There are three golden rules you need to follow in order for your business to be as successful as the potential it has. Below is a list of the three golden rules. If you answer no to any of them, you might want to rethink your advertising techniques.

1. Do you test every aspect of your advertising/marketing technique and measure the success?

In order to be a successful marketer, you need to constantly test old techniques and incorporate new ones after they have tested positive. It doesn’t matter what the technique is, if it shows itself as a proven tactic, keep doing it, if it does not perform to expectations, drop it and move on to a new technique. Don’t let your techniques get stale, always test and retest them.

Try testing at least five new things per month, if one of the five are successful, drop the other four, on the other hand, if four out of five are successful, just drop the one and celebrate your newfound business you created with the other four. Static advertising will eventually wither and die away. Rule one, always test and measure, your advertising is not only an integral part of your business, it’s also the first introduction your clients will have to your business. Make it clear, simple and effective.

2. Know what purpose your business serves.

If you don’t understand your own business completely, how can you expect anyone else to understand it. Know your business well; if you believe you are in business to make money, you’re already on the wrong road. To be an outstanding business, a business that can stand the test of time and economy, you need to be able to give your clients real value for their dollar, have a product or service that makes their life easier, and have customer service as a highest priority.

This is not a vague concept, or a gimmicky statement, it’s a way of doing business. It’s a commitment to do what you need to do to enhance the lives of your clients, to make their interaction with your company as easy and comfortable as possible; it is a way to interact with your clients in a way that will benefit both you and your client. This concept is the most powerful tool to have in your sales and marketing arsenal. Think about when you have interacted with a company, did you not have a much more positive experience when you felt the person on the other end was not only on your side, but was willing to do what needed to be done in order to make you happy?

3. Does your marketing feature the benefits of your product or service?

Customers are not interested in what you do, they are interested in what you can do for THEM. The rest is of no value to them and does not deserve their attention. If you cannot tell your client how you can benefit them in particular, your advertising, no matter how aggressive it may be, will be for the most part, ineffective.

Know what your business has to offer, either product or service, know how this product or service will fit into the personal or business lives of your clients. Focus all of your brochures, web pages, and any other advertising on the attributes of your company and how they can work to benefit your client. How can you make it easier for them to do their job; how can you make it easier for them in their day to day personal lives. This is what matters to your client, never loose sight of that. Money can be secondary to the benefits they stand to garner from your service or product.