One of the most critical elements of successful business development and marketing campaigns is the concept of using several vehicles to reach your potential customer. I call this Multi-Faceted Marketing. It's based on two very simple assumptions:
1. Most people are resistant to a sales pitch, their first reaction is 'No'.
2. Most people do not remember something until they have seen or heard it many (6-12) times. That includes your company or product name.
Your customers are overwhelmed with marketing slogans, pitches, and images. They are brain-dead when it comes to being sold. They are most likely resentful of anything that takes their time away from running their small business or mid-sized company, and would sooner ignore you than listen to you. We humans are built in a way that allows us to forget something seconds after seeing or hearing it. It may take 6 to 12 impressions in order for us to recognize something, and often more to remember it.
Question: Would you recognize the logo of the world's most popular cola? My guess is you would if I could show it to you (it is a registered trademark). It's probably the most recognized symbol in the world and has been around for over 100 years. But, it's no accident that you see it everywhere you look. Their parent company knows that even though they are not a new business, and even with their preeminent position in their market, they need to advertise everywhere to support their place in your memory.
Your strategic planning and marketing plan won't look like theirs, they spend millions on their business development and marketing, but it can contain the fundamental principles that make them successful. It can contain Multi-Faceted Marketing, which will insure your company or product name reaches your potential customer in multiple ways. By doing so, you will insure that they receive multiple impressions and will soon remember you and your products.
What does this look like? It takes some analysis like that done in an intensive Two-Day Critical Analysis and Strategic Planning Consultation, and some understanding of your company, products, and market to show the business development and marketing activities that best fit your company, but a good diversification might resemble:
1. A good website with fully implemented Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
2. Regular press releases, articles, and other public relations.
3. A proactive email campaign
4. A proactive phone campaign
5. Online targeted advertising
6. Hard copy advertising
7. Show attendance
This is a sample list and not all the activities listed apply to all companies, but you get the idea. A Multi-Faceted, diverse group of activities maximizes the opportunity for you to reach your potential customer multiple times, overcoming the first 'No' reaction. It provides the customer multiple impressions allowing them to build a memory of your company and product. And, it allows the time to build a relationship with them, before you ever meet them.
Developing new business isn't easy, but by following a few basic principles, you can maximize your return on investment on every one of your business development and marketing activities. Beginning with Multi-Faceted Marketing is a good start.
Good luck and good marketing.
Nickolai Vasilieff is an expert business development consultant with experience as an entrepreneur, business manager, business & marketing consultant, business development consultant, and executive coach. Specializing in small business and mid-sized companies, Vasilieff provides services to analyze current activities and markets defining exactly where a company is today, where they want to go, and exactly how to get there.
Monday, April 3, 2017
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Small Business Consulting Marketing: Achieve Great Heights For Your Business
If you're a serious business owner and you want to reach your goals as soon as possible, then you need to have the ability to come up with a variety of excellent strategies so that you can propel yourself ahead of your competitors. One of the most pristine strategies that will help you achieve this is small business consulting marketing. Pairing up with a good business process consultancy firm will allow you to get the ease that you need.
Small business consulting marketing or business process consulting is a integral or vital part of making a business work and attaining huge success for it. Why? Because, going for this type of approach will allow you to learn both the positive and negative aspects of your business through developing a good understanding that you need to be aware of about its real nature. In addition, this business approach will help you develop an instinct, which is very essential in steering a business towards the right direction all the time. In this way, you can leave out rooms for errors and failures.
On the other hand, using business process consulting will also help you with the task cost-cutting by enabling you to streamline your expenses in a way that will leave you with no or minimal expenses. Aside from this, you can also get automation where you absolutely need it so that you can tailor things so that they'll run more efficiently than they normally do. All of the things that I've said really sound good and positive but you'll only be able to get these if you solicit services from a good company who will provide you the things that you need, when you need them.
When you visit different companies, have a good look at the services that they offer as well as the methodologies that they use. Examine these pretty well and try to list them down so that you can compare each one of them and determine the best ones for your small business are. Once you get a good company to work with you, you can then learn the different techniques that they use. One of the most essential would be data analysis, which is vital in helping you achieve your goals despite the presence of numerous obstacles such as the current economic crisis.
Delve into the methodologies of business process consulting so that you can learn what you really need to do and be able to put it into practice. Part of these would be data system analysis, which makes use of statistical methods as well as measurements of the performance of the general performance of your business. This will help you speculate the different areas of your business. Through which, you'll be able to identify problem areas, which you can then eliminate through proper remedies. Eliminating errors and flaws will help you increase your success rates. Keep in mind that if you want sure success, you need to take sure aim at your goals by using tools that are really effective.
Small business consulting marketing or business process consulting is a integral or vital part of making a business work and attaining huge success for it. Why? Because, going for this type of approach will allow you to learn both the positive and negative aspects of your business through developing a good understanding that you need to be aware of about its real nature. In addition, this business approach will help you develop an instinct, which is very essential in steering a business towards the right direction all the time. In this way, you can leave out rooms for errors and failures.
On the other hand, using business process consulting will also help you with the task cost-cutting by enabling you to streamline your expenses in a way that will leave you with no or minimal expenses. Aside from this, you can also get automation where you absolutely need it so that you can tailor things so that they'll run more efficiently than they normally do. All of the things that I've said really sound good and positive but you'll only be able to get these if you solicit services from a good company who will provide you the things that you need, when you need them.
When you visit different companies, have a good look at the services that they offer as well as the methodologies that they use. Examine these pretty well and try to list them down so that you can compare each one of them and determine the best ones for your small business are. Once you get a good company to work with you, you can then learn the different techniques that they use. One of the most essential would be data analysis, which is vital in helping you achieve your goals despite the presence of numerous obstacles such as the current economic crisis.
Delve into the methodologies of business process consulting so that you can learn what you really need to do and be able to put it into practice. Part of these would be data system analysis, which makes use of statistical methods as well as measurements of the performance of the general performance of your business. This will help you speculate the different areas of your business. Through which, you'll be able to identify problem areas, which you can then eliminate through proper remedies. Eliminating errors and flaws will help you increase your success rates. Keep in mind that if you want sure success, you need to take sure aim at your goals by using tools that are really effective.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
How to Get More Customers in My Store or Business
Lets face it. Now more than ever, people have the power of choice in choosing their products and services. We have to compete with all those other businesses that are trying hard to provide similar services and to the exact same people we are trying to convert into customers. How do you get people to notice you and buy your product over someone else?
The answer is simple: you must become one with your customer; you have to put yourself in the mindset of future customers by honing in on their natural tendencies, thoughts and instincts. Once you understand what drives your ideal customers, you can start providing them value by crafting your marketing and products towards helping them solve their problems (i.e. saving them time, providing a professional product quickly, saving them money).
How to think like your customer
Marketing gurus recommend coming up with a buying persona or an ideal customer. This requires really brainstorming about who you are trying to sell to. Traditionally, people automatically just think of demographics (age, gender, location, income, etc). However, your ideal customer has so much more to tell you if you are willing to do some research.
Really think about:
What do they value/care about
Where do they frequently go
Where do they get their information
What do they do every day
What is a problem they have that you can solve
Why wouldn't they use your product
Case in Point: A Well Known Chicken Sandwich Restaurant
Anyone who knows me, knows that my family loves this chicken sandwich restaurant... their food, their atmosphere, their culture! Why do you think they make a point to display their "wholesome" values? It's because they have done their research and they know that their customers care about showing courtesy, family involvement, ambient Christian background music, etc. At most fast food restaurants, customer service is key but this restaurant takes their good customer service a step further. All of their employees reply with "My Pleasure" when they are thanked. This is something so simple but customers take notice of it and appreciate the courtesy and they come away feeling valued!
Where do you get information about your client's values?
OK. So, I have sold you on why its important to think like your customer and figure out what attracts them. But where do you get this information if you are a small business without the budget of a marketing department?
GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND: Type into Google your keyword and groups/forums/meet ups (i.e. "moms groups", "new moms forums", "moms meet ups in Fayetteville NC"). Read up on where your ideal customer can be found and what they are talking about.
Google Analytics: If you haven't set up a Google Analytics account for your website, do it! Google collects tons of demographic information for you about viewers on your website. It can tell you where people are searching for your business, age, if they are using their phones to research you, how long they are spending on your page, and much more.
Go to Bookstores: Go to a bookstore or library. Look at books and magazines targeting your assumed target customers. What topics do they cover? What ads do they use? How often do they publish new information?
Imitation is the Greatest form of flattery: Let the bigger companies do the work for you! Look at how they are targeting customers and copy that style or strategy. Trust me. They have spent the money to have teams of professionals figure out who to market towards and how to connect with them. Save your time and money and just follow their examples.
Now you really understand your customers' needs, how do you give them what they want?
This can be as easy as changing how you speak to customers. Start using buzz words in your business content and advertisements that your clientele will respond emotionally to.
You can reevaluate your services. Is there room to make more accommodations for your customers needs? Consider how you deliver your services and goods. Can you tweak something that will make your customer's life easier?
There are tons of whys you can convey to consumers that you understand and value them. Just remember that if you go out of your way to help others, they will take notice and are more likely to use your services over a competitor.
To Recap on why researching your future clients can help bring in more clients and make your life easier
This is all about creating a relationship with your clients. If you can show people that you value them and you understand their needs, they will come back time and again. They will tell their friends about you and encourage them to use your product. Lastly, it will save you time in the long run. Instead of trying to appease the masses that may never be interested in your product, you are concentrating on people that you know will want your product and you can help them solve their problems.
The answer is simple: you must become one with your customer; you have to put yourself in the mindset of future customers by honing in on their natural tendencies, thoughts and instincts. Once you understand what drives your ideal customers, you can start providing them value by crafting your marketing and products towards helping them solve their problems (i.e. saving them time, providing a professional product quickly, saving them money).
How to think like your customer
Marketing gurus recommend coming up with a buying persona or an ideal customer. This requires really brainstorming about who you are trying to sell to. Traditionally, people automatically just think of demographics (age, gender, location, income, etc). However, your ideal customer has so much more to tell you if you are willing to do some research.
Really think about:
What do they value/care about
Where do they frequently go
Where do they get their information
What do they do every day
What is a problem they have that you can solve
Why wouldn't they use your product
Case in Point: A Well Known Chicken Sandwich Restaurant
Anyone who knows me, knows that my family loves this chicken sandwich restaurant... their food, their atmosphere, their culture! Why do you think they make a point to display their "wholesome" values? It's because they have done their research and they know that their customers care about showing courtesy, family involvement, ambient Christian background music, etc. At most fast food restaurants, customer service is key but this restaurant takes their good customer service a step further. All of their employees reply with "My Pleasure" when they are thanked. This is something so simple but customers take notice of it and appreciate the courtesy and they come away feeling valued!
Where do you get information about your client's values?
OK. So, I have sold you on why its important to think like your customer and figure out what attracts them. But where do you get this information if you are a small business without the budget of a marketing department?
GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND: Type into Google your keyword and groups/forums/meet ups (i.e. "moms groups", "new moms forums", "moms meet ups in Fayetteville NC"). Read up on where your ideal customer can be found and what they are talking about.
Google Analytics: If you haven't set up a Google Analytics account for your website, do it! Google collects tons of demographic information for you about viewers on your website. It can tell you where people are searching for your business, age, if they are using their phones to research you, how long they are spending on your page, and much more.
Go to Bookstores: Go to a bookstore or library. Look at books and magazines targeting your assumed target customers. What topics do they cover? What ads do they use? How often do they publish new information?
Imitation is the Greatest form of flattery: Let the bigger companies do the work for you! Look at how they are targeting customers and copy that style or strategy. Trust me. They have spent the money to have teams of professionals figure out who to market towards and how to connect with them. Save your time and money and just follow their examples.
Now you really understand your customers' needs, how do you give them what they want?
This can be as easy as changing how you speak to customers. Start using buzz words in your business content and advertisements that your clientele will respond emotionally to.
You can reevaluate your services. Is there room to make more accommodations for your customers needs? Consider how you deliver your services and goods. Can you tweak something that will make your customer's life easier?
There are tons of whys you can convey to consumers that you understand and value them. Just remember that if you go out of your way to help others, they will take notice and are more likely to use your services over a competitor.
To Recap on why researching your future clients can help bring in more clients and make your life easier
This is all about creating a relationship with your clients. If you can show people that you value them and you understand their needs, they will come back time and again. They will tell their friends about you and encourage them to use your product. Lastly, it will save you time in the long run. Instead of trying to appease the masses that may never be interested in your product, you are concentrating on people that you know will want your product and you can help them solve their problems.
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