Well, 2011 is history and the results are in: it turned out to be a pretty merry Christmas for retailers after all. Car sales were strong. And the upswing in the economy is a strong indication that business owners need to be proactive rolling into 2012. So here are some marketing tactics to get you going, and hopefully will help to make 2012 a record year for your business.
First of all, you have to understand your target audience. Once you know who your customers are, it’s a heck of a lot easier to market to them. I’m not talking demographics like age, gender and where they live. I’m talking about their persona. Like what do they do to earn a living? How many kids are in the house? And what’s keeping them up at night with worry? Know that, and you’ll begin to understand your customer.
Here’s one: find out who has influence over your target audience, and “influence the influencer!” You could host parties, seminars, and conferences – anything to forge a bond with the influencer. You’ll not only increase your credibility, you’ll also increase your likability. And that will lead to referrals.
Consider using fusion marketing. Find some top, non-competing businesses that are marketing to your target audience and form a partnership with them. You’ll be able to split some of the cost – and why pay 100% of the ad budget when you can get away with paying just 25%?
If you haven’t done so already, start giving back to the community. Donate your products or services to some key non-profit organizations, especially ones you personally like. It’s not only the right thing to do, it’ll end up paying you back 10 times over.
If you can find media who participates in barter, start using it. Many advertising outlets will trade for all or part of the ad costs if you have something of value to give them. And that even includes TV stations!
Finally, you can find out what your customer really wants and begin tailoring your marketing message. You can do this by doing some face-to-face surveying. But above all, don’t try to sell anything during this surveying. Just get the facts. This could be a great way to find out why your client really buys your product or service, and the reasons may not be what you think!
So, welcome to 2012! It’s a new year, the economy’s on the rebound, so don’t be the one who is left behind! Use the New Year as a new opportunity to increase your market share.
First of all, you have to understand your target audience. Once you know who your customers are, it’s a heck of a lot easier to market to them. I’m not talking demographics like age, gender and where they live. I’m talking about their persona. Like what do they do to earn a living? How many kids are in the house? And what’s keeping them up at night with worry? Know that, and you’ll begin to understand your customer.
Here’s one: find out who has influence over your target audience, and “influence the influencer!” You could host parties, seminars, and conferences – anything to forge a bond with the influencer. You’ll not only increase your credibility, you’ll also increase your likability. And that will lead to referrals.
Consider using fusion marketing. Find some top, non-competing businesses that are marketing to your target audience and form a partnership with them. You’ll be able to split some of the cost – and why pay 100% of the ad budget when you can get away with paying just 25%?
If you haven’t done so already, start giving back to the community. Donate your products or services to some key non-profit organizations, especially ones you personally like. It’s not only the right thing to do, it’ll end up paying you back 10 times over.
If you can find media who participates in barter, start using it. Many advertising outlets will trade for all or part of the ad costs if you have something of value to give them. And that even includes TV stations!
Finally, you can find out what your customer really wants and begin tailoring your marketing message. You can do this by doing some face-to-face surveying. But above all, don’t try to sell anything during this surveying. Just get the facts. This could be a great way to find out why your client really buys your product or service, and the reasons may not be what you think!
So, welcome to 2012! It’s a new year, the economy’s on the rebound, so don’t be the one who is left behind! Use the New Year as a new opportunity to increase your market share.
