Scott McKelvey Copywriting & Marketing

What Weight Loss Gimmicks Can Teach You – or Not Teach You – about Marketing

‘Tis the season for gimmick diets and weight loss products, when shady companies try to take advantage of the desperation and insecurity of people who are uncomfortable with how they look.

Over the years, these bogus products have ranged from skin creams that melt fat, to metabolism-boosting human hormones, to powders that you sprinkle on your food to make you feel full more quickly.

Scientific proof? Who needs that?

It got so bad a couple years ago that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a list of seven “Gut Check” statements for media companies that run advertising for weight loss products.

For entertainment purposes, I’ll share this snippet of wisdom from the FTC website:

If one of these seven claims crosses your desk, do a gut check.  Consult the appropriate person in your company and think twice before running any ad that says a product:

  • causes weight loss of two pounds or more a week for a month or more without dieting or exercise;
  • causes substantial weight loss no matter what or how much the consumer eats;
  • causes permanent weight loss even after the consumer stops using product;
  • blocks the absorption of fat or calories to enable consumers to lose substantial weight;
  • safely enables consumers to lose more than three pounds per week for more than four weeks;
  • causes substantial weight loss for all users; or
  • causes substantial weight loss by wearing a product on the body or rubbing it into the skin.

To the chagrin of the weight loss hucksters, any legitimate doctor will tell you that, in most cases, safe weight loss is a by-product of healthy living and wellness. Behavioral change. Smart nutritional choices on a daily basis. An ongoing exercise program customized for the individual. Stress avoidance and reduction whenever possible.

Of course, ’tis also the season when peddlers of various marketing and advertising services urge business owners to try something new for the New Year.

We’ll get you 10,000 new Twitter followers!

We’ll get you to the top of Google search rankings!

We’ll use video to market your company on Snapchat and Vine!

We’ll build you a mobile app!

Just like a good doctor knows the safest, healthiest way to lose weight, a true marketing professional knows what approach will help most small business owners reach their goals.

Steady as she goes.

10,000 new Twitter followers are useless if they’re not potential clients or referral sources.

The top spot on Google doesn’t guarantee business success and may not be worth the investment, especially if your website or landing page stinks.

Dumping a lot of money into a shiny new object is a gamble, not a strategy.

A mobile app is useless if it doesn’t fill a real need in a unique way, or there’s no plan for marketing and monetizing the app.

To be fair, any of these tactics might be worth integrating into your marketing plan. A long-term, consistent marketing plan. But only if you’ve done your homework and determined that a certain tactic will deliver real business value and ROI, not hype.

Call me conservative, but as a small business owner, I’d rather let other people test unproven or unfamiliar tactics. Work out the kinks. Show me some success stories and case studies.

Then we’ll talk.

But before you start exploring new marketing approaches, tools and services, ask yourself this question.

What things should I be doing on a daily, weekly or monthly basis to market and grow my business?

When you don’t market consistently, steady as she goes, you get caught in a costly cycle of trial-and-error, start-and-stop marketing. Instead of sticking with a long-term strategy, you market based on that month’s revenue, that month’s sales pitch, or that month’s mood.

Build your marketing plan around tactics that have been proven to deliver results. That doesn’t mean you can’t be innovative or creative. Just focus your innovation and creativity on the right things.

The specific tactics you use depend on your business, your goals and your audience. Research them. Do them consistently. And do them well.

This allows you to ramp up and properly evaluate new tactics with less pressure and less risk when the time is right. And if you absolutely have to temporarily cut back on marketing for some unforeseen reason, your business will be better prepared to absorb a setback.

A “steady as she goes” approach to marketing is less stressful – mentally and financially – than starting and stopping and chasing shiny objects.

Of course, this begs the question…

How long do I have to market my business?

The answer is simple.

Forever. Or as long as you want to stay in business.

There is no silver bullet for permanent, safe weight loss. You won’t find it in a pill, a shake, a cream, or magic pixy dust.

There is no marketing silver bullet that guarantees business growth. You won’t find it on Google, in a mobile app, or in some huckster’s sales pitch.

If you want sustained success and growth, stop the insanity. Focus on the big picture and market consistently.

Steady as she goes.

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