9 Marketing Concepts to Learn From Apple

So yesterday, Apple had their large, annual event announcing the new iPhone and iOS software. Why is it one of the biggest and most talked about events? It is so popular because of the following and influence that Apple has.

Even if you are not an Apple fan, you have to admit they have done a great job with marketing and is a large reason why they have such a dedicated following.

Since the company is clearly great at being creative, what are some marketing lessons that we can learn from Apple?

1. Learn from great marketing minds. Jobs was great when it came to thinking up marketing ideas and showmanship, however, he was also smart enough to recognize the greatness in others. When Apple was a small company in a garage, he recruited the marketing guru that was Mike Markkula and get his insight. He gave Apple marketing concepts to adhere by and they did, in fact, they still do. Steve also tapped into the
   
   mind of advertising genius Lee Clow; Clow was the mastermind behind the famous 1984 ad that Apple ran in the NFL championship game. 
2. Make a product worth marketing. It is hard to do marketing for a product that is junk. Let's be honest, the smoothest ad can only do so much. Apple created great products and then the marketing to match. As any leading Los Angeles marketing firm will tell you, you can only do so much with creativity, there has to be some quality products behind it that back everything up. 
3. Take a stand. Three core concepts that Markkula gave to Apple were these: 1) Empathize with customers, 2) Focus on doing a few things excellently, and 3) remember the values of simple & high quality with everything that's done. This was applied to the products, the products, and how the business conducted itself. One thing Steve Jobs was known for was insisting on quality of consistency and taste across everything they did. Apple stands for unity and consistency, just look at how they handle their events. 
4. You have to spend money. You can't do good marketing without spending some money; you don't have to spend a lot as long as you spend it well. Steve Jobs was a fan of big gestures and showmanship and it worked! The 1984 commercial, all their events revealing the iPhones, iPads, iOS software, etc. Don't spend money if you don't have strategy, research, and a vision. If you're just going to spend money and hope it works out, you're wasting time and money. 
5. Make it an experience. People love to be part of an experience. The Apple store is an experience. Their keynotes are experiences. Using an Apple product is an experience. You get the idea. Tell stories and get people involved and connected. 
6. Build mystery and excitement. People love suspense and surprise, why do you think people camp out for their keynotes and everyone wants to know what the next product will look like and do? Don't be so quick to tell everyone everything about things, hold something back for them to discover or at least hold off until the end to tell it. Maybe intentionally leak some info, a photo, spread some rumors, contradictions of rumors, etc. This is a great, yet difficult, digital marketing tool. 
7. Make consumers brand evangelists. Apple has one of the best examples of brand evangelists. People who own Apple products are not afraid to flaunt them and mention them in person, online, etc. Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most potent forms of marketing; to be successful, you have to harness that energy. 
8. Don't talk too much. Many of Apple's ads don't talk about the product but rather the people who buy them and how their lives are improved. 
9. Use pictures. People love visuals over words, we like to look at them. Many of Apple's ads have a great picture with minimal wording. Take the unveiling of the MacBook Air for instance, Jobs slid the computer from a manila envelope and people went nuts. 

Hiring a marketing firm is a big decision but when you need to get your product and name out there, then you have to. As a marketing agency in LA, we have tremendous experience getting companies the recognition they desire. Contact Integraphix - a Los Angeles marketing company.