Are you frustrated by the lack of return from your promotional efforts? It
may be that your plan for attracting customers is built on a foundation of
sand. Build a strong marketing foundation using these 8 steps.
By
Julie Chance
Contributing Author
Are you frustrated by the lack of return from your promotional efforts? It
may be that your plan for attracting customers is built on a foundation of
sand.
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Whether you re a Fortune 500 company or a one person shop, to be
successful, you must have a plan to attract customers and you must implement
it consistently. However, it doesn't have to cost a fortune and you don t
have to be a creative genius.
The key to attracting customers is developing a marketing strategy that
forms a solid foundation for your promotional efforts. Implementing
promotional activities such as advertising, direct mail or even networking
and one-to-one sales efforts without a marketing plan is like buying
curtains for a house you re building before you have an architectural plan.
How would you even know how many curtains to buy or what size they needed to
be?
To develop a strong marketing foundation:
Define your product or service
:
How is your product or service packaged? What is it that your customers are
really buying? You may be selling web-based software tools but your clients
are buying increased productivity, improved efficiency and cost savings.
What problem does your service solve? What need does your product meet? What
want does it fulfill?
Identify your ideal customer:
Everyone or anybody might be potential clients for your product. However,
you probably don t have the time or money to market to Everyone or Anybody.
Who is your ideal customer? Who does it make sense for you to spend your
time and money promoting your service to? You might define your ideal
customer in terms of income, age, geographic area, number of employees,
revenues, industry, etc. For example a massage therapist might decide her
target market is women with household incomes of $75,000 or more who live in
the Uptown area.
Differentiate yourself from the competition:
Even if there are no direct competitors for your service, there is always
competition of some kind. Something besides your product is competing for
the potential client s money. What is it and why should the potential
customer spend his or her money with you instead? What is your competitive
advantage or unique selling proposition?
Find a niche:
Is there a customer group that is not currently being served or is not being
served well? Are there customer wants that are not being met? A niche
strategy allows you to focus your marketing efforts and dominate your
market, even if you are a small player.
Develop awareness:
It is difficult for a potential client to buy your product or service if
they don t even know or remember it exists. Generally a potential customer
will have to be exposed to your product 5 to 15 times before they are likely
to think of your product when the need arises. Needs often arise
unexpectedly. You must stay in front of your clients consistently if they
are going to remember your product when that need arises.
Build credibility:
Not only must clients be aware of your product or service, they also must
have a positive disposition toward it. Potential customers must trust that
you will deliver what you say you will. Often, especially with large or
risky purchases, you need to give them the opportunity to sample , touch ,
or taste the product in some way. For example, a trainer might gain
credibility and allow potential customers to sample their product by
offering free, hour long presentations on topics related to their area of
specialty.
Be Consistent:
Be consistent in every way and in everything you do. This includes the look
of your collateral materials, the message you deliver, the level of customer
service, and the quality of the product. Being consistent is more important
than having the best product. This in part is the reason for the success of
chains. Whether you re going to Little Rock, Arkansas or New York City, if
you reserve a room at a Courtyard Marriott you know exactly what you re
going to get.
Maintain Focus:
Focus allows for more effective utilization of the scarce resources of time
and money. Your promotional budget will bring you greater return if you use
it to promote a single product to a narrowly defined group of customers and
if you promote that same product to that same customer group over a
continuous period of time.
Before you develop a brochure, run an ad, implement a direct mail
campaign, join an organization for networking or even conduct a sales call,
ask yourself this question, Do I really know who my ideal customers are and
not only what they need but also what they want? If you can t honestly
answer yes to this question, your promotional strategy may be built on a
foundation of sand.
About the Author:
Julie Chance is president of Strategies-by-DESIGN, a Dallas based firm
that helps businesses professional services firms to specialty retailers Map
A Path to Success by bridging the chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer. For
more information or to sign up for our free Marketing Tips Newsletter go to
www.strategies-by-design.com
or call 972-701-9311.
