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Anne Obarski
However, if you haven't noticed, you aren't the only business that sells or does what you do. If you think you are, then just go "Google" your product or service and you will be in for a shock.
I believe that one of the best ways to get the customer's attention is through marketing. It is also one of the best ways to announce that you are "contagious"! Marketing is more than just advertising; it is the lifeblood of any successful business. I recently heard that we are exposed to 5,000 ads a day; from the size of a postage stamp to ads on floors and sides of buses. Let's focus on the three most important areas of marketing and those that "make us look"!
1. Classic marketing.
Newspapers, newsletters, postcards, and any other type of print advertising fall under the category of classic marketing. I heard a marketing professional offer the following strategy when deciding when and how to keep in touch with your customers. He called it 1-12-250. What it stands for is, once a month for every month of the year, keep in touch with a specific number of your customers. The number 250 could be 50 it could be 2,500 it could be 25,000, but I believe that number should represent your best customers.
If you choose only to use "classic marketing" techniques, then in January you would target newspaper advertising, in February you would send out postcards, in March you would publish your quarterly newsletter and the cycle would start over. Each month you would be in touch with your customers in some way. Remember, out of sight, out of mind.
2. Updated marketing.
E-mail, e-zines, websites, and any other technology based ways to stay in touch with your customers. These could easily fit into the 1-12-250 strategy and could be done monthly as well. If you are able to acquire your customer's email addresses, then this is an easy way to stay in touch. There are a number of great programs that allow you to send out your announcements to your customers and personalize the greetings. I receive ads and coupons from dozens of retailers and restaurants that I do business with and many times the savings are only for the "on-line" customers, like me.
E-zines are a form of a published newsletter. It is just another way to send important information about your products or services to your customer database. Both of these channels of marketing fall prey to the "delete key" just as the "paper" advertising can end up in the "circular file". The goal is to remain top of the customer's mind.
Along with email and e-zines is the most important, a current and updated website. A basic website stating how to get in touch with you, the products or services you offer and current contact information is critical. I believe that websites don't need to look like TV shows, they just need to be current and easy to use. Hire a high school kid or a college intern and your website can be up and running in days.
3. Cutting edge marketing.
Viral marketing, pod-casting, blogging and video email are all new additions to the marketing arena. These are all technology based and are becoming easier to use. Viral marketing is a savvy way to get your customers talking about you and doing it online. It creates a frenzy of activity and readers flock to a website or a "blog" just to find out what is going on with a person, product or a business.
Pod-casting is the new generation of listening to information as we have done in the past with audio tapes or CD's. You can produce your own podcast with important information you would like the customer to know about. It can be easily downloaded and listened to when ever and where ever the customer wants to. This can also be the future of training employees, especially the "Y" generation employees.
Blogging is a way for anyone to post their thoughts or ideas on the internet. Many people just use them as a way to be "published" but smart businesses use them as an informational as well as a lucrative selling tool. If you have a website you can allow people to click on a link that will take them directly to your blog so that they can "chat" with you. This makes the customer feel closely linked to the company.
Video email is one of my favorites. Technology is becoming so advanced and so affordable that we will be able to "see" the people we are talking to over the internet whether through pod-casting or email or web conferencing. What a great way to send your customers a video email saying, "Thank you for your order today, we couldn't be in business without great customers like you", and they received it within minutes of placing the order. Simple, inexpensive and something that the competition isn't doing, yet!
4. Old school marketing.
Be in stock and give great customer service! You might not have thought of this as "marketing" but it is what your customers talk about. According to a new survey by Accenture, 72% of their respondents reported that customer service had a significant influence on whether or not they buy something. More than half said that "helpful" customer service was lacking in stores.
Three-quarters of those surveyed said good product selection played a key role in their decision of where to shop, yet over one third said that having a limited selection was a problem.
The conclusion was made that those retailers that bridge this gap to offer better product selection and customer service can reap the rewards of improved sales and margins.
A business can do all of the fancy advertising and embrace all of the technological bells and whistles, but if the customer can't find the product or service that they need and much worse, can't find an associate to even talk to, you are wasting your marketing dollars.
Word of mouth marketing is powerful. It's what produces repeat and referral business and that's the contagious effect that every business wants to be a part of! Focus on using one or two items from each of the marketing areas discussed and your customer's will end up saying, "I see you everywhere"! Now that's contagious!
Article Source :
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About the Author :
Anne M. Obarski is The "Eye" on Performance!" Anne works with companies and organizations who want profit building strategies to keep their customers coming back! Contact Anne soon to present a keynote, break-out session or customized training for your next meeting. Sign up for her free ezine at http://www.merchandiseconcepts.com or email Anne at anne@merchandiseconcepts.com
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