fine if you work for a level 2 company, but it's business suicide if you're a level 3 company and you copy a level 2 strategy. You simply don't have the tenure, the history, the money, the resources and the staying power. Level 2 advertising is not about getting people to take action, it's about the brand.

Getting people to take action is critical for ALL level 3 businesses. It's what keeps you operating. It's about getting the prospect to move past that confidence gap and buy from you - to realize that your product or service is the perfect solution to their problem.

What all level 3 businesses must do is develop their marketing messages more directly. Target them where their prospects will see them. The messages must compel the prospect to do something - call in, visit the shop, check out the w

‘Blue Chip' or not, success isn't necessarily tied to how good they are, but rather to repetitive advertising. Mega corporations of this world advertise to build distribution and brand awareness. They do image advertising which melds certain emotional responses with their product, so you feel the same way too when you buy from them...

These large blue chip companies spend literally billions ‘buying' your purchasing decision. GM spent over $3 billion just a few years back to make you hum "like a rock!" - And it worked. Brand marketing and institutional marketing works, but here's the catch: you have to have a fortune to pull it off successfully. If you spent $3 billion on making people aware of your company, do you think you'd have issues with sales?

It's a fact most advertising is almost all fluff, puffery and unbelievable platitudes and generalities: cheapest, greatest, professionalism, quality, speedy, best and so on. You hear overused phrases like "We're number one!" Oh yeah? These overworked phrases do nothing to impart anything unique about what you do and why your customer should patronize your business.

Why would anyone want to waste marketing dollars hardly saying anything to anyone? It's because the majority of us are following the wrong levels. We've been ‘trained' to follow level 1 and 2 type businesses, when we (for the most part) are level 3.

There are three major levels of businesses serving our needs. Level one is the largest and represents the government. It is without a doubt the largest influence in our country today and is capable of changing the hearts and minds of almost all of us. You might also include religion in the mix as a level 1 influencer; however religion usually gets less involved in commercial activities.

Level 2 businesses are the few thousand or so mega-corporations in the country. They are often large multinational chains and conglomerates and have billions to spend influencing your buying decision. These companies are the brand builders, the titans of their own industries - some of their products are household names with decades of history and acceptance to back them up.

Finally there's level 3 - that's you, me and practically every other business out there. Studies have indicated that most businesses (about 80%) are ‘small business' - 80% of businesses operating successfully today are ‘level 3' businesses.

Level 3 businesses cannot rely on broad-based repetition-oriented advertising that builds brand awareness. It's not that Level 3 businesses can't or shouldn't build brand awareness. And it's not that they can't spend a lot of money on advertising. They just can't do it nationally on TV at $50,000 to $500,000 per 30-second spot. Level 3 businesses need to be more focused with their marketing in order to create successful action-oriented advertising.

You see, the problem we have is we're exposed to level 2 advertising in our daily lives and because we see it ‘everywhere' many people assume that's how it's done. Regrettably that is a dangerous assumption, and is often accompanied by a false sense of marketing know-how... "I've been immersed in this stuff my whole life, I must know something about it."

This line of reasoning is fine if you work for a level 2 company, but it's business suicide if you're a level 3 company and you copy a level 2 strategy. You simply don't have the tenure, the history, the money, the resources and the staying power. Level 2 advertising is not about getting people to take action, it's about the brand.

Getting people to take action is critical for ALL level 3 businesses. It's what keeps you operating. It's about getting the prospect to move past that confidence gap and buy from you - to realize that your product or service is the perfect solution to their problem.

What all level 3 businesses must do is develop their marketing messages more directly. Target them where their prospects will see them. The messages must compel the prospect to do something - call in, visit the shop, check out the we

f, puffery and unbelievable platitudes and generalities: cheapest, greatest, professionalism, quality, speedy, best and so on. You hear overused phrases like "We're number one!" Oh yeah? These overworked phrases do nothing to impart anything unique about what you do and why your customer should patronize your business.

Why would anyone want to waste marketing dollars hardly saying anything to anyone? It's because the majority of us are following the wrong levels. We've been ‘trained' to follow level 1 and 2 type businesses, when we (for the most part) are level 3.

There are three major levels of businesses serving our needs. Level one is the largest and represents the government. It is without a doubt the largest influence in our country today and is capable of changing the hearts and minds of almost all of us. You might also include religion in the mix as a level 1 influencer; however religion usually gets less involved in commercial activities.

Level 2 businesses are the few thousand or so mega-corporations in the country. They are often large multinational chains and conglomerates and have billions to spend influencing your buying decision. These companies are the brand builders, the titans of their own industries - some of their products are household names with decades of history and acceptance to back them up.

Finally there's level 3 - that's you, me and practically every other business out there. Studies have indicated that most businesses (about 80%) are ‘small business' - 80% of businesses operating successfully today are ‘level 3' businesses.

Level 3 businesses cannot rely on broad-based repetition-oriented advertising that builds brand awareness. It's not that Level 3 businesses can't or shouldn't build brand awareness. And it's not that they can't spend a lot of money on advertising. They just can't do it nationally on TV at $50,000 to $500,000 per 30-second spot. Level 3 businesses need to be more focused with their marketing in order to create successful action-oriented advertising.

You see, the problem we have is we're exposed to level 2 advertising in our daily lives and because we see it ‘everywhere' many people assume that's how it's done. Regrettably that is a dangerous assumption, and is often accompanied by a false sense of marketing know-how... "I've been immersed in this stuff my whole life, I must know something about it."

This line of reasoning is fine if you work for a level 2 company, but it's business suicide if you're a level 3 company and you copy a level 2 strategy. You simply don't have the tenure, the history, the money, the resources and the staying power. Level 2 advertising is not about getting people to take action, it's about the brand.

Getting people to take action is critical for ALL level 3 businesses. It's what keeps you operating. It's about getting the prospect to move past that confidence gap and buy from you - to realize that your product or service is the perfect solution to their problem.

What all level 3 businesses must do is develop their marketing messages more directly. Target them where their prospects will see them. The messages must compel the prospect to do something - call in, visit the shop, check out the w

most all of us. You might also include religion in the mix as a level 1 influencer; however religion usually gets less involved in commercial activities.

Level 2 businesses are the few thousand or so mega-corporations in the country. They are often large multinational chains and conglomerates and have billions to spend influencing your buying decision. These companies are the brand builders, the titans of their own industries - some of their products are household names with decades of history and acceptance to back them up.

Finally there's level 3 - that's you, me and practically every other business out there. Studies have indicated that most businesses (about 80%) are ‘small business' - 80% of businesses operating successfully today are ‘level 3' businesses.

Level 3 businesses cannot rely on broad-based repetition-oriented advertising that builds brand awareness. It's not that Level 3 businesses can't or shouldn't build brand awareness. And it's not that they can't spend a lot of money on advertising. They just can't do it nationally on TV at $50,000 to $500,000 per 30-second spot. Level 3 businesses need to be more focused with their marketing in order to create successful action-oriented advertising.

You see, the problem we have is we're exposed to level 2 advertising in our daily lives and because we see it ‘everywhere' many people assume that's how it's done. Regrettably that is a dangerous assumption, and is often accompanied by a false sense of marketing know-how... "I've been immersed in this stuff my whole life, I must know something about it."

This line of reasoning is fine if you work for a level 2 company, but it's business suicide if you're a level 3 company and you copy a level 2 strategy. You simply don't have the tenure, the history, the money, the resources and the staying power. Level 2 advertising is not about getting people to take action, it's about the brand.

Getting people to take action is critical for ALL level 3 businesses. It's what keeps you operating. It's about getting the prospect to move past that confidence gap and buy from you - to realize that your product or service is the perfect solution to their problem.

What all level 3 businesses must do is develop their marketing messages more directly. Target them where their prospects will see them. The messages must compel the prospect to do something - call in, visit the shop, check out the w

y on broad-based repetition-oriented advertising that builds brand awareness. It's not that Level 3 businesses can't or shouldn't build brand awareness. And it's not that they can't spend a lot of money on advertising. They just can't do it nationally on TV at $50,000 to $500,000 per 30-second spot. Level 3 businesses need to be more focused with their marketing in order to create successful action-oriented advertising.

You see, the problem we have is we're exposed to level 2 advertising in our daily lives and because we see it ‘everywhere' many people assume that's how it's done. Regrettably that is a dangerous assumption, and is often accompanied by a false sense of marketing know-how... "I've been immersed in this stuff my whole life, I must know something about it."

This line of reasoning is fine if you work for a level 2 company, but it's business suicide if you're a level 3 company and you copy a level 2 strategy. You simply don't have the tenure, the history, the money, the resources and the staying power. Level 2 advertising is not about getting people to take action, it's about the brand.

Getting people to take action is critical for ALL level 3 businesses. It's what keeps you operating. It's about getting the prospect to move past that confidence gap and buy from you - to realize that your product or service is the perfect solution to their problem.

What all level 3 businesses must do is develop their marketing messages more directly. Target them where their prospects will see them. The messages must compel the prospect to do something - call in, visit the shop, check out the w

fine if you work for a level 2 company, but it's business suicide if you're a level 3 company and you copy a level 2 strategy. You simply don't have the tenure, the history, the money, the resources and the staying power. Level 2 advertising is not about getting people to take action, it's about the brand.

Getting people to take action is critical for ALL level 3 businesses. It's what keeps you operating. It's about getting the prospect to move past that confidence gap and buy from you - to realize that your product or service is the perfect solution to their problem.

What all level 3 businesses must do is develop their marketing messages more directly. Target them where their prospects will see them. The messages must compel the prospect to do something - call in, visit the shop, check out the website, mail in a card, but do something. Move that prospect ever closer to saying "yes".

Remember, level 2 is about building a feeling that is attached to a product or service, level 3 is all about action. You're not ‘blue chip' (yet) so don't copy their advertising and marketing strategy - your bank account will thank you for it!