An Introduction to Utility Marketing for Dietitians
1. Delivered by Andy Bargery & Bernie Mitchell
BDA London Branch
November 2013 Meeting
2. What on earth is this all about?
In the next 15 minutes you are going to learn about:
1. Being known for something
2. Becoming a utility
3. How to commit and focus
What we are actually going to talk about is the notion of utility marketing. Which is the whole reason why you should have a blog in the first place. It’s the marketing strategy behind the most successful blogs in the world, whatever product they are promoting or selling. But it is also the reason why you might have a YouTube channel, or an active Linkedin Group, or run regular events, or run a podcast.In other words, a blog is a tool and not a marketing strategy and you should always start with a strategy.
And that’s essentially what this talk is all about. So what are you going to learn in the next 15 minutes or so:First it’s about being Being focused and being known for somethingProviding value and becoming a utilityHow to commit and focus
What does that really mean?It’s about being known for one thing. It’s impossible, no matter who you are to be famous for lots of different things. Unless your surname is Beckham of course. For the vast majority of us, the only way we are ever going to be famous, is to focus. Choose the one thing you are truly an expert in and really care about, a hone in on that subject. In Bernie’s case, that’s the Sharing Economy, but for you, it might be sports nutrition, or perhaps child nutrition, or maybe malnutrition for the elderly or even a certain type of food allergy. Create a platform for yourself to become known as the expert for that topic area. Now that may not be all that you do, it might be your services are broader than that, so choose carefully how you specialise, because this can also be a valid strategy in itself.
Let’s look at some examples. River Pools is perhaps the most famous case study of a business built on the value of its blog and the other content provided on the website. The business owner recognised that he was asked a lot of questions by prospective customers during the early stage of sales enquiries. He went about answering all of these questions on his blog. This not only created a resource to refer prospective customers to, but it also acted as a magnet, attracting new clients looking for very specific search terms:How much does it cost to install a swimming poolWhat type of pool should I getWhen should I put in a fibreglass pool? And so on. The headline of their blog is ‘Welcome to the Most Educational Swimming Pool Blog in the Country!’They now know exactly what content each visitor reads and how much they read on the journey to becoming a client.
Bernie’s Uncle is a gardener.He has been writing a monthly column of gardening tips for the local parish newspaper for over 30 years. He has copies of all the columns he has written sat in a folder at home.That’s a lot of value. Enough to write a book in fact. But yet this fantastic resource rests idle in a folder.Now Bernie’s uncle still works as a gardener and wonders how he can get new customers. Should he advertise on yell.com, or perhaps put an advert in the local paper. Well actually, he’s missing a massive opportunity here. He could create a website and make available all of the great advise he has given in his column over 30 years. He could become a utility. With a very limited amount of effort and cost, he could make his knowledge available to his target audience via a blog, or a newsletter sign-up, or whatever format his audience will respond best to. Of course Bernie’s uncle really only wants to be famous in his local town and he can target his content and his communications for exactly that geography. Matching his gardening tips to match the local soil conditions and weather and so on.
But before you can become a utility, you need to know who your audience is and what they want. And that’s what marketing is all about. If you take the high school definition “Marketing is all about putting the customer at the heart of your business”You know better than anyone what this means. Ask yourself:Who are my biggest customers?What questions do they always ask me?What help are they looking for?