Marketing Smarter InToday’s Economy

5 Steps To Market Your CompanyBefore You Start Spending MoneyOn Marketing

Accountability

Alignment

Focus

Capitalize

Evangelize

When It Comes To Marketing,“I Think This Is Working”

Is Never The Right Answer

Accountability

Knowing which tactics are driving sales/leadshelps you not only understand what tactics areworking, but if marketing is even the issue.

Accountability

Example - A client was having a significant declinein sales. The blame immediately went tomarketing but after putting a tracking system inplace we were able to determine the marketingwas working but the inbound center was notclosing the sale.

Accountability

Tracking programs can range from simple tosophisticated.

Asking How

Google Analytics

Promotional Offers

Discrete URLs/800 Numbers

Clipping/Tracking Services

Quantitative Research

A company who truly believes incustomer service never starts

a phone conversation with“Press 1 for...”

Alignment

Ensuring that your corporate message is relevant,consistent and communicated throughout yourorganization.

Alignment

Relevance

Companies spend too much time focusing onwhat they want to tell their audience not whattheir audience wants to hear from them.

Alignment

Consistency

When you do decide how you answer what theaudience wants to hear, you must do so in aconsistent manner

Alignment

Consistency

Consistency of message in everything you do isimportant, but it begins with making sureeveryone knows what that message is otherwise

know as the dreaded Elevator Pitch

Alignment•The Consistency Test

Write down what you think is your elevator pitch

Have your employees write down what they think is your elevator pitch

Analyze the findings to see if everyone is on the same page

Be honest and do not infer what people mean to say

If everyone is on the same page, great

If not, you have a starting point to see what needs to be fixed.

If the differences are significant try to identify trends

Do the customer-facing people describe your company one way, and the back office another?

Do your long-time employees have a different perspective than your newer employees?

Honestly assess the findings and determine if your elevator pitch is the best one or does a better solutionexist.

Present the final elevator pitch to your employees and have them write down what it means to them. Doing so will help them internalize the pitch

Alignment

Communicated Through and Through

Any interaction with your company mustcommunicate your point of being; for example

If you are known for providing tools to increase efficiency yourcustomers shouldn’t have to hold on the phone beyond two minutes

If you are known for operational excellence everything down to yourinvoicing should be accurate

“All your marketing materials lookconsistent” is not a compliment

Focus

A focused marketing effort is more than makingsure everything looks alike it requires a clear,concise and compelling message

FocusA Brand Platform is integral to a focused brand

A Brand Platform becomes that all your marketingis measured against

A Brand Platform consists of:

Brand Position - How you want to be viewed in the mind of youraudience

Brand Promise - The expectation you set when you invite someone tointeract with your brand

Brand Personality - The tone in which you deliver you message

Brand Messages - Four or five key tenets of your business and thebenefits they provide

Satisfied customers are just thoseyou haven’t given a reason to be

dissatisfied

Capitalize

How much of your business is from repeatbusiness?

Since it is 7x more expensive to gain a newcustomer than to keep an existing one, look atwhat you are doing to generate repeat business

CapitalizePrograms that allow you to capture more businessfrom your customers and make them evangelists

Customer Marketing

Customer Insight Surveys

Transparency

Advisory Panel

Capitalize

Customer Insight Surveys

Know your customers betterHow do your customers feel about you? Why?

Has this changed in recently? Why?

Are you their sole provider?

Are they aware of all the services/products you provide?

Do they use all of the services/products you provide?

This information allows you to put together amore strategic customer marketing program

CapitalizeCustomer Marketing

Inexpensive tactics to reach your customers

Must be educational/helpfulEmail Newsletters - monthly tips on how to use your product better

Invoice Marketing - promote value-added products with your invoices

Web Site - most customers will continue to visit your companywebsite, so keep it current and make it valuable

Blog - A great resource to provide valuable, educational info

Phone Calls - when was the last time you called a customer to seehow your product was working for them or if they had questions

Twitter/Facebook - Let customer follow you on social networks

Capitalize

Transparency

Social Media is a great tool for transparent conversations with yourcustomers

Let them know what you are up to in terms of new products/services -gauge their reaction and listen to their ideas

More people are asking for interaction with companies via social medialike Facebook or directly on your site

Negative comments are good and provides you the forum to respondin a positive manner

Capitalize

Customer Advisory Panels

These panels allow you to hear what thecustomers needs as well as test new productideas with them

Let’s them feel valued by your company

Does a great job of creating evangelists for yourproduct

Elated customers and unhappycustomers have one thing in common

- they’ll both talk about yourcompany

Evangelize

Word-of-mouth is cited as the most influentialform of marketing, so make sure your evangelistsare working for you

Evangelize

Encourage customers to talk about you

Formal Referral Program

From thank you notes to discounts - inexpensive way to keepcustomers talking about you

Social Networks

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Spoke, etc provide manyways to get customers talking about you

Review Sites

Kudzu, Yelp, etc are free resources where customers can talkabout your business.

5 Steps To Market Your CompanyBefore You Start Spending MoneyOn Marketing

Accountability

Alignment

Focus

Capitalize

Evangelize

Once these 5 steps are inplace your paid marketingbecomes more impactful,accountable, anddrives business

M is for Marketing is a marketing consultancyhelping companies increase their return on their marketing investment

without increasing their investment.

404.316.4820a_abend@MIsForMarketing.com

http://smartermarketing.wordpress.com