Market Like You Mean It

Are your marketing efforts methodical and driven by real data, with a focus on measurable results? Or do you have a tendency to run promotions on a whim — maybe because business is slow or you got a great rate on some unused media inventory?

It's unfortunate that we often run across the latter when talking to new and prospective clients. We find many new businesses — and even established companies who have just gone a bit stale — are often not focused on putting meaning into their marketing efforts. They tend to be focused on the transaction rather than the relationship. They think the latest social media trend will answer their prayers. Or perhaps they just rely on gimmicks or fluff to draw attention rather than capitalizing on the actual merits of their products to build brand value.

So, how do we turn the tables and start making our marketing efforts more meaningful? For starters, your efforts should be focused with a clearly defined target audience and appropriate message. You should strive for customer acquisition and business growth, rather than simply making a sale. And possibly most important, yet most overlooked, your marketing should help consumers make a wise purchasing decision.

Eliminate Contradictions

Of course, your marketing efforts do not stop at the advertisement. You must really pay attention to details and think things through to the very end. If you promise a quality product, don't kill the experience with poor in-store display and sloppy handwritten signs. Don't let your staff kill the experience either. I have one client in particular with an employee who refuses to state the store name properly when answering the phone. She believes it sounds better her way. She may be a great employee in all other respects, but she should have absolutely zero customer interaction. Don't let this happen to you.

From the advertisement that brings them in the door, all the way through the purchasing experience, and right down to putting the product to use, the customer should experience your brand to the fullest.

Utilize Trends Wisely

Stop looking at your marketing efforts as mere sales tactics. Your company blog, your Facebook fan page, and even your Twitter posts can be great tools, but they are tools for engaging consumers — not selling to them. Find ways to use these current trends to build relationships and establish your business as a leader in your industry. But, do not get tied into social media to the degree that you are totally dependent on it — these are trends and will be replaced with a newer, shinier trend at some point.

Another trend to be careful of is pricing trends. We've seen dangerously low pricing trends within our own industry. It's virtually impossible for us to compete with hosting companies who oversell resources and printing companies who sell below wholesale, so we don't even try. The simple fact is that either a) they serve a very specific consumer base that is different than ours; or b) they will not be able to sustain a level of profitability that will allow them stay in business. Avoid the temptation to allow such pricing trends to shape your business. We keep our price points fair and appropriate to the value of our services. You should too.

Just remember, marketing is a job that's never done. It's an ongoing process and should evolve with your business. It should be driven by data and goals. And it should be about engaging the consumer — not persuading him.

In Brands We Trust

At it's essence, your brand is meant to do two things…

1. Establish a personal connection with consumers, and
2. Maintain that connection.

What this means is that branding is not a replacement for advertising, and advertising alone will not create a sustainable brand. Advertising should, of course, support your brand by building recognition and supporting your brand personality, but it will never replace that personal connection which successful brands rely so heavily on.

I'm sure you've heard this spiel time and time again, but in this difficult economic climate it's more important than ever to understand the value of your brand — your connection with consumers. People are more critical than usual about where and how they spend their money. Maintaining a personal connection builds trust. And trust always outweighs high dollar advertising. Always.

The thing about brands is that every business has one, whether they realize it or not. Starbucks has a very purposeful brand that tells me no matter what city I'm in, I can feel confident about getting a good cappuccino. On the other hand, my local coffee shop does just as good a job at getting me caffeinated, but has an atmosphere like no other — and it achieves this without purposeful corporate intervention. Starbucks relies on meticulous rules to build and maintain it's brand. My local dive benefits from consumer advocates who simply love them for what they are. The end result is that both of these brands have earned the trust of their patrons, albeit by totally different means.

I recall back in the late 1990s the word "brand" became a ridiculously overused buzzword and most of the people buzzing had little understanding of what a brand actually was. The big thing for small businesses to do back then was to pay a brand consultant to develop a new brand for them. As a full-service ad agency, brand development is certainly part of what we do for our clients, but there was something missing in the trend I was seeing. These consultants were going through the normal motions of brand discovery and development, but then handing the client their brand on disc with an implementation handbook. The result I saw time and time again was the business owner becoming obsessed with making sure their logo, typeface, and imagery was always just right according the the guidelines in their new handbook. That's wonderful. It truly is. But that's also corporate identity — not brand building.

You see, your brand is not a simple tangible item that can be put on disc with a handbook. It's your personality — your character. Yes, it must be expressed in every advertisement, every product package, and every web page. But, more importantly, in every action by every member of your company from the CEO right down to the delivery boy. And every prospect or customer must be treated as a potential brand ambassador. The emotional connections you form with consumers will build trust and loyalty, and an ultimately bigger ROI than any media budget.

It's up to you to live your brand and build the most valuable tool in your marketing arsenal — trust.

Until next time,
Howard Theriot
Catch Light Productions

http://www.catchlight.com

Established in 1989, Catch Light Productions is a creative agency specializing in turnkey advertising, marketing solutions and graphic design for small business, new business, and the entrepreneur.