Merengue your way through the marketing melee
Tip 1- Make a marketing plan
Written, based on sound principles, resourced and reviewed…
- Activity
- Target market
- Key messages
- Outcomes
- Responsible
- Cost
- Rating
- Calendar
Tip 2- Fill the funnel!
It takes time to move people through the funnel… marketing is a PROCESS not an EVENT
- Unaware
- Aware
- Interested
- Customer
- Repeat customer
- Advocate/ champion
Tip 3- Solve problems
Ask yourself if you save TIME, MONEY or MAKE £?
- What do you sell?
- What problem does it solve/goal achieve?
- Who do you sell it to?
- Who else sells it?
- Why should customers buy from you and not someone else?
Tip 4- Be unique
- What is your Unique Selling Proposition?
- Affordable price? Value?
- High quality?
- Excellent service?
- Convenient location
- Expert knowledge?
- Key EMOTIONAL quality
Tip 5- Build your brand
Customers judge you by:
- Word of mouth
- Marketing material
- Website & emails
- Corporate stationery
- Vehicle livery/ uniform/ signage
- Customer service
- Product experience
- Media exposure
Tip 6- Segment your market
- Existing customers and products – buy again or upsell
- Existing customers, new products – cross sell
- Existing product, new customer – pipeline
- New product, new customer – pipeline
- Fill your pipeline> follow up> make presentations> close sales
Tip 7- Create contact lists
- Categorise by recency, frequency and value
- Business cards/ index cards with notes?
- Outlook contacts: 25 colour-coded categories
- Whatever works for you!
Tip 8 –Become the expert
- “If you’re not telling people you’re an expert in your area, why not? People only want to buy from experts.” Jean Outhwaite, sales guru Bradbury & Outhwaite: Global Leader in Sales Team Evaluation
- “Sharing trade secrets builds trust and prospects become convinced your expertise is worth paying for. It is high perceived value at low cost to you.”
- Jackie Barry, author of The Little Fish Guide to DIY Marketing
Tip 9 – Write in sexy text!
- “Your target customers don’t care who you are until they know what you can do for them.” Jackie Barry, author of The Little Fish Guide to DIY Marketing
- Give your customers a reason to buy…
- Push and pull factors: problems & solutions
- So what? WIIFM?
- Benefits
- Simple, summarised and positive
- Testimonials
- Guarantees, discounts or gifts
- Emotional
- Call to action
Tip 10 – Follow Up!
Can you honestly say you are…
- Following up prospects and referrals?
- Calling leads?
- Making the most of your personal contacts?
- Revisiting those who have been interested?
- Offering no-strings advice?
- Revisiting lost projects?