Ask a group of entrepreneurs what they want to learn more about and most often the response is, “How to get more customers?”
Getting customers is the task of marketing and sales. Although they often are linked as if they were one word, marketing and sales have distinct functions. Marketing is what you do to educate the public and prospective customers (prospects) about your company and products. Marketing has three components: discerning what you want to say, unifying your message into a multi-sensory message (branding), and disseminating that message.
The marketing process has three parts. The first part, discerning your message, is about listening. Your current customers are your best source of that message. What about your company and product do they like? Why did they choose to buy your product? Why did they choose to buy it from you? What were their concerns when they made their first purchase from you? Prospective customers (“prospects”) who didn’t buy from you are also a good source of information. What kept them from purchasing from you? Was it your product, your company, you, or their situation? What would it take to make them a customer? Your marketing message tells the public what you have to offer and what needs or desires it fills. It also functions to build trust in your company.
Although branding has become a multi-billion dollar industry, it is nothing more than unifying your message into a consistent, multi-sensory presentation. Every contact the public has with your company/product should impart the same message. To that end, using the same font, color, key words, music, smells, textures, etc. help build trust with prospects that you truly deliver what you say. It represents the product itself. Is your product traditional? Cutting edge? Artistic? Practical? Luxury? Value? Your branding builds familiarity. In Aug 2009, a new study reported shocking results on how many brands children recognize from a short music clip or even the smell. Your print ads, website, direct mail, packaging, catalogues, sales brochures, letterhead, voicemail message and in-person presentations should all carry the same look and feel. Many small companies take years to unify their communications. If you do not have the expertise to unify your message, shop around to find a marketing company that fits your needs. Assess their portfolio from previous clients to affirm that their style suits yours before hiring them.
Large companies spend millions in television ads, magazine ads, online sites, and packaging. Most businesses can’t afford such luxury marketing campaigns. Cost effective marketing for small business usually involves direct mail, local print media, local radio, online sites, brochures, networking events, tradeshow exhibits, and encouraging existing clients to share their purchase experience with their connections. McDonald’s does not put their name on all their food packages for the customer. Their customer knows where he bought that hamburger. All the print on that hamburger wrapper is for the passersby who will see him eating the hamburger and all those people who see the wrappers littering the roads or sitting on a desk. How you get your message out to the public will depend on who your ideal client is, where your ideal clients gather, and your budget. Who is your ideal customer? Where do your ideal customers gather in person? Online? In print? What’s their preferred method of getting information? Do they prefer online websites or print magazines? Do they meet in person? Are your clients businesses or consumers? What events do they attend? Effective marketing puts your message in front of as many ideal clients as possible within your budget.
There are many marketing companies out there hoping you will hire them to walk you through this process. To complete the process from beginning to end without outside help can be daunting. Consider whether you can get enough feedback from your colleagues and customers or whether you need to hire marketing consultants.
Once you’ve put a polished, consistent message out to a concentration of your ideal clients, you have solved the great marketing mystery and can turn your focus to sales. Sales are when you address the needs of a prospect to turn him/her into a customer. It, too, has a process. The more effective your marketing campaign, the easier your sales will be because the prospect will already have a clue about how your product or service meets their needs. Marketing is only one step to getting more customers.
