Is your marketing talking to the right people?
Filed under: Marketing Consultant, advertising, branding, communication, marketing, marketing advice, marketing support, marketing support for small SME's
One of the organisations I recently starting working with has happily been producing communications and marketing material about which feedback suggested was doing a good job. The problem was that no-one had ever really analysed where the feedback was coming from.
As part of a funding audit, I prepared and conducted some market research amongst all the groups that could or did utilise the service and the results were very illuminating. You see, the feedback had always came from larger groups who often used the service and consequently there were more involved and their opinions were regularly taken on board.
My client assumed that everyone felt the same way.
The research however, showed that there was a large group of people who felt totally disenfranchised and new little about what was going on. We discovered that there was a growing feeling of resentmant amongst the very groups my client was supposed to support.
Needless to say that this has resulted in a complete overhall of the communication methods and processes ensuring that everyone has a chance to be heard.
This example is based around a support service but applies to any business and organisation. Stand back and ask yourself if you actually know what your customer wants or are you really only assuming you know. Simple market research can make a tremendous difference in helping you get more business.
Get in touch by calling or texting your name to 07790 012893
Alternatively email me david@dlhmarketing.co.uk
Giving the customer what they will pay for
Filed under: Marketing Consultant, advertising, branding, communication, marketing, marketing advice, marketing support, marketing support for small SME's, retail
This morning it was reported that Apple Corp. had made £3billion during the past three months. This was despite teething problems and some negative press on the iPhone 4. It got me thinking about how this was achieved and how easily could other, smaller organisations replicate it.
Obviously there are several reasons but what Apple do better than almost anyone else is not provide products we want but products we are willing to pay for.
We all want a mobile phone that works, is user friendly, gives us freedom and looks good. However, with hundreds of models on the market Apple have created a product that many people will pay 2, 3, 4 times as much for to own.
Take a look at your product and talk to your customers and prospective customers, decide what makes it stand out. We can all provide want the customer wants but are you providing what they will pay for?
UK prefer natural search to PPC
Filed under: Marketing Consultant, advertising, branding, communication, marketing, marketing advice, marketing support, marketing support for small SME's
Taken fron directnews,co.uk
A new report has revealed that Britons prefer natural search results to paid-for ads – potentially outlining why firms should engage in search engine optimisation.
The Search Attitudes survey conducted by YouGov for Tamar found that most consumers see organic listings as more trustworthy when researching products and brands than pay-per-click ads, with older web users the most likely to hold this belief.
It also indicated that almost half of 18 to 24-year-olds make use of real-time search results from social networks like Twitter, while mobile search is also on the rise.
When it comes to making purchases, reviews and images are becoming increasingly popular among consumers requiring more information about products and retailers.
“Consumers have matured in the past four years in their relationship with search and the one constant progression that the Search Attitudes Report series clearly identifies is the growth in awareness of the differences between natural and paid search,” said Tamar search director Neil Jackson.
Google is the most popular search engine in the UK, with the site accounting for about 91 per cent of the market through both google.co.uk and google.com, according to Experian Hitwise.
Bing is second with 3.25 per cent of searches, followed by Yahoo! on 2.83 per cent.
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Friday tip
Filed under: branding, marketing, marketing advice, marketing support for small SME's, retail
Marketing tip for Friday
If you keep your staff happy, they will keep your customers happy and your customers will come back.
Is your customer service losing the sale?
Filed under: Marketing Consultant, advertising, communication, education, marketing, marketing advice, marketing support, marketing support for small SME's, retail
SERVICE, SERVICE, SERVICE
During a shopping trip last weekend my daughter was looking for a handbag that would match a pair of shoes she was wearing for a wedding. Easy you would think! Unfortunately the task proved more diffilcult than she had hoped. However, more frustrating was the assistance, or lack of it from the majority of the stores she went into. Either the assistants were more concerned with discussing the coming evening or they weren’t aware of the stock the store carried or couldn’t be bothered to look any further than the shelves. Basically, they couldn’t be bothered, that is except one where the assistant went out of her way to help. Not only looking at her own section but discussing the requirement with other sections until eventually the perfect bag was found at a not inconsiderable price.
As is the case these days, between shops, my daughter was texting her various friends and recalling the experience in each shop. Needless to say the shop and assistant that provided the help got a great sale and some free publicity whereas the others, well…
Secret customer programmes from www.dlhmarketing.co.uk
Use it or lose…
Filed under: Marketing Consultant, Uncategorized, advertising, branding, marketing, marketing advice, marketing support, marketing support for small SME's, retail
Don’t let your marketing plan sit in a drawer
A friend of mine was recently made redundant from a small manufacturing firm. They appeared to be very successful, had a skilled workforce, were good at what they did and had a reputation for ‘going the extra mile’. However, it transpires that the only people who new this were a small group of loyal customers.
Like a number of small organisations it had developed around the vision of one person, the owner. He new the customers, new what they wanted and developed the company accordingly. All was fine while the customers continued to buy but once they had problems there was an obvious knock on effect.
Some time ago the company had put together a marketing strategy as part of a finance raising plan for the bank but, as is often the case, the strategy document had been put into a drawer and promptly forgotten. Everyone was busy dealing with existing work for core customers (basicaly making hay while the sun shone) to put any part of the plan into action.
Consequently, the plans to investigate how product design could be adapted never took place, research into potential new markets didn’t happen, exploring diversification and growth within existing larger customers was put to one side.
A marketing plan is an essential tool not something you put together to appease someone and like all tools it has to be used if it’s to acheive results. As the organisation develops and market changes occur so the plan has to be tweaked to keep you on course. Considering the World Cup, think of the plan as a football. Your aim is to score goals and how you move the ball up the field determines how well you do. Each player within the team has a certain skill and they each play their part. Some may do more with the ball than others but achieve the aim it has to be kept in play and moved around as the field of play changes. You need to be aware of what the opposition are doing at all times or you lose the ball.
If you need help or would like a free one hour review of your current plan text your name or call 07790 012893. www.dlhmarketing.co.uk
Local advertisers getting it wrong
Filed under: Marketing Consultant, advertising, branding, marketing, marketing advice, marketing support, marketing support for small SME's, retail
Losing out on potential customers
I was looking through the local free newspaper this week and was struck by the number of companies selling the same basic product. If you were looking for bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms or double glazing you were spoiled for choice and yet none of them really got it right from a marketing point of view. Yes, they provided me with pictures but I know what a window looks like. I new what special offers they had but I also new what their competitors deals were. What each one failed to do was to say how they and their product was different from anyone else and why spending my hard earned cash with them would be the best choice.
So much of this type of local advertising suffers from a lack of understanding the basic principals of marketing and as such they fall into the category of stack em high and sell em cheap without any thought of who or what their potential customer is really looking for – that point of difference that makes me want to place an order with you.
For a free one hour review of your current advertising and marketing activity text your name or call 07790 012893. www.dlhmarketing.co.uk
Is your marketing failing you?
Filed under: Marketing Consultant, advertising, branding, communication, legal, marketing, marketing advice, marketing support, marketing support for small SME's
Is your marketing failing you?
When was the last time you sat back and asked yourself the following?
Are you supplying the the right product/service to the right customer, at the right price, at the time and to the right quality?
If the answer to any of the above is not sure or no you need to review your marketing. You can’t assume, you need to know and your marketing strategy is part of finding out and delivering.
Government to open up advertising accounts from past two years
Filed under: Local Authority, Marketing Consultant, advertising, communication, marketing, marketing advice, marketing support, marketing support for small SME's
Government to open up advertising accounts from past two years
A detailed breakdown of Government advertising spending over the past two years is to be released by the Treasury for the first time as part of an openness drive. From Marketing Week.
Your marketing plan
Filed under: Marketing Consultant, advertising, marketing, marketing advice, marketing support, marketing support for small SME's
Would you prepare for a holiday in the same way you plan your marketing?
Is your view of marketing restricted to the promotional and advertising pigeon hole or do you view it as one of the most important business processes that take you from A to B. If it’s the former try thinking about a camping holiday to France.
Before booking the holiday you will no doubt look at things like finances, who’s going, how long you plan to be away and where in France you will be staying. There may well be discussions about which member of the family is responsible for what items you are taking and making sure all is packed. We then have the car to check, oil, water, tyres etc. Once you have all that in place you can turn to how you plan to get to your chosen destination. It could be that you decide to stop at various locations and therefore the route will have to be planned to accomodate this allowing for possible adjustments that may have to be made along the way.
Once you have all that in place you can turn to how you plan to get to your chosen location.
Assuming that everything was checked and that everyone was prepared, the arrival at the chosen holiday destination should be achieved without any major disaster. However if the person resposible for passports or checking oil failed or had the wrong information then it could be by by France.
All of ther above can be applied to your organisation. The activities involved in getting ready for the holiday can be likened to the marketing processes involved in getting your organisation from A to B. You may have decided that at a point in the future you need to be at point B but before you set off it is vital to know where you are now and that everything is in place to ensure you can get there and that when you do, the neccessary things are in place to benefit.
The activities involved in getting ready for the holiday can be likened to the marketing processes
For a free one hour review of you current marketing visit www.dlhmarketing.co.uk