5 easy ways to market:
Getting your product recognised out there in the marketing world can be difficult. Here are a few easy steps to remember the key elements that can help get your product to market effectively.
This little piggy went to market
When taking your brand to market there are important factors to consider. Your strategy will form the basis of the whole of your brand’s future.
There are so many questions to ask – how do you feel about your brand and its future? What would you like to see happen to it? What possibilities do you have? Who is the right person to take your brand forward? What is your unique selling point; your niche? All important questions to consider when entering such a competitive market.
Your strategy will determine where you want to go; it is a description of your desired outcome. And that’s just the start! Consideration needs to be taken for your core values, the strength of your brand, your target audience, your position in the market and a review of how genuine the value you are offering is.
Your strategy is set to learn more about your business ethos, your products and services and your markets. Getting to the core of what you are trying to achieve gives a clear understanding of how to set your objectives both online and offline.
When going to market, there are so many questions to ask yourself. An effective strategy really will help you bring home the bacon.
…This little piggy stayed at home
With the developments of modern technology, there’s no need to be in the office or rely on your marketing agency to market your brand. The advances in social media and online marketing have grown rapidly, and more and more businesses are being self sufficient in their online presence.
Networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are ever growing in their popularity and provide instant access to a wide spread and diverse audience. With access to literally most of the business world, there is little room for error in finding contacts to speak to. These instant portals are flexible and allow you to determine strategically chosen target audiences – the perfect opportunity to market your brand and communicate on a more intimate level, without meeting face to face.
Facebook allows people to become a ‘friend’ or a ‘fan’ of your brand, displaying their support and interest in you- a great indication of a ‘happy’ client. Twitter gives you the opportunity to connect with inspiring people and ‘follow’ their thought patterns, as well as pointing your own ‘followers’ in the direction you want to take them. And LinkedIn creates forum based conversation, engaging and providing expertise at an executive level.
Overall, social media is an effective marketing medium that won’t break the piggy bank!
…This little piggy had roast beef
Now this one caught your attention, didn’t it?? That’s exactly the aim of guerrilla marketing. It is all about creating something that catches the human eye as it is out of the norm.
Guerrilla marketing is hugely powerful, marketing products in completely different ways, yet in everyday environments. It allows businesses to be creative on a new level, promoting products and services in unique and innovate ways. The aim is to create the element of surprise, the wow factor!
You may have seen those mischievous bods at t-mobile surprising the general public with a flash mob dance? That’s guerrilla marketing- creating the unexpected! Our resident guerrilla guru Tom has posted examples on the Happy blog- check them out J
You’d think that something so brilliant and high-impact would cost a small fortune, but guerrilla marketing can be as simple and giant vinyl footprints through a city centre. The only thing limiting guerrilla marketing is the imagination! Who knows… you might even see flying pigs!
…This little piggy had none
Without a strong brand your marketing efforts are worth nothing. A brand is the forefront of your business; it speaks for you and it creates expectations of the product and service to come.
A brand is not just a logo, but everything that your customers think, feel, say and hear about your product or service. It is a complex package of emotional and rational benefits driving a customer’s choice.
We relate to brands on so many levels – some even as far as the big ‘L’ word! It is this emotion that links a brand to our feelings, and creates a loyalty to the products we crave. Brands are important to us in every aspect of our lives.
A brand needs to be strong to compete in an overcrowded market. Do a sufficient amount of people (relative to your target audience) know about your brand? Do people always remember your brand’s name? Do people understand fully what your brand is about? Do you get a lot of repeat business? These are all indicators of how strong your brand is, and only a strong brand can compete and grow effectively.
All in all, creating a strong brand avoids making a pigsty of your business and your hard work!
…And this little piggy went….‘wee wee wee’ all the way home.
One of the most effective ways of marketing your product or service is through micro marketing. That’s targeting your audience strategically and specifically.
Choosing a ‘wee’ target audience that fits your customer profile is more likely to be effective than targeting on mass. I am not disputing the effectiveness of mass marketing through social media, but targeting specific contacts is likely to give you a better response and conversion rate.
Personalised direct mail is always a winner. Anything where the customer sees that you have put time, effort and care into your communication is received well. It is never nice to think you are part of a big mail out. Making your customers feel special, like they are your most important customer (or potential customer) is key to a successful and strong brand.
So, instead of ‘hogging’ the whole market place, try targeting a niche, a selection of strategically chosen customers.
The integration of these 5 easy steps is the recipe for success in getting your products and services to market, just like our first little piggy!
Emma Dobson is a branding expert and Touch Point guru at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
