Wouldn't it be great to have a clear roadmap to marketing success? As Forbes explains, marketing communications, services and products are a necessarily fast-paced endeavor, which means you must have a sound strategy in place.
Thanks to Canadian entrepreneur and marketing consultant Jules Marcoux, CEOs and marketing directors can have exactly that. In what many consider to be one of the best marketing books around, Marcoux maps out exactly how to take brands to the next level and drive better results.
In our continuous effort to give marketing teams an edge over the competition, we revisited this marketing agency blueprint for our own book review.
Summary and Book Review of The Marketing Blueprint: Lessons to Market & Sell Anything
Gone are the days of tedious books on marketing toting theories without realistic examples. Today, anyone from full marketing teams to individuals aiming to boost their personal brands can apply practical lessons from industry expert Marcoux, thanks to his 2015 best-selling book, The Marketing Blueprint: Lessons to Market & Sell Anything.
In The Marketing Blueprint, it isn't just the ideas that are totally brilliant — it's also the way Marcoux presents them that has earned his work recognition as one of the best marketing strategy books. Many readers applaud his ability to translate complex ideas into 30 easy-to-understand lessons, making it much more feasible to actually apply the concepts in real life. Just consider his blog posts, which touch on everything from innovative ideas that drive Snapchat followings, to tried-and-true concepts like leveraging the power of habit.
Key Takeaways to Bring to Your Team
A book review wouldn't be complete unless we followed Marcoux's lead and provided solid examples to take back to your business. Here are a few discussed in this book:
- Create hype for a product. The Marketing Blueprint provides more specific directions on how to drive demand for products and services, but it is certainly worth mentioning this idea as an area of focus. Fast Company cites Apple as an example of how creating hype for a product can drive sales. This tech behemoth got consumers so excited about the iPhone 5 in 2012 it sold 2 million devices in a single day.
- Never discount your product. It may seem like a great tactic to retain customers, but Marcoux warns against discounting your products or services, and for good reason. Entrepreneur elaborates on the dangers of this practice, explaining that lowering a price essentially devalues your product. Here's a critical takeaway from our book review: your competitive advantage should be the quality of your services, not the cost.
- Appeal to your target audience. Marketing teams often follow misguided strategies to reach a greater audience. Throwing out a net to catch whatever comes in yields poor retention and horrible engagement. You can capture and captivate your audience by opting for a more targeted, specific strategy.
Apply The Marketing Agency Blueprint to Your Business
Reading top marketing books is a great way to give your team an advantage over the competition. On his website, Marcoux gives several other suggestions for the best digital marketing books to read, including Seth Godin's Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, which we reviewed a few weeks back.
Don't forget to equip your team with the appropriate tools, as well. Efficiency is essential, and our solutions for marketing project management can streamline processes, giving your team an edge over the competition.
