Tips For Rebooting Your Marketing Strategy

Nov 11, 2014

Tips For Rebooting Your Marketing Strategy

While a variety of marketing outlets offer the promise of attracting attention to a service or product, it’s important to determine how to tailor a message to attract the notice of those who matter the most to a business’ long-term success.

The marketplace offers no shortage of ambitious entrepreneurs, interesting ideas, and compelling stories, so the challenge becomes cutting through the fog to gain notice.

Impactful messaging means more than just shouting about the wonders of a particular product or service. Keep in mind the following tips for updating a business’ message so that your organization stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Focus more on value than on features

It’s easy when marketing a product to tout about all of the great features that set it apart. However, messaging about features alone often causes a company to simply blend in with the masses.

Rather than whistling into the wind, work on developing a message that promotes the true end value a consumer will receive. For example, instead of just highlighting the fact that your company’s product offers an easy way to consolidate all a business’ communication in one place, demonstrate to potential customers how your product can save them valuable time so their business can become more efficient.

Effective messaging includes both the emotional and personal benefits a service or product offers, not just the functional elements. Buyers frequently make purchasing decisions based on emotional factors, such as how a product will improve their own experience or how it will make them feel. Don’t be shy about focusing on feelings when marketing your product.

Remember the “why”

A lot of small business owners start their companies for reasons beyond just wanting to be their own boss. Maybe an entrepreneur experienced a problem and started a business after finding a solution. Or perhaps an entrepreneur believes so deeply in a cause, they launched a business as a means of effecting social change.

Don’t forget the reason for starting a business that goes beyond just the owner. Be bold when incorporating that vision into your business’ marketing message. Make sure any cause-oriented approach behind your business is prominently highlighted in the stories told. Consumers want to be a part of big-picture efforts that have a compassionate or philanthropic purpose. Like-minded buyers will also be more attracted to your business over competitors if the ideology is authentically rooted in a much grander purpose, as well.

Culture can be key

After objectively examining at a business, a conclusion could be drawn that it just doesn’t stand out much from the premiere competition in its field. While that can be a hard fact to face, don’t just simply give up. Competition has increased everywhere. The Internet has made it simple for people to discover new and compelling ways to bring products and services to the marketplace in nontraditional ways. This changes the playing field for the operation and promotion of a business.

If your company’s value proposition doesn’t stand above the competition, scrutinize the business from top to bottom. In many cases, your company operates differently and these cultural elements should be highlighted. Attributes such as strong core values, giving back to the community, and employee-training programs can position your company as one that consumers want to do business with.

Make the principles of your company, its structure, and internal systems the cornerstone of that message. If you cannot compete on the same level as your competition, establish the culture of your company as its unique selling point and means of differentiating it from the crowd.

 

For a business to emerge from the pack as a brand isn’t easy. But do some careful self-reflection and arrive at the company’s purpose to find a path to articulate a unique message to its ideal target audience. Keep in mind it’s possible to say anything. But backing up that message is what establishes your brand in today’s market.

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