Small Steps To Your Marketing Success In 2008

Want to improve the effectiveness of your marketing? Then try doing it one step at a time.

January: Create a plan

It starts with an assessment of where you are today and where you want to be in 12 months. Identify what you want to achieve, how you are going to achieve it and then implement your plan. Put in some milestones so you can monitor progress and be prepared to adapt your plan as necessary. Clarify the services or products you want to offer and the customers you want to attract. Identify what makes you different from your competition. Answer the question “ why should customers come to me and not one of my competitors?” Remember people buy the results of what you offer.

February: Establish a database of customers and prospects

Compile, keep and update your mailing list. This is your most important asset. Make sure you include past and present customers, prospects, referral sources, influencers and PR contacts. Code your mailing list so you can call up whatever group you need. Create a series of messages for different groups.

March: Learn more about your customers

You need to know more about them so you can find more customers with similar characteristics. Find the three reasons they use you. Create testimonials. Use a survey to research existing customers. Try classifying your customers into, Best, Good, Poor and Worst. Decide which ones you want and how to attract them.

April: Learn more about your competitors

Identify what is different between you and your competitors. What are their strengths and weaknesses? Where do you have a positive advantage that can become your competitive advantage? What marketing messages do they use, and where do they use them? Create a file for each of your major competitors; include News Stories, Details of personnel, advertising, brochures etc. Keep it up to date remember everything changes.

May: Decide what you want to communicate also known as create your marketing messages

You must use marketing to tell people who you are and what you do. What are the three key messages you want to communicate? How do you want customers and prospects to respond to your activity? Make sure you know who you want to reach and talk to them in words and a style they can relate to. Write to one person, you. How you can improve your marketing is much more powerful than How to improve marketing. Answer the question “ Customers will buy from me because?”

June: Decide on your marketing material

This is everything you use to convey your marketing messages to existing customers and prospects. Decide what is appropriate, make a list of everything you could use for example, vehicle graphics, staff uniform, networking pitches, business stationery, exhibitions, seminars, workshops, advertising, PR, direct mail, web sites etc. Remember the most effective marketing uses a combination of tools to deliver the message. Be consistent. Decide what you really need and how you are going to use it, to ensure your budget is both affordable and effective.

July: Referrals, Just ask for them

Make sure your customers know that you welcome referrals by telling them and asking for referrals. Develop a system that when you finish a project you ask for feedback and do they know anyone else?

August: Create a system to follow up on prospects

“ Let me think about it and get back to you” and the chances are they do not. So you need to develop a system that enables you to keep in touch with them on a regular basis. You might decide to contact once a week for the first month, asking if they need more information. Then once a month for the next few months. Remember it can take 7 contacts before a prospect becomes a customer. Newsletters, invitations to events, press releases and case studies are all great ways to keep in touch. Earn trust through your activity. Ask prospects to tell you why they want your product or service.

September: Understand your strengths

You probably know more about your business than anyone else, so use this information to make your business attractive to prospects. On paper write down what you do well and what you do not, what are your strengths, your weaknesses? Why should customers buy from you? What are they really buying? Ask some customers why they deal with you and what the results are. Ask your staff and colleagues the same questions, the range of answers might surprise you. Do this regularly the business world is a fast evolving place.

October: Make your web site work harder

Make sure your web site is reaching the right people, has a strong offer, tells visitors what to do, is easy to navigate, and has strong copy and good graphics. Next make sure there are reasons for visitors to return and that the site is regularly updated. Consider using the web site to help prospects to identify themselves. Review the characteristics of your good customers. Now develop a series of open - ended questions that can be used to establish whether the prospect is ready willing and able to buy. If you decide to create a newsletter make sure you set a production schedule you can manage.

November: Use education to increase sales

People buy from people they know like and trust. One way to build these is through educating them as to how you can solve their problem or help them achieve their goals. Develop your information and advice into an educational message. Identify and explain the problem your customer’s face, prove the problem exists, identify the solution. Your aim is to build knowledge, trust and credibility for your business. Once you have developed your message consider how to tell customers, for example a newsletter, special reports, articles, seminars, direct mail and your web site.

December: Track and evaluate

You need to keep track of your progress towards the goals you set. Know the results you want from your activity then monitor them. These could be the number of new leads you added last month. Your conversion rates. Responses to marketing activity. Then decide which are working and which are not. Do more of the things that are and less that are not. The chances are that 20% of your marketing is producing 80% of your results. So concentrate on the activities that make up the 20%. The key to success is knowing where and how to market your business.

Need a shortcut to success?

Want help from Gareth to grow your business? Give him a call on 01226 290288 or email gareth@gapmanagement.co.uk

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