Your personal marketing program needs certain ingredients in order to succeed. Chief among them -- research, focus, testing, honesty and enthusiasm.

Fundamentals of research Effective marketing demands thorough research, the more of it the better. In fact, I would rank research in the top-three factors of successful marketing.

Before you can write a brochure to inform your audience ... before you can write an advertisement to persuade your audience ... before you can write Web content to educate your audience ... you have to know everything about your audience.

You have to know what their days are like, how they define success, what they worry about. Everything. Only then can you begin to communicate to them effectively.

Fundamentals of focus

In marketing and communications, seduction lurks around every corner. New ideas emerge during a prolonged campaign. Distractions and side doors present themselves. "This is old," you might think. "I need to shake things up a little."

Focus and consistency bring benefits over the long haul, but it takes patience. An ad-testing program, for example, could take several months to start producing valuable insight. It takes steady measurement. It takes long-term vision. It takes focus.

Fundamentals of testing

Eugene Schwartz, author of Breakthrough Advertising, said it best: "There are no answers in direct mail except test answers. You don't know whether something will work until you test it. And you cannot predict test results based on past experience."

What he meant was, you can take an offer that has worked for somebody else in your industry, apply it to your audience, and have it flop.

Sure, there are "best practices" you can start with. And you can learn a lot from the successes and failures of other marketers. But to get the best possible ROI on your marketing investment, there is no substitute for testing.

Think of it this way. Best practices will put you ahead of 75% of your competition. Testing will help you surpass the other 25%.

Fundamentals of honesty

If you say "free," it better be free -- with no strings attached. If you say "number one real estate company on the east coast" ... you better be number one in some legitimate way.

Deceit and trickery only work the first time around.

Fundamentals of enthusiasm

Have you ever read an ad, article or website and found yourself thinking, "Boy, this writer doesn't even care."?

If your designer, copywriter, webmaster -- or anyone else involved with your marketing -- lacks enthusiasm for a particular project, the project has already failed.

A wise marketing manager knows this and will take the necessary steps to inspire his or her team. All this being said, it always helps to have a superior or service. But that's another topic entirely.

About the author:

Brandon Cornett has worked as a writer and advertising manager within the direct mail industry. He now dedicates his time to helping agents and brokers improve their real estate marketing programs. His free newsletter is available at: http://www.ArmingYourFarm ing.com.