Marketing may appear easy to the novice, however as professional marketers, we know it’s hard. More than once I’ve had to bite my tongue from saying “if it’s so easy, do it yourself” to a boss who expressed opinion rather than fact. Effective marketing can be extremely difficult. These ABC’s will give you some useful tips to make your strategy more organized.
A – Algorithms are the foundation of the digital world and you need to know how they affect your messaging. They change often and have a significant impact on user experience online. There are several resources to help you navigate the changes as they occur. Start with this one.
B – Branding is your footprint. It reflects in everything you do, say, and advertise. It is constant. It can be subtle or loud but it needs to be out there. Opportunities for branding are everywhere: networking, supporting a local team, customer service, how your team speaks to your customers, the physical appearance of your location, your ads, and even your personal life. YOU are the representation of your business.
C – Color may seem unimportant however, it sends important subliminal signals. Purple is typically defined with a luxury brand, blue with trust, red with excitement, etc. Read more on the marketing signals of color here.
D – Design rules are meant to be broken. As with any business, it’s important to learn the basic rules first and then explore your creativity to be unique. Sometimes an advertisement is intentionally meant to be more thoughtful in order to make the reader engage more with the content. The traditional rule of “name, location, phone” is old school along with too much information. Sometimes simple does the trick to attract your ideal customer.
E – Engagement refers to your customer response. For online, they might click to learn more so you will need a CTA (call to action) prompt. In person, they may return often to your store or frequently use your services so you will need to exemplify gold-star customer service. Engagement is a loyal customer and is to be cherished.
F – If you can be First with a product, idea, concept, or service, you have a head start in attracting attention. “First” is a message you can always use once you’ve earned it. McDonald’s has highest recall for burgers over Burger King (and BK even has the product in their name!). Hertz tops Avis. Coke overpowers Pepsi. You get the idea. Take advantage if you are able to be first to market because it gives you an automatic competitive edge.
G – Geography begs the question of which medium is best for you. If you are one location you may want to investigate your local weekly to offer specials in your surrounding radius. Also for consideration is cable television since it can be zoned to your surrounding area. Best resource is digital … it’s inexpensive and can be highly targeted based on any number of criteria (zip code, age, income, psychographics) and also has a really cool ability to geofence around your competition!
H – Humor, when done well, is memorable and highly shareable. When done badly, it can ruin you so be careful to not be offensive or too outrageous.
I – Take the word “I” out of your conversation. It’s not about you; remember it’s about your customer. If they are happy, they will make you happy by rewarding you with their loyalty.
J – Journey. Every business has a story. What’s your journey? How does that help your customer? How does it help you understand what your customer wants? It should anchor your mission statement. What? You don’t have a mission statement? Get working on it!
K – Kinship with your customers is everything. Treat them like family. Cherish them. Reward them. They are your best marketing tool and they will recommend you to their family and friends.
L – Less is more. One of the biggest mistakes a business can make is trying to cram too much information in their advertising whether its print, television, radio, or digital. In today’s world we are bombarded with branding messages at a count of 5,000 a day! You read that correctly. We can only recall a small fraction of what we see in a day. If you have a print ad full of words, I guarantee it will be skipped out of boredom. A radio commercial with an announcer reading too many words it will sound rushed and unnatural. Convey your message simply.
M – Money …. Is it well spent? If it sounds too good to be true, then it isn’t. The ad world is overrun with so many outlets to share your message that it’s impossible to utilize every one of them effectively. Chances are, if you’re a business owner you likely get contacted several times a week by an ad rep from some “new” medium that is going to make you rich. Examine each pitch carefully and ask for references from happy customers. An agency or consultant can take that task off your hands to allow you to tend to the importance of your business.
N – Along with the word “I”, take the word “no” out of your vocabulary. Think positive. Even if you have to say no to a customer, there’s a better way to say it. Example: “We don’t have that right now; let me see if I can find it somewhere for you”. Marketing is not merely your external messaging, it’s how you treat people as well. Customer service goes a long way.
O – Stay organized. Marketing your business can be exhausting with so many options to place your hard-earned money. Organize your thoughts as well as your ad opportunities. Both a short and a long-term strategy are important for the future of your business. Make adjustments along the way.
P – People … who are you trying to reach? You want to say “everyone” however that’s not realistic. Focus on the basics by reviewing who is using your product or services currently and build an ideal profile. If those aren’t the people you want to reach, define that ideal customer. Once you have that determined, you’ll have a better understanding of how to reach them. For example, don’t try to reach a Millennial with television ads; your better resource is TikTok or Instagram. Want to reach seniors? Your daily newspaper continues to be their favorite resource.
Q – Continually Question how you can do and be better for your customers. Improvement should be constant and a great goal because there’s always something new to learn.
R – There is a formula in advertising called Reach & Frequency. Simply put, there are a specific number of times a potential customer needs to see your brand name before it registers for them to recall you. Don’t skimp and expect one print ad or a couple of cable commercials to bring multitudes of customers through your door. When working with your ad rep, ask questions and demand answers. Develop a strategy to know how many people you need to reach. You want this to be “sticky” for you. (see “s” next)
S – Sticky. Say what? It’s a very important concept for your brand. Simply, does your message “stick”? Is it memorable? Does your name resonate immediately?
T – Testimonials are gold. When a customer thanks you, take that opportunity to quote their accolades and market them (with permission). If your business belongs to an online resource (Healthgrades, TripAdvisor, Open Table, etc.), ask that happy customer to write a review online. Use those quotes on your Facebook page. It’s important to note that any new customer will check you out online before visiting you and testimonials speak volumes about your reputation.
U – Uniqueness sets you apart from your competition. Use it. Promote it. If you’re not unique, find a way to be different, offer more, up your game, whatever it takes to get people talking about you.
V – Value doesn’t mean cheap or even inexpensive. You can be the highest priced business for your service or product, but if you are worth what you charge and your customer agrees you are the best at what you do, then your value is confirmed.
W – Word of Mouth continues to be a treasured asset for your business. When your “say-do” (you do what you say you will do) is top-notch, your customers will be eager to recommend you to family and friends. Don’t be afraid to ask those people to tell others about you.
X – Xerox … I know, I know … we don’t use this term anymore but it refers to copying, which is something you don’t want to do. It’s okay to embellish on an idea you’ve heard or seen but always give credit where it’s due. In the long term, copying will damage your reputation. Instead, focus on your strong points and market them!
Y – Yes is an important word for your business. If there’s a request you cannot fulfill, or a product you don’t have, try offering an alternative suggestion. Take the word “no” out of your conversation. Sometimes you may even need to suggest a competitor. You will be rewarded by your candor and honesty in that person will talk about how you helped them … that’s marketing in a subtle sense. Be positive.
Z – Zen. At the end of the day, we all need a bit of calm. Take some time for YOU every day and avoid the workaholic trap.
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