I'm Greg Merrilees, the host of the Real Magic podcast, and I'm excited to dive into the final episode of our 5-part series on essential, evergreen marketing principles. This series is based on the insights I gathered at the Traffic and Conversion Summit in 2018, and I can't wait to share what I've learned with you.

In this episode, Alan and I are going to unpack some powerful strategies and tactics that can make a real difference in your business, no matter what industry you're in. We'll be covering everything from the importance of knowing your numbers to the art of pre-suasion – that's Robert Cialdini's latest work on shifting your prospect's mindset before they even interact with your brand.

Now, I know numbers and metrics can be a bit daunting for some of us creatives, but trust me, getting a handle on your marketing funnel is absolutely crucial. We'll be discussing how to set up a killer dashboard that gives you a clear, real-time view of what's happening at every stage of your funnel – from the top, where you're attracting new leads, all the way down to the bottom, where those leads are converting into paying customers.

And speaking of conversion, we'll also dive into some of Cialdini's persuasion principles and how you can use them to nudge your prospects in the right direction. From reciprocity to scarcity, we'll explore how to weave these psychological triggers into your marketing for maximum impact.

But it's not just about the big picture – we'll also get into the nitty-gritty of customer surveys and how to use them to uncover insights that can transform your products and services. You'll learn how to ask the right questions to get the kind of feedback that can truly move the needle for your business.

So buckle up, because this is going to be an action-packed episode packed with practical, proven strategies that you can start implementing right away.

• How systems, strategic hiring, trust-building email campaigns, and emerging tech like voice commands can drive growth and efficiency
• Key metrics that matter, emphasizing conversion return over cost per click to optimize your marketing
• How to track key metrics, monitor funnel performance, and refine each step to continuously improve conversions
• Strategies to warm cold leads, optimize funnel metrics, and use Cialdini’s persuasion principles to influence buying decisions from the first interaction
• How pre-suasion, tailored questions, and customer feedback can dramatically boost conversions and improve services
• Expert tips to transform feedback into growth, boost lead magnet conversions, and enhance customer lifetime value

Unlock Your Business Growth with These Evergreen Marketing Principles

As a designer or business owner, it's easy to get caught up in the latest marketing trends and tactics. But the truth is, there are certain fundamental principles that will always be essential to driving sustainable growth - no matter what changes happen in the digital landscape.

In this article, we're going to dive into some of those evergreen marketing principles, straight from the insights I gathered at the Traffic and Conversion Summit. These are the strategies that have stood the test of time and continue to deliver results for businesses of all sizes.

Know Your Numbers

‍One of the most crucial, yet often overlooked, aspects of effective marketing is simply knowing your numbers. It's easy to get caught up in vanity metrics like cost-per-click or social media followers. But the real magic happens when you dig deeper into the metrics that truly move the needle for your business.

As marketing expert Chris Mercer explains, it's not enough to just pour money, time, and effort into the top of your sales funnel. You need to understand what's happening in the middle - the critical steps where leads are converting (or falling off) on their journey to becoming customers.

That's why setting up a comprehensive dashboard to track your funnel metrics is so important. This could include things like lead capture rates, email open and click-through rates, cart abandonment, and customer lifetime value. By monitoring these key performance indicators, you can identify bottlenecks, test new strategies, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your marketing efforts.

The Power of Pre-Suasion

‍Another essential principle we explored is the concept of "pre-suasion" - a term coined by renowned psychologist Robert Cialdini. The idea behind pre-suasion is that you can significantly influence your prospect's mindset and behavior before they even interact with your brand or product.

Cialdini's research shows that by carefully curating the visual and contextual cues in your marketing, you can subtly shift your audience's focus and prime them to be more receptive to your offer. For example, a bedding company that showed images of clouds in their ads saw higher conversions for their comfortable mattresses, while an ad featuring coins led to more sales of their budget-friendly options.

The key is to align your pre-suasion tactics directly with the outcome you want to achieve. What do you want your prospects to be thinking or feeling before they engage with your brand? By answering that question and then crafting your messaging and visuals accordingly, you can create a powerful psychological trigger that boosts your conversion rates.

Leverage Customer Feedback

‍Of course, no marketing strategy is complete without incorporating valuable feedback from your customers. But as Alan pointed out, many businesses miss the mark when it comes to effectively gathering and acting on this crucial information.

The secret lies in asking the right questions. Instead of generic surveys that feel like a waste of time, Cialdini suggests framing your questions in a way that taps into your customers' psychology. For instance, asking "Do you consider yourself a helpful person?" rather than "Can you take a quick survey?" can dramatically improve your response rates.

Once you've gathered this feedback, the real magic happens when you actually implement the changes your customers have requested. As Alan emphasized, it's all about closing the loop and showing your audience that their input is valued and making a real impact. Something as simple as sending a "message of change" within a week of receiving the survey results can go a long way in keeping your customers engaged and loyal.

Incremental Improvements

‍Perhaps the most important overarching lesson from our deep dive into these evergreen marketing principles is the power of incremental improvements. As Greg pointed out, there's no single "silver bullet" when it comes to growing a successful business. It's all about taking it one step at a time and consistently optimizing your strategies based on the data.

Whether you're fine-tuning your marketing funnel, refining your persuasion tactics, or enhancing your customer experience, the key is to focus on making small, measurable changes. Don't try to overhaul everything at once - instead, identify the most critical areas for improvement and tackle them one by one.

By adopting this methodical, data-driven approach, you'll start to see compounding results that can truly transform your business. And the best part? These principles are truly evergreen, meaning they'll continue to serve you well no matter how the marketing landscape evolves.

So there you have it - the essential, evergreen marketing principles that can unlock your business growth. Remember, it's all about knowing your numbers and leveraging the power of pre-suasion.