Transcript What is marketing?

Marketing for Business
Presented by: Helen Duncan
www.firstimpression.co.uk
Agenda
• What is marketing?
• Understanding your market
• Getting the right message
• Using the right medium
• Top 10 tips for boosting your business
What is marketing?
“Marketing is the management process that identifies,
anticipates and satisfies customer requirements
profitably”
The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
“The right product, in the right place, at the right time,
at the right price”
Adcock
Key to business success?
“I don’t do any marketing – I get all my business from
word of mouth.”
Not a sustainable strategy…
“Marketing is just an expense – I don’t need it.”
It is an investment…
“I’m too busy, I don’t have the time to do any
marketing, I’ll wait until it’s quiet.”
Danger of experiencing peaks and troughs…
What is marketing?
“Central to your business success.”
Helen Duncan
3 Ms of marketing…
Marketing segment, message, medium
3 Ms of Marketing
• Market segment
who are your customers and where are they?
• Message
be clear about your proposition and what you are saying
to your customers
• Medium
how are you going to send your message to your target
market
Understanding your market
• Get close to your customers
• Be targeted
• Where are your customers, local,
national?
• Do they have issues you can resolve?
• Different products/services may
attract different markets
Your message
We’re all bombarded every day…
Your message
• 3 seconds is all it takes to win or lose
• The ‘so what’ test
• Know what your proposition is
– why would I buy from you?
• Keep it simple, keep it brief
• Think benefits not features
• Be consistent
AIDA
• Grab the Attention of your audience
• Create Interest by showing how you can
help them
• Create Desire by describing what you
are offering and how it benefits them
• Include a call to Action
Your medium
How you communicate with your clients…
Stationery
Blogs
Signage
Logo/branding
Brochures
Customer service
Leaflets
Newsletters
Referrals
Social networking
Advertising
Business cards
Promotional mailers
Packaging
Public Relations
Email newsletters
Vouchers
Networking
Events
Online shop
Your medium
• Getting the marketing mix right is key
• Often businesses use the wrong
marketing tools or at the wrong time
• You need to target the right customers
with the right messages using the right
tools
My top 10 tips for boosting business
1. First impressions do count…
• Get your image right
• Take a hard look at your business cards,
your website, leaflets etc. Do they
portray a professional company?
2. Provide the best customer service
• It’s the classic 80:20 rule, selling to
existing customers is much easier than
selling to new ones so you want to keep
them
• When marketing brings in new
customers you have to wow them
• You want them to come back next time
and to tell everyone what a good
company this is!
3. Get your website to work for you
• If you haven’t got one, get one!
• Increase conversions with relevant content
• Keep your site updated, link to a blog, news
• If you are retail, sell online!
• Invest in search engine optimisation
• Link to an email marketing campaign
4. Customers are king…keep in touch
• Use an email marketing campaign to keep in
touch with your customers
• It reminds them you are there
• It reminds them of the other things you do
• You can get instant feedback
• It links to your website
• If you are retail it can sell for you!
5. Get your message right
• Have a clear proposition
• Remember the 3 second and so what rule
• Put yourself in your customer’s shoes
• Think benefits, benefits, benefits
• Keep it simple, keep it brief
• Remember AIDA!
6. Public Relations
• Never waste a PR opportunity
• Local papers/trade magazines/networking
groups/chamber sites
• New products, new services, an interesting
case study – how you helped someone,
charity events, local interest, national interest,
associated with current news
• Email and follow up, photographs
• Send to free online press releases:
www.freepressreleases.co.uk;
www.pressbox.co.uk; www.clickpress.com
7. Direct mail
• Can sometimes be very memorable
• Keep messages short and use imagery
• Drive your customers to a website
• Great for new products and brand awareness
• Remember AIDA!
• Be targeted
8. Networking
• Commit to 2/3 networking groups that suit
your business
• Remember you are building relationships
not selling
• Build the costs into your plan and give
them time
• Build up your social networking with
LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter etc
9. Events
•
Look for opportunities to exhibit your
products and services
•
Large exhibitions are expensive but very
effective if within your target market
•
Or look for smaller, regional and local
events – Chamber/Business
Link/networking groups
•
If you have a retail/premise bring an
event to you – host local artists, book
signings, travel agent’s country days
10. Measure
• Never get complacent even if your
marketing is bringing in new business,
things change rapidly
• Monitor what you do. Ask new
customers how they found you. Find out
what works best for your business.
• Don’t be afraid to think out of the box.
What would make you pick up the phone
In summary…
• Know your customers and understand
their needs
• Know what your differentiator is
• Target the right customers
• Use the right tools
• Do what you promise every time
• Measure the results
Finally…
• Recession can be an opportunity for
some businesses to grab market share!
• Buying habits change, so your marketing
might have to change too
• Get really close to your clients and
understand what they want
• Stay positive and stay active
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll
get run over if you just sit there.”