Friday, May 19, 2006

Dare to be Different in Your Marketing

In a competitive marketplace, there's real advantages to be gained from daring to be different with your marketing; by trying to be different to the competition and promoting yourself differently to the past.

What are the benefits? Daring to be different can make your potential customers do three things:


  • Respond to your marketing activities
  • Remember you in the future
  • Recommend you to friends and colleagues

Here are a number of simple ideas you could use to try and be different in your marketing...

Be Personal

People buy from people, so make sure your business has a human face. Tell your story (or customer's stories) to make a connection in your marketing literature, on your website or through a blog.

Presentation is Everything
How does your business present itself? What does the presentation of your staff, premises, promotional materials, packaging or literature say about you.

Plan your Promotion
Adopt the Rule of 3 in your promotional campaigns. Choose 3 different marketing activities because consumers may respond in different ways to different tools. Do this 3 times a month, so you can achieve repetition and recognition. Do this over 3 months, which is a manageable period for a small business, but long enough to achieve results. Maybe use each month to push a specific product or service.

Attention to Detail

Seek out small but significant ways to surprise and delight your customers. Go the extra mile and do things you competitors would notÂ’t, so that you get remembered and recommended.

Deliver Your Promises
Don'’t get let down by your internal administration. Make sure the right processes are in place. Especially important to service businesses.

Ask and Listen
People appreciate being asked their opinion. Ask your customers how you can improve and listen to their responses.

Don't Forget Your Customers
Follow up your clients on a regular basis, for more work or referrals. Uuse direct mail or a free email program like GroupMail.

Benchmark your Business

Compare your pricing, promotion and presentation to competitors, or other industries.

Summary
  • Make the extra effort
  • Stand our from the crowd
  • Gain more business
  • Gain more referrals

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