It’s the end of January — how are your new 2012 marketing goals coming along?

Last Wednesday, I gave two presentations about the marketing shift going on with today’s consumers. What I love about talking to groups is you get immediate insight into what’s holding back business owners and entrepreneurs in their marketing.

What I noticed on Wednesday was a common theme …

Many people feel so overwhelmed with marketing options that they can’t decide where to focus their attention. So they often do nothing at all.

This is one reason why I created my Personal Marketing Multiplier Partnership. (Reminder: Partner requests are due this Friday.) It’s also why I deliver so many marketing tips and strategies in my e-mails to you.

Recently, I shared a slew of marketing ideas on Danielle Hampson’s The Business Authors Show. During the 22-minute interview, I crammed in as many tips and strategies as Danielle allowed me.

We covered the most critical (and common) mistakes … fundamental marketing items … conquering larger competitors … using persuasive words … writing effective e-mails … marketing without a budget … and much more.

But you must hurry to hear the interview. Danielle will only keep it on her site for 48 hours. Go to http://www.thebusinessauthorsshow.com.

If you missed my announcement about the Personal Marketing Multiplier Partnership, check it out here: http://archive.aweber.com/wwsnewsletter/56X7A.

Ever feel like the marketing game has changed and you’ve been left sitting on the sidelines?

Check out the following video. It explains a phenomenon affecting many in the business community. The video is also the trailer for my new book, The ‘You’ Effect: How to Transform Ego-Based Marketing Into Captivating Messages That Create Customers.

Understand you’re not along in seeing a marketing shift. Just yesterday, The Wall Street Journal ran an article detailing Target’s troubles in dealing with a more connected and educated consumer. If a corporate giant is screaming for help, then you know we’re up against a serious issue.

If you’re on one of my e-mail lists, watch your inbox tomorrow morning. I’m announcing a new one-on-one marketing service that will help you get back in the marketing game.

And don’t worry … it’s not some pitch for a product promising improbable profits. Haven’t we seen enough of those already?

By the way, if you want to come along on the marketing journey for my second book, join me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/tomtrush.

The press release (or news release) has progressed …

When I entered the newswire business in early 1999, press releases were primarily used by big corporations (especially public companies) to announce major events to journalists.

These days, press releases are no longer just a way to reach media in hopes of getting featured in an article or news story. The audience is much larger now and, thanks to distribution options on the Internet, includes direct access to your buyers.

So what’s this mean for you?

Well, first and foremost, you can’t limit yourself to only sending press releases for major news announcements. Instead, view your press releases as another vehicle for driving your marketing message to prospects.

With a quick mouse click, you can distribute your press releases to the same circuits, including thousands of online news services and websites, as the corporate giants. Here are a few options to help you get started:

•    BusinessWire
•    PRNewswire
•    PRWeb

As for free options, I find PRLog helpful.

When you write your press releases, forget about what you want. Instead, focus on how you can inform and/or entertain the media’s audience. If possible, tie in your topic to a current event.

Also, put yourself in a reporter or producer’s shoes. Their audiences demand unique, fresh and relevant information every day. And unless you’re Apple, Ford, Microsoft, Amazon.com or a similar corporate heavyweight, the media has little need for a pitch about your new product, website or client.

Recently, I sent out a press release that resulted in a 950-word feature in a business publication. The primary content did not include a single word describing my services. Instead, I focused on a topic I knew the publication’s audience (business owners and executives) would find helpful.

(You can view the press release here: http://www.prlog.org/11748917-why-marketing-does-not-drive-business-profits.html.)

Shelf life is another benefit of posting your press releases online. Your news can stick around the Internet for years. So if you optimize your content well with keywords and incorporate links back to your website, your press releases can generate traffic for a long time.

Last week, an editor contacted me because he had space to fill and needed an article fast. After we determined a topic, I scoured the Internet for a source. The person I contacted for my article was listed on a press release that originally ran seven months ago.

So, if you haven’t already, begin developing relationships with media members. Pay attention to the writers, reporters, editors and producers who cover topics relevant to your industry. Your effort will improve your chances of becoming a source and help you generate ideas for press release topics.

Lost in the late-game heroics repeatedly performed by Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow are the lessons his brand offers businesses wanting to enhance their marketing efforts.

Few athletes have captured the nation’s attention more in recent years than Tebow. This fact alone should serve as a wake-up call for businesses wanting to get their brands in front of more eyeballs.

The key characteristic that makes Tebow noteworthy off the football field is his polarizing personality. His religious beliefs are well-publicized, creating a long list of critics. But as his detractors voice their disapproval, his support grows and his advocates get more vocal.

Too often businesses are concerned with pleasing everyone and targeting their marketing messages to the masses. But as marketing legend Dan Kennedy said, “If you’re not pissing off at least one person a day, you’re not doing something right.”

Here are three more marketing lessons Tebow’s heroics offer:

•    The best isn’t always the most successful. Tebow has talent, but he’s not the NFL’s most gifted quarterback. What he does best is lead and leverage his teammates’ strengths. In marketing, you must resist the urge to try doing everything yourself.

•    Dare to be different. You can’t compare Tebow to any other player — he’s unique. When you market the same way as your competitors, you level the playing field. But when you’re different, you attract attention.

•    Always play hard. His late-game heroics prove Tebow doesn’t give up. Just like football, you can’t play the marketing game and give minimal effort. Even if at first your efforts don’t generate the results you desire, you must keep moving forward.

The Tebow bandwagon has even moved into the presidential election, with politicians Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry comparing themselves to the former University of Florida signal caller.

It’s time to rattle the business community. Here’s the trailer for my newest book, The “You” Effect: How to Transform Ego-Based Marketing Into Captivating Messages That Create Customers, set for release this spring. I invite you to join me on my challenge to make this an Amazon.com bestseller.

Happy Saturday!

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I shared with you Charles Gaudet’s secrets for creating predictable profits? He’s the serial entrepreneur and marketing expert known for boosting profits using underused or unnoticed opportunities.

Well, Charles recently turned the tables and put me on the hot seat. And you can listen to the 38-minute interview (or read the transcript) here: http://www.predictableprofits.com/marketing-podcast-interview-with-direct-response-marketing-expert-tom-trush/.

We covered topics such as …

•    Why direct-response marketing is more beneficial than traditional marketing for small businesses.

•    An overlooked mistake that jeopardizes most small business owners’ marketing campaigns before they even launch.

•    How to encourage immediate action from your customers and enhance your chances of them prying open their wallets over and over again.

•    6 customer characteristics you can tap to give your marketing (and your profits) an instant boost.

•    And much more.

Again, here’s the link to listen or read the interview: http://www.predictableprofits.com/marketing-podcast-interview-with-direct-response-marketing-expert-tom-trush/.

Have a great weekend!

Take a guess at when the following quote was said …

“Advertisements are now so numerous that they are very negligently perused, and it is therefore become necessary to gain attention by magnificence of promises, and by eloquence sometimes sublime and sometimes pathetic.”

I saw this statement while reading John Morgan’s bestseller, Brand Against the Machine: How to Build Your Brand, Cut Through the Marketing Noise, and Stand Out from the Competition. At first glance, you might think the quote was pulled from a current business journal, trade publication or maybe an online blog post.

But it was written by English author Samuel Johnson, who penned his theory in the January 20, 1759, edition of The Idler.

Crazy, isn’t it?

It’s been 253 years and Johnson’s words still ring true today.

Many business owners and entrepreneurs continue force-feeding promotional messages as if their product or service is the only game in town. They push pitch after pitch with little concern for people’s fading attention spans.

What’s often overlooked is the fact that attention alone doesn’t create sales. If getting noticed was all you needed to build a business, the Fortune 500 list would be stuffed with companies that spent millions on Super Bowl spots.

The most critical piece in the promotional puzzle is trust. (For 7 ways to build trust with prospects, click here to read my latest article on the American Express OPEN Forum.)

That’s why marketing is no longer about you or your company. Today’s marketing is about interacting and delivering value to those who need your help.

As Morgan references in his book, the currency in today’s marketing world is information — not money. As you share more information, your status as an authority soars.

For example, Dr. Mehmet Oz is an incredible marketer. Thanks to the information he shares, the cardiothoracic surgeon moves products at a staggering pace. Watch The Dr. Oz Show and you’ll see him offer advice about pressing health issues, including problems many people won’t discuss with their own doctors.

He also publishes books, writes for magazines and newspapers, and hosts radio shows.

On his website, you’ll find how-to articles, videos and quizzes on topics such as deadly drug interactions, fighting fatigue, fixing infections, overcoming the flu and battling weight issues. Dr. Oz is truly the go-to source for health information because his content has created trust with millions of consumers.

Imagine you had an ailment requiring an operation. Would you feel comfortable if Dr. Oz was the surgeon holding the scalpel?

I bet you would.

A violent shockwave rumbled through the retail world this week.

Sears Holdings Corp. announced it is closing up to 120 Sears and Kmart stores following another year of lackluster holiday sales. Analysts continue to examine the events that led to Tuesday’s announcement. But what’s clear is we’re seeing a shift in the way people shop for products and services.

In today’s video, I explain how you can take advantage of these changes in buying behavior.

Here’s the fifth video:

Tuesday’s announcement by Sears Holding Corp. that the company will close up to 120 Sears and Kmart stores proves there are changes in buyer behavior and a decline brand loyalty, as consumers spend more time researching products and services online.

In a recent press release, I detailed what a transformation in consumer spending habits means for small business owners and entrepreneurs.  You can view the press release here:

Sears, Kmart Closing Bring Attention to Changes in Buying Behavior

The closings are not a good sign for businesses slow to embrace buyers’ evolving needs. Now that the holiday shopping season is over, I bet other major store closings will follow. What do you think?

Sometimes the best marketing lessons come from the most unlikely sources.

In today’s video, I explain how a commoditized product with several competitors exploded on the scene in 2009, selling 4 million units in just its first three months. Demand was so great that manufacturers couldn’t keep up.

In fact, in a January 2009 article in Advertising Age magazine, the company’s president claimed, “People want this product so bad, they want it as soon as they order it … we received so many more orders in the beginning than we anticipated.”

I bet one of these products is in your home right now (although you likely won’t admit it). After all, the product has become part of pop culture.

Do you know what it is?

Find out here: