1. The Importance of Marketing Process Reviews
Old school marketing versus new world, or more appropriately digital marketing –
either way - there has been a major shift in the balance of power to the customer.
Today’s customer is socially and proactively searching for services and products
online. Smart brands are embracing this evolution by focusing their marketing
energies on producing content that’s accessible through the social network
community.
The Marketing Cloud is a pretty cool application that tracks sources across the web,
including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google+. It offers real time
dashboards with actionable insights such as customer opinions, ratings and feedback
so you can connect, keep a pulse check on your brand and react quickly to issues or
feedback. Social insights also enables you to make better business decisions in
marketing, sales and service; and measure the impact your campaign is having driving
engagement, conversions or other social metrics across all social channels in one
place.
So how are you getting your information out there for people to find you? Do you have
a holistic marketing strategy?
Getting the Word Out
Your marketing strategy should create product or service awareness. Find the best and
efficient way to promote your product, service and your company to your targeted
audience and prospective customers. Once you get people talking about your product,
an experience, an issue, a brand, you can make a tangible impact.
Sales Improvements
As your customers begin to “spread the word” for you, you should see sales steadily
increase as your awareness grows in the marketplace. Salesforce.com delivers an
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2. integrated solution featuring real time dashboards, workflows and automation. It
aligns sales and marketing to drive better quality leads. It applies sophisticated
analysis and rules to organize conversations across the web; use social insight to build
more accurate customer profiles and share insights with your teams to optimize social
campaigns, align sales and improve customer service.
Brand Recognition
The success of a company often rests on a solid reputation. Marketing builds brand
name recognition for your company or product. Again, as your reputation grows, your
business should expand and sales increase. The reputation of your company is built on
effective communications – which are supported by your marketing efforts -- and
most importantly, the quality of your products or services. Even the most effective
marketing programs cannot sustain, over the long term, the delivery of poor products
or services.
Some Additional Considerations
Although marketing is very important to the success of your business, it can be very
expensive if not carefully planned. In its first year, a company might spend as much as
half of its sales on marketing programs; getting the word out at this juncture of a
company’s existence is critical. After the first year, a marketing budget can reach as
much as 30 percent -- sometimes a little more--of annual sales. A marketing program
that gives your company the best chance of survival uses a healthy mix of traditional
and digital marketing strategies -- website development, public relations, print and/or
broadcast advertising, email marketing, print and electronic marketing communication
pieces, webinars and other special events, to name a few.
Important Marketing Activities for Review
Whether you're operating an established business or starting a new one, marketing is
something that cannot be done sporadically. To be effective, your marketing efforts
must be continuous as well as targeted at the correct audiences, to ensure their
success. Following are some important marketing activities that should be included in
your review process.
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3. Budgeting
Marketing expenses can range from very small to very large, so you need to determine
how much you can afford to spend. If you’re starting a new business, your marketing
strategy and budget amounts should be included in the business plan that you create
before launching your business. Having a clear budget will force you to closely
examine how you're spending your marketing dollars.
Targeting
Most businesses do not have the luxury of trying to be all things to all people. Identify
what it is about your business that differentiates you from your competitors, and gear
your marketing strategy toward those people who would receive the greatest benefit
from that differentiation. For example, if the unique benefit of your business is that
your services improve the sales process; gear your marketing efforts toward companies
that need to improve their sales activities.
Development of Objectives
Marketing can be used to achieve a number of objectives, such as increasing sales,
providing information or promoting a special event. Determine what you want to
accomplish through your marketing efforts and tailor your message accordingly. For
example, if you're advertising a special promotional program, offer a premium to the
first 50 people who take advantage of your special program offer.
Analyzing the Competition
Be sure to devote some time to analyzing your competition. Study their marketing
efforts and determine what appears to be working for them is a good place to start.
You'll also gain valuable information about who they view as their target market, which
can help you determine how to position your own marketing efforts. For example, if
most of your competition seems to be targeting a specific business group, emphasize
a benefit of your product or services that may appeal to a different business segment.
This will allow you to reach an untapped market.
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4. Service Your Customer Base
The old adage is no joke…”It costs much less to keep a customer happy than it does to
attract a new one”. Keep in touch with your customer base on a consistent basis by
sending them email newsletters or other special offers that can lead to future
purchases. Have your customers do some of your marketing for you, by setting up a
referral program where you reward them for recommending new customers to your
company.
Conclusion
There are a number of factors that can make up a successful, strategic marketing plan.
However, when reviewing your own marketing business processes make sure your
marketing program:
1. Thoroughly understands and covers your target market;
2. Contains and sets clear and measurable goals and objectives;
3. Uses communication tactics that will connect with your target audiences; and
4. Consistent. Every activity should be conducted on a consistent basis, over time. It is
impossible to predict when your targeted marketing messages will most likely
influence a buying decision.
15715 South Dixie Hwy, Suite 202 Miami, FL 33157
Phone 877-362-5348
Email: info@doblegroup.com
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