You can have the greatest product or service in the industry, but it takes more than just that to be competitive and a lot more than that to achieve the kind of success your product or service deserves!
Marketing in general can be an overwhelmingly large task to undertake and digital marketing can be even more daunting, simply because it’s a lot more technical than you might be comfortable with. Sure, we can break a lot of it down into easy-to-understand articles in our library…but after you’ve gained the basic level of knowledge you wanted…how do you fit the pieces of the puzzle together from there?
STEP 1 – KNOW YOUR COMPETITORS
- Who are they? And be sure you write this down because in your research, you’ll find that there’s always more competition out there than the initial list you already knew about!
- How close is your product or service to theirs and how closely are you priced? Understanding what makes you different will help you set yourself apart in the eyes of your customers and tip the scales in your favor.
- What marketing tactics do they employ and are you on their mailing or email list? You should be!
STEP 2 – KNOW YOUR MARKET
- Who are they? You are the best person to identify who your current and potential customers are because no one knows your specific business or product like you do.
- Who are we leaving out? And even though you may already have a clear idea of who your market is…thinking outside the box will often bring the realization of an entirely new market segment that you hadn’t initially considered.
- Are they local or long distance? Think small…geographically, that is! Marketing to a specific target market (i.e. client type) and in a specific geographic area (i.e. city or region) takes a lot more effort – but that level of specificity and personal attention will pay off in the end!
How do we reach them? If your potential clients aren’t web-savvy or too interested in email, then they are more likely to be reached via a magazine ad or mailed print piece. The best website in the world won’t do you any good if your customers aren’t on the Internet!
STEP 3 – ASSESS YOUR COMPANY
- Based on what your prospective customers see…would you want to do business with you? Look at your marketing material – from your business card to your website – and thinking as an unbiased potential client…does your own marketing make you want to buy your products or services?
- Are you the best you can be? Again, from the eyes of your customers, do you or your company relay the impression that you are a top-notch and professional organization? Consider both your marketing and your product…and be especially aware of the level of customer service provided to the client by your staff and your vendors. Remember that keeping a customer is far easier than gaining a new one…which is a thousand times easier than regaining a lost one!
- Is your website easy-to-use and up-to-date? Since your website is often one of the first impressions your potential customers get of you, your business and your product…is it as easy to work with and as valuable as the product or service you are trying to showcase or sell?
STEP 4 – COMMUNICATION IS KEY
- Do you need your website to be static or dynamic? Will your website be built and remain relatively unchanged…just acting as a “digital doorway” to your business? Will you need to update its content yourself through a Content Management System? Or do you need someone to do that for you so it stays current?
- Does your website need to educate your client? Aside from being an information source about who you are and what work you’ve done…do you need to use your website as an educational tool to help prospective clients understand the benefits of going with a professional like yourself?
- Are you social online? Is blogging, Tweeting or maintaining a Facebook presence something you’ll want to do and commit to do consistently and over the long-term? Fortune 500 companies like Starbucks, Whole Foods Market and Southwest Airlines have teams of people assigned solely to communicate with their customers…and they respond to each and every tweet or message sent to them! Do you have the time and stamina for that or is a weekly blog post more your speed? If not that, a monthly or quarterly eNewsletter is your best bet.
STEP 5 – SET YOUR GOALS
- Do you have goals to measure your success? They’re vital to not only feeling like your efforts are paying off, but to guide you in changes you should make to your initial plan, based on the speed and effectiveness of your results.
- Do you have a budget? It’s vital, not only so that you don’t go over-budget, but so that you invest at least the minimum amount you estimated was necessary to achieve your first level goals. If you did not meet those goals, the first question to ask is “Did I invest enough time, effort and money to get there?”
Once you have put time and effort into the above five steps…it’s time for us to have a conversation about what we’re going to do with all of this information to make it work for you.
When you’re ready, feel free to give me a call at 702.635.8470 for an initial chat about how Signature Digital Design can help you get to where you want to be!
