Because marketing should be something you actively and personally involve yourself in as a relationship-building tool, these guidelines can help you achieve more success with your marketing efforts:
- Do not assume that you know exactly what the customers want. You may think your product is great, but you need to understand what the customers want and not what you want.
- It is not ok to be inconsistent with your marketing tactics. Your customers are not going to take you or your product seriously if they are not hearing consistency in your message.
- You cannot believe that your product is so incredible that it will sell itself. Your product may in fact be incredible but if no one knows it exists, no one will purchase it.
- Do not overuse marketing tactics. Use a few that work well and stick with them. Do not exhaust yourself or your resources by trying to reach every media. It takes time to gather clientele and by using a few good marketing tactics your client base will grow.
- Do not spread yourself so thin with your marketing message that your main point is neglected. Start with what works and let your business grow before building off that central product.
Selling a product implies a one-time transaction. Marketing, however, is essential to making your product - and your company - successful. Marketing is expressing to your customer the benefits of the products and services you sell in terms that make those products and services relevant to the client. You have to make it clear that your product is beneficial to them for specific reasons.
The primary concept of marketing (not selling) is to be able to put yourself in the buyer's shoes. You need to ask yourself, "What it is that my customers need?" and then you need to cater to those needs. The most critical aspect of marketing is to create awareness. People are not going to purchase your product if they do not know it exists. This is why knowing your target market is so important: you can market your product to the whole world, but it will cost you a fortune. Or, you can selectively market your product to the segment of the population you know will benefit from it. Knowing your target market helps you define the benefits about your products and services you wish to convey.
The catch: there is no point in marketing if you have no one to market to.
Your customer base is your biggest asset; without customers there is no point in producing your products and providing your services. It is crucial that you know your target market well. Customers are not always interested in fancy features or bells and whistles; what they really want to know, bottom line, is what will it do for them. Your clients like to know that you are serious about your product, and that you care about more than just making a profit.
Marketing is simple as long as you keep in mind that the customer is what is most important, as long as you remember that selling is about making money and marketing is about building a relationship. Your clients and customers want to know that you value them and that they represent more than dollar signs to you.
