Stop looking at marketing at an expense, it is an investment. 

This week we discuss Tim’s Top Tips for marketing and take a look at how every business should have their own marketing plan in place, in order to take their business to the next level. As you will see we hold a monthly book club, we are currently discussing ‘The 1 Page Marketing Plan’, D, Allan. Allan describes marketing as a ‘strategy’ which companies use to gain the trust and adoration of their target audience, with the end goal in mind of making them valued customers. Interesting, target audience you say…

Tip 1) Know Your Audience- The more you know about your customers and prospects, the easier it is to market to them.

Tip 2) Test & Measure- Find out which marketing is working best, and then ramp it up.

Tip 3) Change Your Mindset- You need to invest in marketing to grow your business.

Know Your Audience-

Let’s start by saying that targeting a broad market sounds great, let’s make everyone a customer! Wrong. Targeting a broad market is costly, and the first thing you need to do in your marketing plan is to identify your niche audience. Who is your ideal target market? Who is profitable to deal with? Who is your ideal customer? Whom do you enjoy liaising with? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself, home in on who your target market really is and what marketing is going to appeal to them ultimately leading to a sale. How can you make your product relatable and desirable to your audience? For example, if you are selling a thermal knitted jumper, target outdoor hikers throughout the appropriate season. Perhaps look at digging a little deeper into your marketing, there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes before your product is ready to undergo advertising, promotion, and publicity. Look at creating a focus group, allowing your target market to facilitate a discussion where the environment promotes the communication of different perceptions and points of view. This will give you the most versatile information and knowledge to use and implement the most successful marketing plan.

 

Test & Measure-

You might already be ‘Testing & Measuring’ without even knowing so, the chance is that it’s been happening for all your business life. You create an advertising article or a publicity stunt- that’s what you’re testing. You need to make records of your marketing methods and record what does or doesn’t work. This is the simplest way to break down you’re marketing into categories and records how much time has been spent on each sector but most importantly, how much money has been invested. By measuring these figures, it gives you both qualitative and quantitative data…KPIs. The easiest way to start testing and measuring is to ask your leads/clients how they found out about you. Was it the billboard outside the train station, your Instagram page, or the event you attended at the end of your last quarter?

Change Your Mindset-

It is crucial to have the right mindset when considering marketing methods, as well as having an open mindset to new ideas. Let’s face it, everyone is upping their game, and marketing is rapidly changing and progressing. As a business owner, you need to consider your marketing from a potential client’s point of view as this is invaluable and will give you significant benefits. Put yourself in their shoes, understand the client’s needs and wants, build rapport, and offer exceptional customer service. Changing your mindset and looking at marketing as a positive investment will put your customers at the center of your business, the sales process with develop into a logical and consistent plan with measurable results. Invest in your marketing, and invest in your clients. Think back to your favorite brands and how they target their marketing towards you, what is it that makes them so irresistible you stop scrolling past them or even end up purchasing without getting up to retrieve your debit card…