You can spend months, attention, and thousands of dollars to learn about SEO, Funnels, Conversions, Upsells, and Content Creation, and wind up watching your business float away belly up . . . but you can’t fail if you hold tight to the two simple premises I just shared.

1. A True Solution
2. An ability to attract and convert qualified prospects

There are a few more elements of successful marketing, and I’ll share them in the very first 15 minutes of my upcoming Prosperity Leap 3 Day Challenge (if you aren’t registered, DO IT NOW), but for now, let’s just understand that marketing is simple and . . . simple marketing is elusive in a world cluttered with self-proclaimed coaches, gurus, and experts.

Consider this (some of which I’ve shared earlier this week) . . .

• The two most successful marketing campaigns I’ve ever run were “Eat More During The Holidays and Lose Weight” and the follow up that included my high-protein brownies, “Eat Brownies Lose Weight.”  These two promotions allowed me to bring my business from $150K to over $1,000,000 in annual revenue.  For real.

• The “hook” that launched me into media in 1996 was “the Weight Loss Drug Can Kill You.”  Appearances on Good Day New York, Hard Copy, and AM Buffalo launched a 4-month media tour where I traveled from city to city presenting “the truth about Phen-Fen” and explained “a better weight loss option.”

• The first marketing campaign I ever ran (in my own business) was the creation of “cardio hangers,” articles about gaining muscle and losing fat that were nicely laminated, attached to the treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals, were paid for by a sponsor, and each had a call to action offering personal training.

• The most consistent reach I ever maintained was The Mind & Muscle Fitness Hour radio show which I hosted on Clear Channel’s top South Florida station for 15 years (and for which I was paid salary and a percentage of advertising).

I’m sharing these bullet points simply to back up the following statement.

I’m pretty adept at marketing fitness.

I’ve launched 20 different businesses including large-scale health clubs, have led over 40 Grand Openings in a consulting capacity, have had over 2,500 articles published, and continue to experiment, test, and draw inferences as to what “works” best.

“What works best” is a moving target, and what worked in 2009 might not work at all today.  It’s important that we learn to assess, shift, and at times pivot.

I have read over 250 marketing books, have attended countless conferences and workshops, have employed mentors, experts, and top performers, and I want to share a bit of my acquired expertise with you right now.

Let’s start with this.

Advertising is not marketing.  To be more accurate, it’s a form of marketing, but it has one major pitfall.  It costs money.  Nothing I shared above cost a cent. 

Go back and review the bullet points I just shared.  In each case I was either compensated for the promotion or it came without cost.

Are there times I spend money on advertising? 

Yes, after I test a premise, a promise, or an offer and it generates more than it costs.

Let’s go on to another insight.

Most people in our field who toy with Facebook marketing have a greater lifetime ad spend than the value or return the ads generate. 

As a business consultant I look at hard numbers.  I often hear, “oh yeah, the ad is pulling,” but in more cases than not, when we lift up the covers, the ad is pulling in prospects, freebies, no-shows, and tire-kickers, not revenues.

Still, there’s this magnetic pull, and this illusion (created by entrepreneurs with massive ad budgets) that Facebook ads are simple and effective.

I’ll give you one more.

The best marketing book I ever read in terms of long-term relevance is Positioning, The Battle for the Mind by Reis and Trout published in 1980, and anyone in business armed with Positioning, As a Man Thinketh (I’ll send you this one FREE), and The Richest Man in Babylon has a massive edge in marketing his or her way to prosperity.

Now, before I summarize “the system” that I use for marketing, I want to interrupt myself (‘scuse me Phil) to reinforce a point I often make when discussing social media with personal trainers who haven’t yet mastered client acquisition.

When I discourage trainers from pouring money into Facebook ads without evidence of a significant ROI, I’m not suggesting they (you) ignore social media.  Not by a long shot. 

There’s a place for social media marketing as its reach is without match, organic opportunities (cost-free) abound, and with time and experimentation you can generate a massive ROI, but the mistake I see too often is a full immersion, a belief that marketing equals social media marketing and a slow descent into spending without recognition of the money flush.

I utilize a 3-tiered funnel system integrating 8 lines of outreach, at least 3 pipelines, and the separation of “prospects” and MQL’s (most qualified leads) so my most powerful marketing can be directed toward those most likely to become long-term clients and those who bring an elevated lifetime value in a fair and mutual value exchange.

What does that all mean?  It means marketing should be multifaceted, should allow you the power of influence, and should set you up so the bulk of your influence opportunities are with and among your most likely buyers. 

That summarizes an ideal marketing strategy for me, and I suspect, for you as well.

I utilize invites, questionnaires and surveys, and a pre-sale intake form that is far and away the most powerful tool I’ve ever acquired in converting maybe’s into yes’s.  It’s a full integration of social media, internet marketing, networking, outreach, presentations, and face-to-face contact, and it’s pretty close to fool proof when you’re running on all cylinders. 

With the 3-tiered system, it’s simple, focused, and productive.

Over the last two years alone I’ve created and run marketing campaigns that generated over $3.4 million in revenues, and if you’re looking to master growth in the field of health and fitness in 2023, I’m going to show you, over 3 hours (one hour per day for 3 days) how you can maximize the opportunities in marketing, leverage, and positioning in a way that elevates you into a new space, the space between fitness and medicine.

YES, THAT’S THE “BLUE OCEAN.”  THE SPACE BETWEEN FITNESS AND MEDICINE.

On Tuesday I mentioned the January avalanche of drug ads with a large percentage of the spend being focused by Novo Nordisk on “the new weight loss drug,” Wegovy.  On Wednesday I went on to share some realities of the drug release (In case you missed it, I’ll share a link at the bottom). 

Whether or not you read the full article including a brief history of weight loss drugs, if you see the powerful insights I’ve shared as just a tiny piece of all that you can learn and master for 2023, then jump in with both feet.  Learn details on the most effective strategy in reversing chronic disease, the marketing system simplicity I just alluded to, and re-examine your own potential to find growth and prosperity in this opportune market place and time . . .

Get Details and Register for the 3 Day Challenge, The Prosperity Leap.

Have a great weekend, a great week ahead, a great Holiday Season, and, I invite you to join me for a stellar and grounbreaking 2023!

Be Better.  Pivot.  Shift.  And Grow,

Phil Kaplan

P.S.  If you haven’t yet read it, READ THE ARTICLE ON THE NEW WEIGHT LOSS DRUG

P.P.S.  Want to really understand the power of mindset?  Download the full text to As A Man Thinketh FREE.  DOWNLOAD.

P.P.P.S.  REGISTER FOR THE 3 DAY CHALLENGE: THE PROSPERITY LEAP.  It’s limited to 60 health practitioners.  REGISTER RIGHT NOW.