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Questions All Internet Marketers Need To Ask?

by The Niche Man
27 replies
Some of the most successful products, services and businesses came out of a simple question. For example,
  • "How can I develop an online program that would allow everyday people to send short messages to others in their online community." - Jack Dorsey, Twitter.
  • "How can I make computing simple, less complicated and more fun for the masses". - Steve Jobs, Apple.
  • "What's a way for me or my customers to tell where a specific package is and when it will be delivered?" The Tracking Code - Fred Smith, FedEx.
Many of the small companies and products I've marketed and advised others on came out of a simple question.

Here's an article I ran across this morning that simplifies the process.

5 Questions All Marketers Need To Ask

Can you think of any they may have missed that's worked for you?
- Or -
What core question does your product or service answer?

Shocking how few marketers know "the question" enough to explain it to a 9 year old in an elevator pitch. Can you? Don't be shy.
#internet #marketers #question
  • Profile picture of the author Lightlysalted
    Got to be honest I've never asked these questions but it's a good article link
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    • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
      I've never asked some of them myself. I'll admit, many of the questions are a bit generic. But they're a good tool to get you started - in the right direction.

      I found the more you can break down the question(s) to specifics - regarding your product and market ... the better your results.

      For example, I took question number 3, drilled down and made it more specific to the products and services I offer.

      Result:
      "How can I make (boring) niche marketing more fun, engaging and profitable to both new and experienced marketers & business owners?"
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  • Profile picture of the author yakim1
    I don't believe these 5 questions are the only must ask questions. All the questions are anti company. What does this say to branding like Coca Cola, Tide and Mc Donalds?

    My elevator speech is...

    I help small businesses become big by saving time - increasing profits so they can enjoy life!

    Best regards,
    Steve Yakim
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    • Profile picture of the author eric w
      Why do customers buy the product I'm selling?

      What are my competitors doing to attract customers?

      How big is my product's market?

      Are my customers mostly women? Men? Children? Seniors? A mixture? African American? Native American?

      What ages are they?
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    • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
      Originally Posted by yakim1 View Post

      I don't believe these 5 questions are the only must ask questions.
      You're right. But I don't think they were meant to be. They're used best as an idea spark for your own thoughts.

      Originally Posted by yakim1 View Post

      All the questions are anti company. What does this say to branding like Coca Cola, Tide and Mc Donalds?
      I'm not sure what you mean by anti company. Seems if you ignored doing them, that would be anti company. Could you give me an example of what you mean, the questions are anti company?
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      • Profile picture of the author yakim1
        Originally Posted by The Niche Man View Post

        I'm not sure what you mean by anti company. Seems if you ignored doing them, that would be anti company. Could you give me an example of what you mean, the questions are anti company?
        The first question has nothing about the company but here a a quote from the second question...

        Usually, a company centers the majority of its marketing efforts around the company itself or the features and benefits of a specific product. However, no one cares about your company.

        Here is a quote from the 3rd question...

        Most organizations are so focused on broadcasting how great they are that they don't think about what will most effectively catch people's attention.

        Here another its not about the company quote from the 4th question...

        So many marketing campaigns are solely focused on increasing awareness of an organization, rather than encouraging someone to take some action. This is like burning cash.

        The 5th is just putting most companies into one category or not wanting or trying to develop engagement. That is not necesarily anti company.

        If you take Coca Cola they don't talk about benefits and one of their tag lines was drink Coca Cola and another was Enjoy Coke.

        I guess I would really have to study them to see if Coca Cola followed any of these 5 questions.

        Best regards,
        Steve
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        • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
          Originally Posted by yakim1 View Post

          If you take Coca Cola they don't talk about benefits and one of their tag lines was drink Coca Cola and another was Enjoy Coke.

          I guess I would really have to study them to see if Coca Cola followed any of these 5 questions.
          You make a good point there. But actually, the example you gave with the taglines ...
          "Drink Coca Cola" and "Enjoy Coke" is an illustration of brand (awareness) advertising as opposed to direct response (benefit) advertising.


          If you look at Coca Cola's entire marketing strategy, they cover those 5 questions and more. In fact, they practically wrote the book, 'er' questions!
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by yakim1 View Post

      I don't believe these 5 questions are the only must ask questions. All the questions are anti company. What does this say to branding like Coca Cola, Tide and Mc Donalds?

      My elevator speech is...

      I help small businesses become big by saving time - increasing profits so they can enjoy life!

      Best regards,
      Steve Yakim


      COKE was some kind of really weird concoction that was made around 1886. They OUTLAWED it in 1920, because it was alcoholic, so they changed it to a non alcoholic syrup that was used by soda jerks(SORRY, that IS what they were called)! The soda jerks had soda systems and mixed flavored syrups and the like, and COKE was just another flavored syrup. It was a long time before they put it in bottles.

      I think TIDE was just another competitive detergent.

      Mcdonalds turned out to be efficiently run, and had a nice menu that people liked, so Ray Krok(SP?) licensed the plan, recipes, supplies, and logos, and all, to franchisees.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

        COKE was some kind of really weird concoction that was made around 1886. They OUTLAWED it in 1920, because it was alcoholic, so they changed it to a non alcoholic syrup that was used by soda jerks(SORRY, that IS what they were called)! The soda jerks had soda systems and mixed flavored syrups and the like, and COKE was just another flavored syrup. It was a long time before they put it in bottles.

        Steve
        As I understand the story, Coke was originally conceived as a hangover cure. It was sold in drug stores as a syrup you mixed with your own concoction or took straight like cough syrup.

        Alcohol was among the ingredients, as was an extract made from coca leaves. After most opiate drugs were either banned or controlled, the coca extract was swapped out for caffeine, and when Prohibition hit, the "hair of the dog" was also removed.

        Coke syrup was first mixed with carbonated water (soda) because the carbonation sped up absorption of the active ingredients.

        I also read where the man who actually developed the original formula sold it for less than a hundred bucks and died broke.
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  • Profile picture of the author Amer123
    Why am i still broke after months and months of Internet marketing?
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    • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
      Originally Posted by Amer123 View Post

      Why am i still broke after months and months of Internet marketing?
      Lol good one. But i really think the question should be modified to say, "...after years and years of Internet marketing" lol. I bet alot of people on this forum would know alot about that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ajeet Verma
    I must say, These questions will give you a deep answer for starting a new business. But every one has some different questions and answer for their business. For example, FB founder told that FB is made specially for interacting university students to each other.
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    • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
      Originally Posted by Ajeet Verma View Post

      I must say, These questions will give you a deep answer for starting a new business. But every one has some different questions and answer for their business. For example, FB founder told that FB is made specially for interacting university students to each other.
      Good point. Everyone has questions that's specific to their business, market, skill set and even personality that they need to ask. These questions help to get the dialog going. The more questions you ask yourself, the deeper and more meaningful they get.
      And yes, sometimes the questions can reveal new markets, product uses or product extensions.
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  • Profile picture of the author onSubie
    The questions are a good start but it is looking at the results and working with them that makes the big difference.

    The question:

    "How can I make a permanent strong bonding glue" resulted in total failure... or did it....?

    By asking the question of the results "What can I do with this crappy glue that doesn't stick properly"?

    The man came up with yellow sticky-notes.

    Sometimes it is not the question you ask at the beginning but how you handle the results that make the most difference.

    And Steve Jobs did not ask "How can I make computing simple?" he asked, "How can I exploit the work done by Microsoft and get back at Bill Gates at the same time?"

    LOL
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    • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
      Originally Posted by onSubie View Post

      Sometimes it is not the question you ask at the beginning but how you handle the results that make the most difference.
      That's spot on. I can look back on my own experience where I asked the right questions to point me in the right direction. But I discounted, even ignored the results in many cases. Those were expensive lessons from the College of Hard-knocks.

      Originally Posted by onSubie View Post

      And Steve Jobs did not ask "How can I make computing simple?" he asked, "How can I exploit the work done by Microsoft and get back at Bill Gates at the same time?"
      Ha, Ha. That was probably the clean version of the questions Steve Jobs asked. In those days they weren't exactly B.F.F's
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  • Profile picture of the author seoboyz01
    Question three is very relevant as you can't even begin to market until you can capture the person's attention; jar them out of complacency and make them want to act.
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    • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
      Originally Posted by seoboyz01 View Post

      Question three is very relevant as you can't even begin to market until you can capture the person's attention; jar them out of complacency and make them want to act.
      I think #3 should be #1 on the list ... with a star! Because if you can't get your prospect past #3 the rest of the list is useless.
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      • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
        One of the best thread OPs of 2014

        That it got so little traction is sad but very revealing. Fact is I don't think most Warriors want to got that deep and thats why a lot of new "products" do not come from here but we just regurgitate what everyone else is doing with slight modifications
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        • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
          Originally Posted by Mike Anthony View Post

          One of the best thread OPs of 2014

          That it got so little traction is sad but very revealing. Fact is I don't think most Warriors want to got that deep and thats why a lot of new "products" do not come from here but we just regurgitate what everyone else is doing with slight modifications
          Good point, and it may be true for the most part. But still I persist hoping to sprinkle the seeds that some may sprout and grow. Yet I know the crowd is usually too busy following the status quo ... to notice the obvious in many cases. But If one person gets it, my job is done.
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        • Profile picture of the author Bob Reynolds
          Being new to internet marketing and searching for ideas to help in developing products I have noticed a great deal of product recycling. I am anxious to see how to help make a change. Of course as time goes by and new variables come into the market there are added distinctions needed to add into the recycling mix.
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          • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
            Originally Posted by Bob Reynolds View Post

            Being new to internet marketing and searching for ideas to help in developing products I have noticed a great deal of product recycling.
            Product (and service) recycling is the low hanging fruit of success. Every industry that last does it. When people stop recycling from a natural, industrial, business, marketing, product or idea point of view - game over!
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  • Profile picture of the author agmccall
    asking questions does nothing.

    I answer questions

    al
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    • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
      Originally Posted by agmccall View Post

      asking questions does nothing.
      Oh thanks man, for letting me know and saving me from wasting my time with questions. I'll make sure and contact the person in the video below too. All that money he made from asking questions which led to product , business and marketing ideas must have been a fluke.

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    • Profile picture of the author Marx Vergel Melencio
      Originally Posted by agmccall View Post

      asking questions does nothing. I answer questions
      "Given one hour to save the world, I would spend 55 minutes defining the problem, and 5 minutes finding the solution"... -- Albert Einstein

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  • Profile picture of the author NeedBucksNow
    Good post & good article. I agree that some of the best ideas have come from simply finding out how to make something better, faster or easier for people to use
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  • Profile picture of the author kennedysuccess
    I have a course I want to put online with video uploads!What do you think is the best platform to do this?
    Do you anyone that can do this for me.Will Wordpress be good to this?

    Regards

    Norman
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