. A concept that seems to be relatively modern. However, its practice is believed to extend as far as 1500 BCE. With hundreds of centuries of trial and error, there is no denying that there are certain methods that assure victory, with others being a pointless attempt at succeeding. Here we present 6 secrets about the world of marketing that will lead to success.

1. Do Not Lose Your Focus

Stoic philosopher Seneca claimed that if a person is everywhere, then they are nowhere. After all, multitasking doesn’t work at all. On the contrary, it drastically reduces efficiency because the brain is designed to focus on one activity at a time.

Given the foregoing, you must see your business or company as a person. Instead of trying it to be everywhere, try it to be somewhere, and make that somewhere its territory. In other words, avoid assembling too many ideas simultaneously. Work on and improve a product or two, and once you are settled, move on to a third one.

By concentrating forces, you devote all your energy and performance to one single goal, which means that neither time nor effort is wasted in futile activities.

2. Social Media Is a Double-Edged Sword

No surprises here. Even a ten-year-old knows the relevance of social media for any business or enterprise. The secret, however, lies in learning how to use it.

It is not enough to provide “good” content to the right audience. One must drive engagement, listen to feedback, adjust their strategies, keep up with emerging trends, be consistent, and have a plan. Unfortunately, even applying all these steps does not guarantee success.

Take memes, for example. Everybody loves them, so companies use them regularly, believing they’ll captivate the customers. However, some companies use them incorrectly or inappropriately. In the end, attempts at being engaging and memorable backfire and are perceived as forced, fake, or outdated. Therefore, merely employing social media is insufficient. One must understand how to employ it. If you learn to use the tool properly, then expect massive growth in audience and traffic. Fail to do it, and you’ll surely suffer the consequences.

3. The Art of Advertising

Most people believe marketing is a synonym for advertising. Although both concepts are strictly correlated, it is a false statement. While marketing consists of identifying customer needs and planning how to meet them, advertising is the process of promoting the products and services that will meet such needs.

Now that you know the difference, consider the importance of publicity for your marketing strategies. Create something that will stand out as a result of its innovation and uniqueness. Pierce through the customer’s minds with bold images and keywords. The best thing about it: it can be achieved with anything! Be it with social media posts, influencers, Naver paid ads, printed media, podcasts, or radio broadcasts. If the planning has been done appropriately, you can expect profitable results. By all means, always gather data regarding these results. They will serve as a guide for future decisions.

4. The Magic of Emails

Have you noticed how every writer has a newsletter? Each week, subscribers receive an email with articles, reviews, or stories, written by their favorite authors. Newsletters or e-mail lists are rather convenient for spreading news since they are easy to access: the customer receives a notification, opens the mail, then clicks the hyperlink, and done, they are already reading. All in the blink of an eye.

Certainly, there are plenty of reasons to include an email list for your marketing campaigns. It informs the audience about the company’s goal. It advertises new products or services. It builds a long-term relationship with your audience. It keeps your name on the radar without making your presence too invasive. The trick to taking advantage of it is knowing how to catch the reader’s attention. Using just the right words will arouse curiosity, and if they are curious about it, they’ll likely pursue it.

Needless to say, this is not an excuse to create click-bait titles. On the contrary, you must provide quality content. Make your audience eager for more news. Engage them with appealing stories. Share useful and interesting insights. Add value to the newsletter, and make it worth the subscription.

5. The Picasso Procedure

It is said that painter Pablo Picasso had a theory. He believed that, while good artists copy, the greatest ones steal. The quotation is a strong statement, indeed. The truth is, what Picasso meant by “stealing” has more to do with “reshaping” than copying and pasting.

For example, Microsoft didn’t invent computers, it only reshaped the concept and made it accessible for everyone, providing value to the product. Nintendo didn’t come up with the first video game, it just made the concept more appealing with their home consoles, and with video game franchises of its own. Music works similarly, with each brand new genre or band taking ideas from previous generations and adapting them to their abilities and their own style.

In other words, innovators transform old ideas into tangible materials that become useful for the rest of the world. That’s the secret to becoming a ground-breaking company.

If marketing involves creativity, then marketing geniuses are artists too.

6. It’s All About Emotions 

It is said that humans are rational creatures, but this idea couldn’t be further from the truth.

Humans are, in fact, emotional animals: decision-making is generally made on our own beliefs, and we are driven by love, passion, joy, and anger. People indulge in short-term pleasures, such as junk food or cigarettes, mainly because it feels good, not because it is logically convenient.

In the world of business, marketing and advertising must evoke strong emotions.

Sure, many purchase a product based on its resourcefulness, or because it solves a specific problem. But what about the hundreds of adults buying action figures because of “nostalgia”? And those who collect vinyl records because they are “aesthetically appealing” or just for the “thrill of the hunt”? Do people watch horror movies because it’s useful? Or because they enjoy feeling scared?

Tell stories, recall memories, provide security, and awake desire. Do not take emotions for granted. More often than not, they are the difference between failure and success.

The world of marketing is full of competition and challenges. Failure is a guarantee, but despite the negative connotation behind it, there’s much to be gained from it as well. Failure teaches what not to do again. If you embrace it wisely and learn from it, it will be just a matter of time before you succeed.