But for every ‘how to’ guide espousing a new approach there’s always another eschewing it. The point is that if anyone ever tells you they have a silver bullet for your marketing problems, or that their approach is more measurable, more contagious, more ethical, or simply more catch-all ‘effective’ than other approaches, get out your magnifying glass!

Marketing – from promoting the latest car, to raising awareness of a little-known social issue, to making one brand of toothpaste or one financial service stand out – is more complex than many practitioners (who are usually touting a specific solution) would have you believe.

You can also forget about looking at other brands’ seemingly successful tactical marketing activities and trying to replicate them in a hit-or-miss gamble. Just because something worked once for one company in one sector, doesn’t mean it will work for anyone else – or even work again for the original business.

Here’s 12 tips to remember that may help you make the right choices when thinking about your next marketing campaign.

1. There is no marketing silver bullet
2. Take the time to understand the territory of any marketing approach you are not fully familiar with – read books for and against the new approach, consult experts, participate in workshops.
3. Marketing is matchmaking: marry the problem or opportunity you have with the most appropriate approach, which will not always be the simplest or most commonly used one.
4. Focus on the outcome you want to achieve, not what technique you want to use.
5. Any marketing technique, even advertising can help generate word of mouth (WOM)
6. The key to generating WOM is to deliver experiences that exceed expectations, because people only talk about experiences worth talking about.
7. A person’s overall experience of a brand shapes their emotional connection with that brand and comes from every touchpoint, not just product or service contact.
8. Make sure your brand’s story resonates with consumers. It will help set their expectations in the first place.
9. Don’t confuse buzz or WOM with advocacy
10. Identify and connect with your brand’s influencers.
11. Listen to your brand’s stakeholders and ignite conversations yourself via social media (though remember that noise is not the same as insight)
12. Enable key stake holders to participate in creating product and service innovations at the heart of your business.

At the end of the day, you’re only in business for as long as you create something that people need or want. Remember marketing is not all about ‘selling stuff’ it can also help you better understand your customers and what drives them to use your products and services – more importantly if the right approach is taken it can help you better understand what drives them to talk about your business. In this social-media lead world consumer advocacy is even more important and you may only get one chance to get it right…..but remember there is no silver bullet!

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These two types tend to complement each other and work together very well. You’ll often find this division in partnerships and many times the CEO is the big picture person while the COO/CFO are the details people.

But what if your role requires both strategic thinking and attention to detail? Most people are naturally more skilled at one or the other, and there are a lucky few who do both equally well. Whether you have good attention to detail or whether you can see the big picture easily and clearly is generally part of your personality. But it can also be a learned skill, if you wish to develop it. There are systems and processes that can help you override your natural tendencies when needed.

If you’re not sure which one you are take a few moments to think about whether you are more skilled at the strategic thinking or paying attention to details. While you most likely know this already, here are some points that can promote that reflection:

Typical of the Big Picture Thinker

• You can quickly see patterns in complex problems.
• You like to come up with new ideas and new projects.
• You have a low tolerance for busywork, tedious errands, and filling out forms.
• You are great at outlining what needs to be done, but filling in the details can feel exhausting.
• You may have been described as right-brained.

Typical of the Details Thinker

• You think about things in great detail and sometimes miss the big picture.
• While you are certainly smart, others may joke that you lack common sense.
• You would prefer to edit or tweak a plan than to come up with it from scratch.
• Highlighting study notes doesn’t work for you, because you end up highlighting everything.
• You may have a tendency to over-think things.
• You have excellent attention to detail.
• You may have been described as left-brained.

As for myself I’m more the typical “big picture thinker” and have successfully applied this skill set a number of times in the past. So if you’re more of a details type of person and need the help of a big picture type of guy give me a call.

However unlike the UK (where I originally come from) there seems to be no obvious help when it comes to low rent, connected and move-in ready small business units or office space. Something a lot of new businesses need in their early days. In the UK  many governments and local government departments have used tax based incentives to encourage commercial businesses to convert unused business premises into low rent units/offices as well building them themselves. This has resulted in small start-up business parks  springing up across the UK over the years, especially in out-of-town areas and in particular on unused or neglected land as well as in buildings disused by farmers over the years. New offices, business units and small specialist shopping areas have blossomed over the years and provided excellent “move in ready” starting points for many businesses that have then grown to become larger and more successful.

The effect of this “tax incentive based investment” is three fold; firstly farmers and land owners can develop new income streams as well as clean up and refurbish previously run down areas and disused buildings with funding, something they wouldn’t have done previously. Secondly, small business owners and new start-ups have much greater access to new modern, well serviced business units and offices at a reasonable fixed cost rentals and service charges for pre-determined periods. I’m sure you’ll agree a god send in the early years of any start up’s lifecycle. Lastly, new businesses moving into these units create employment and drive new customer footfall to areas often previously neglected and left to slowly die, particularly the out-of town ones. Another community benefit both in jobs and in wealth creation for the region.

Granted a lot of work has to be done at the planning stages and agreements with potential developers who need to guarantee to maintain low costs etc have to be put in place. But then it’s work well worth doing because it’s a win, win for everyone. More employment, the refurbishment of otherwise run down buildings, plus, new businesses help attract new people to these areas which in-turn benefits everyone long term.

It just takes courage, creative thinking and the right motivation to make it happen – something I’m sure the elected officials of the region have. It would also mark a move in the right direction to help promote new businesses to the region as well as provide a much needed resource for those already here and already being given support.

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It might sound a little crazy, but you can get some of the best information about how to run a business by thinking like a consumer. When you become a business owner, you have to become a completely different person, at least as far as your way of thinking is concerned. Creating and developing your own business mindset can seem like a daunting task, but it’s not as difficult as it sounds. You don’t need a master’s degree in business to understand that you need to make a profit to succeed. You just need to find a way of thinking that works for you in your business ownership so that you can make the most of it.

For example, your business caters to a specific consumer type. Focus on those consumers, and imagine what would make them want to invest in your product and/or service. Then, use that information to market your business, which will be a large part of your success. You cannot have a successful business without successful marketing, after all. Proper marketing policies come from having a good business mindset. It’s all inter-connected, and if you fail to make those connections, you won’t do well in business. Don’t stress about it, though. That’s the first key to having a business mindset. It is knowing what is important and what’s not when it comes to your thought process.

If your business is slow, either in start up or well after opening, don’t worry about failure. Instead, focus on what tools you can use to be successful. By thinking like a consumer, you can figure out what they’re looking for, and appeal to their needs, which will strengthen and grow your business. What would a good business be without a proper business mindset, after all? You need to take the time to learn the things about your specific business that are most important, and use them to your advantage.

If you believe in you, they’ll believe in you, too. No matter what type of business you have, you need to focus on changing your way of thinking and adopt a business mindset that works. Sometimes the best way to do that is by educating yourself about consumer habits rather than business practices.

Social networks have earned very little trust as communication platforms and are surrounded by deep skepticism and concerns about protection of privacy, scams and spam.

Marketers must transcend the inherent distrust within social network platforms if their messages are going to resonate with consumers. Without a meaningful connection to friends and family, marketing messages on social networking sites will merely become more ads to be avoided.

Discussions and recommendations by friends and family members are among the most trusted sources of information about brands within social networks. Gaining access to these organic discussions (and acquiring the associated trust) can be achieved by delivering remarkable and engaging brand experiences—both online and off-line—and by speaking to consumers’ values and ideals. Many consumers also respond to activities that deliver tangi- ble value, such as coupons or special offers.

The rise of social media offers marketers a new and powerful medium through which to engage consumers, but does not replace the reach and inherent trust found with more traditional media channels such as broad- cast TV and radio.