| Marketing Tips That Work (3) |
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Here is the final instalment of marketing tips covering most aspects of marketing, designed to provide you with some basic guidelines on what marketing is all about and how to use the tools.Public Relations1. PR is a vital component of the marketing mix because it incorporates many elements; including media relations, internal and external communication programs, event management, copywriting, product launches and more. 2. If you want a story covered in the print media, you should ensure it:
3. Target several publications to maximise your chances of the story being taken up. 4. Provide the press release, a photo if appropriate (of you, your new partners, your new product, your new customer), some background on you and/or the business, and contact details for the media person to follow up if required. Marketing Communication 5. This is a broad term which refers to the ways in which we communicate with our market. Beyond all else, the message must be clear, unambiguous, and consistent. 6. In both large and small organisations, internal communication is important too. Make sure you keep your staff informed. 7. Never stop communicating with your customers 8. Communication includes presentation; people, cars, offices, marketing literature etc Sales Channels9. Consideration must be given to which sales channels you will need to reach your potential customers. 10. A sales channel could be a direct sales team, a retail outlet, a telemarketing centre, an internet site, or any other combination of the above. 11. If you use distributors or third party sales channels, monitor their performance as you would a direct sales team. 12. Make sure your sales team has the necessary information to support their sales efforts. Customer management13. Learn why your customers went with you in the first place, and why they stay with you, so you can repeat this to acquire new customers. 14. You need to understand what your customers want, need and consider to be priorities, and why. Ask them. 15. Most importantly, you need to understand the current and potential value of your customers, and have a plan to maximise that. 16. The real value of a customer is their potential value over a period of time. 17. Make your product or service easy to buy, from the customer perspective. 18. Make it fun to do business with you. 19. Understand what (else) your customers want, and deliver. 20. Focus on building relationships with your customers. 21. Aim for referrals from satisfied customers - they are the best way to acquire new business. Positioning22. How do you want your product or service to be positioned amongst the minds of your target market? 23. Positioning is all-important in attracting and retaining the right type of customers for your business. 24. Positioning is about perception. 25. Don't position yourself in a market or a segment of the market if you can't deliver. 26. Understand your strengths and where you can deliver benefits to your target market, and focus on those attributes to position yourself in the minds of your prospective customers. 27. Be brutally honest with yourself. You need to recognise what your real capabilities are and position your product or your business accordingly. 28. Your positioning is always compared with someone else. 29. If you want to be different, then do it, don't just say it. 30. First impressions are everything. 31. Positioning is about perceptions, and perception is reality. So think long and hard about your positioning so you end up in the right place. Implementation32. The best way to make sure that your marketing program happens according to your plan, is to draw up a project schedule and have someone in the company responsible for managing it through. 33. DO make roles and responsibilities clear for everyone, with deadlines for achievement of all tasks. Measurement and Follow Up 34. Marketing programs require measurement. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it 35. Set the measurement criteria. 36. And last, but not least, ask for advice. A well-executed marketing strategy, which gets the results, is a real joy. So there you have it. Over 100 great marketing tips to put into action in your business. Tony Martin - Director |
+ 61 8 8333 1944
