Marketing Mindfulness: Alex’s Epiphanies

Funnel vs Linear – the right marketing perspective

Many business owners tend to fixate on individual marketing activities and outcomes, rather than the wider marketing funnel. Though attention to detail is vital, a funnel-centric approach offers a holistic view of marketing efforts, optimizing the customer journey from awareness to conversion. This strategy promotes synergy between marketing activities, boosting effectiveness and efficiency, whereas a linear focus on separate tactics could miss essential touchpoints and growth opportunities.

Get emotional – we sell feelings!

Humans are simply a journey of feelings – one after another. Do you sell a good, memorable feeling or an average, forgettable one? Or worse, a bad, memorable feeling? Tapping into customers’ emotions when marketing enables businesses to create powerful connections and foster brand loyalty. By appealing to their audience’s feelings and needs, businesses can evoke emotional responses that drive decision-making, increase engagement, and ultimately enhance the overall customer experience, leading to long-lasting relationships and success.

Strategy spotlight – real tips for using ChatGPT today

Small business owners often juggle multiple responsibilities and face time constraints that demand efficient solutions. Enter ChatGPT, an advanced AI language model designed to assist businesses in various tasks and help them grow and optimise their operations.

1. Content creation and editing

Creating captivating content for your website, blog, and social media can be demanding. ChatGPT assists by generating imaginative content from your prompts. It can also proofread and edit existing content, ensuring grammatical accuracy and adherence to your desired tone and style.

Prompt ideas:

“Suggest ideas for a blog post about the benefits of [your product/service].” (then ask ChatGPT to write 100 words on your favourite title)

“Create a catchy social media post to promote our upcoming sale [insert full details of the sale].”

2. Customer service support

Improve the quality and speed of your replies to customers – this not only frees up your time but also enhances your customers’ experience by providing prompt assistance.

Prompt ideas:

“How do I handle customer inquiries about shipping times? [include the details of your shipping times]”

“What is a polite way to respond to this customer complaint? [copy and paste the customer complaint into the chat]”

3. Brainstorming and idea generation

Whether for fresh marketing campaign ideas or solutions to business challenges, ChatGPT can be an invaluable brainstorming partner. Just provide the context, and the AI will generate a list of ideas for you to consider.

Prompt ideas:

“Suggest marketing campaign ideas for our new product launch. [include all details]”

“How can we improve customer retention?”

4. Market research and analysis

Understanding your target audience, competitors, and industry trends is crucial for business growth – analyze market data and extract valuable insights to make informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition.

Prompt ideas:

“Summarise the key trends in the [your industry] sector.”

“Provide a competitive analysis of [your top competitors].”

5. Email drafting and templates

Craft professional emails or templates for purposes like sales outreach, customer follow-ups, and newsletters. This saves time and maintains consistent communication with your audience.

Prompt ideas:

“Draft an email to follow up with this potential client. [include details of the client / where you are in the discussion]”

“Create a newsletter template to update customers on our latest offers. [include industry info and offer details]”

Hopefully that gives you a great starting point for this game-changing tool, but remember – ChatGPT is an electric bike for your mind – it’ll do a lot of the heavy lifting, but you still need to pedal! Happy Chatting!

Meet Marketing 101

On May 30th, Marketing 101 celebrates our 3rd anniversary. Born amidst the pandemic, our brand has thrived, becoming a leading marketing force in the Sussex business community.

Our journey began with Alex Ryan in March 2020. Restless after a week of furlough, he offered free marketing support to businesses during lockdown. As “The Furloughed Marketer,” Alex worked with over 35 businesses for three months before transitioning to Marketing 101. This generosity propelled our growth, and now we celebrate our success and expansion.

We’re grateful to everyone who contributed to our journey—clients, suppliers, and advocates. Your support made this adventure possible.

Marketing 101 specializes in digital strategies that deliver measurable results, including Social Media Advertising, Google services (Pay-Per-Click, Google Shopping, and Search Engine Optimization), and Email Marketing. Trust Marketing 101 to drive your business forward.

Written by Alex Ryan

Thanks for reading. At the core of Marketing 101, I manage strategy, consultancy, and mentor internal marketing teams for our valued clients. With 25 years embracing ADHD as a unique advantage, I excel at understanding a brand’s essence and customers’ needs. Let’s talk! Visit marketing-101.co.uk and alexryanuk.com.