If your marketing efforts came up a little short these last 12 months, what are you going to do differently in 2012 to up the ante and put your business among the leaders in your respective industry?
While most marketing gaffes may seem rather obvious, others can fly under the radar, leaving your business in need of some tender loving care.
If you’re still not happy going into 2012 with where your company’s marketing efforts have been going, keep these factors in mind:
- Research, research, research – As stated earlier, most marketing miscues seem like no-brainers, but you would be surprised what some of them turn out to be. Not properly researching one’s target is one no-no that can lead to marketing mismanagement. The bottom line is you need to understand just who your audience is and how you can best meet their needs. We all know the economy is still a sticky point for many clients, so be sure you are best suited to help your customers. If it means specials, deals, promotions etc., then make sure they are in place and not something your competition will serve up on a silver platter to those you are looking to do business with;
- Don’t forget who got you where you are – While you of course you want to reach out to new clients; don’t forget who brought you to the dance, your present customers. Too many marketers make the mistake of initially doing a great job marketing to a customer, then somewhat forgetting about them in their search for new clientele. Don’t leave your present customers high and dry in order to look for new customers. Keep in mind that is always much easier to market successfully to those you already have than someone who may never have heard of your brand or had much interest even if they have;
- Marketers need to be more social – Even though some folks would tell you that social media is simply a fad that will go the way eventually of New Coke and Beanie Babies don’t listen to them. By most accounts, social media is here to stay for the foreseeable future, so embrace it as much as possible. Your social media marketing efforts should run the gamut from sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google+, to blogging, podcasts and more. Promote the heck out of your marketing efforts so that it is reaching as many targeted eyes as possible;
- Know and understand the competition – If you think that knowing what the competition is up to is not important, you are sadly mistaken. While you do not want to mimic everything your rivals do from a marketing point of view, study what they are doing and how it is or is not working. You can then see if something they are doing that you are not would be worth employing on your end. Also look at how and when your competition is marketing. Are you missing out on certain key events to market to during the year? Is the competition employing more social media or e-mail blasts than you are? Be sure to know what others are up to so that you are not left missing the boat;
- Don’t bail when funds get tight – It seems only natural to scale back your company’s marketing efforts when the economy is struggling – what a mistake. There is a good chance that your competition may be doing the same thing, i.e. you’re missing out on a golden opportunity to get a message out to current and potential customers. Find the funding to continue a strong message so that you have the possibility of getting a leg up on rivals at the time they may be scaling back.
Remember, a successful marketing program involves putting together a puzzle.
If you have one missing piece, it can entirely disrupt you from completing your project.