On a scale of 1 - 10, how effective is your marketing? Perhaps a little room for improvement? Use these seven marketing tips to help you kick start the year and move closer to 10:
- Plan to succeed - with so many ways to promote your business on and off line, plan and coordinate your marketing strategies to get the best results. Think about what you want to achieve and how different forms of marketing could help you get to that point - e.g., use your website and online marketing to attract more customers and generate more business.
- Focus on your customer - prospective customers aren't interested in hearing all about you. They want to know how well you can meet their need or solve their problem. Generate a positive response from customers by telling them what you can do for them. Train yourself to think, write and talk about 'you' rather than 'I'.
- Your Unique Selling Proposition - How is your product or service different from those of your competitors? Define your USP and help customers see the value in what you do.
- Create a good impression - how customers perceive your company is just as important as what they think about your product/service. Your business cards, website and corporate literature should be smart, consistent and professional. Your brand should be distinct and memorable and give off positive vibes that people like and trust. Make sure you are a good ambassador for your company and always deliver on your promises.
- Build enduring relationships - It's easier and cheaper to sell to existing customers than it is to find a new one after every transaction. It makes sense to retain and focus on your best customers. As a general guide, 80% of your profits come from 20% of your customers. Get to know your best customers and develop more profitable long term business relationships.
- Get feedback - Customer feedback is crucial, it tells you what you're doing well and where you need to improve. It's also a good way to generate new ideas and keep your business fresh. Get ahead of the competition by finding out what customers want and think....ask and keep on asking. Use customer feedback to make positive improvements to the way you do business.
- Do your own thing - Don't just follow the competition - their marketing strategies weren't designed to achieve your goals. By all means, use them to get ideas but ask yourself - does this contribute towards my objectives? If not, refocus on something that does! Focus on making your own marketing strategies fresh and imaginative so that you stand out from the crowd.
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