Before Marketing, Get This Right
In a hurry to drive the bottom line, many companies are quick to jump on the latest marketing trend or technology in hopes to capture new business. Without any strategy in place, messages may lack substance, relevance and consistency. This ineffective effort will only result in wasted time, resources and money.
So how does a business develop valuable messages that resonate with customers? First, let's take a look at what NOT to do.
- Stop hanging on to legacy messages - Consumer behavior has undeniably changed over the last few years, expectations are higher than ever. Marketing messages that aren't customer-centric do little to communicate your business' value proposition. Legacy statements that are egotistical do little to help the customer solve their problems. It's time to evolve your brand statements to consider the customer perspective. "In business for 50 years" means nothing to a customer who is looking for solutions. Instead, share the value of your offering in a helpful and meaningful way. A testimonial or case study helps customers understand what you offer.
- Become customer focused, not operation focused - It's easy to get caught up in the minutia of daily operations and forget why you are in business in the first place. Your customers have a problem, and your business exists to solve it. Period. A highly recommended and periodic exercise you must act out is to experience your business from the perspective of your customer. Conduct a Google search, are you finding your business online? What keywords reveal your website on the search results page? When visiting the website, are you able to find what you are looking for? Ask yourself - is this what I would want to experience as a customer?
- Nominate a point person to manage the message - With no single person responsible for your brand, the customer may get inconsistent messages from various sources in your business. This results is a misrepresentation of your value proposition and perhaps a misinterpretation of your offerings. There are many channels available to connect with your customers including your website, email, and social media platforms. The messages distributed must be consistent in order to maximize their impact and ability. Though it may be overwhelming for a single person in your organization to manage all of these functions, having them accountable for the standard set will enable all of parties involved to stay on track.
Move beyond these roadblocks and your marketing efforts will have much more traction. Contact Pelaia Media Group to learn how we can help you generate more business through digital marketing.