Marketing moves that take your business forward are more important now than ever. With rising prices, a changing economy, down sizing and reduced spending in many areas, it’s vital that your business reach buyers for your products and services. Here are some things you’ll want to try as you continue to target your ideal audience.
- Developing user generated content. From videos that show customers using your products and services, to recorded testimonials from those same people, such content has much more validity than mere advertising. Flash mobs that end with a sign bearing your company name. Customer submitted recordings that are rewarded with a free T-shirt. Loyalty discounts for customers who send in their responses to a survey. All are viable options for creating content that carries a much greater impact than a banner or display ad.
- Mobile marketing that speaks to customers where they live, work and shop. Statistics say that one third of smartphone users have purchased something online using their smartphone or tablet. With the number of smartphone owners growing rapidly, it only makes sense to tap into that group for a piece of the purchasing pie. The easiest way to join the mobile marketing mainstream is to find a marketing firm that handles such campaigns and that has access to smartphone users and apps. Choose a professional who understands the market and who can help you reach your customers through mobile media.
- Providing valuable content that tells a story to your audience. While content is likely to always be king, the face of content is changing dramatically. Rather than providing statistics, or platitudes as to why a customer should buy from you, good content will provide stories from those who know the product and recommend it to others. This can begin with employees who are proud of their work. An excellent example of this concept is Post’s Honey Bunches of Oats commercials which are filled with real company employees bragging about their product. When a customer connects with a company, magical things can happen in the realm of customer loyalty and brand preference.
While your company may be small and you may not feel you can run the same kind of campaigns or use the same tools as the “big dogs,” don’t be discouraged. You can use the same general ideas, even if yours is a one-man operation.