Becoming Marketing Active: The Fulcrum Guide to Getting Started with Business Marketing – In the first part of our guide to becoming marketing active door2door Marketing agency in navi mumbai, we looked at some of the reasons that drive a business to start marketing (if you missed part one, check it out here). But once you’ve made the decision to embark on a marketing strategy for your business, what next? Where do you start and what steps should you take to ensure a smooth and successful process? As is so often the case in business (and life!), preparation is key. So before rushing into any kind of marketing, it’s important to take the time to plan, research and strategise for success.
In order to create an effective marketing strategy, you need to develop a thorough understanding of your market, your competitors and your business itself. This means getting back to basics and equipping yourself with all the information you need to identify marketing activities that work for your brand. 1) Research your target market How much do you know about the target audience of your product or service? We’re not just talking about age, sex or occupation (though, of course, you need to know these too). To have the best chance of reaching your target market, you need to dig deeper and find out exactly what drives them towards purchase.
What kind of triggers are they most likely to respond to? Which elements of the marketing mix have the most impact on them? How will your product or service benefit them? Understanding these aspects of your target audience will enable you to position and market your brand accordingly, so comprehensive market research is essential. It’s often easier (and more cost-effective) to outsource this type of research to a professional agency who will be better placed to obtain the information you need. 2) Analyse your competition In order to stay ahead of your competitors, you need to know who they are, what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. Once you’ve identified who your key business competitors are, look into the marketing methods they’re using and the way in which they have positioned their brand. What channels and platforms have they chosen to market their business? How are they promoting their brand and its products/services? Consider which elements are crucial to your own business and how you can position your brand in order to get ahead. 3) Define your objectives What do you want to achieve from your marketing activity? Whether it’s to increase your revenue, establish your business in a new market segment or improve brand awareness, setting clear, measurable marketing objectives is vital in understanding what steps need to be taken in order to achieve these goals.
Make sure that each identified objective is specific (how much do you want to increase revenue by?), achievable (is it realistic?) and has a timeframe for accomplishment (are you aiming to achieve this goal in three months or a year?). You also need to make sure that your marketing objectives tie in with your overall business objectives. 4) Understand your business You may think you have a pretty good understanding of your business, but it’s surprising what insights can be achieved when you conduct a thorough SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). Be rigorous, be meticulous, and above all be brutally honest. Is a lack of staff training letting your business down? Are your prices too high to compete in today’s market? Arming yourself with this knowledge is invaluable in developing a marketing strategy that leverages your company’s strengths and addresses those areas which need to be improved.
In the next instalment of the Fulcrum guide to becoming marketing active, we’ll be looking at the raft of marketing channels available and helping you to identify which ones are best for your business.
If you have something to share on this topic, why not get in touch? Leave your comments below…
door2door Marketing agency in navi mumbai
Face to Face or Door to Door Marketing Right Approach For You?
Face-to-face or door-to-door marketing is the act of going from one business (or household) to another physically in order to sell your services. Face-to-face marketing may seem like a nerve-wracking thing to do for the new entrepreneur or freelancer. However, when done right, it?s a very powerful way to build a business. If you know how to do face-to-face marketing?you can decide whether it?s something you want to implement in your business or not.
One area of marketing often neglected by first-time freelancers and entrepreneurs is face-to-face or door-to-door marketing. Yet, it?s a form of marketing that can bring immediate results and is often much easier for first timers than telesales (which is perhaps the most immediate form of selling available to start-ups).
Is Door-To-Door the Right Approach For You? Door-to-door works best when you have a service that can be used widely in your local business community. So, for example, graphic design, web design (and development), copywriting, photography, etc. are all services that you?re likely to find local buyers for.
Other services, such as UX design, for example, may not be as suited for door-to-door marketing (unless you live in a software development hotspot).
If you?re going to use face-to-face marketing, you need potential clients whom you can visit. In the best cases, those clients will be closely geographically grouped. Web designers who specialize in retail sites, for example, are going to find the high street of their local town a great place to get started on face-to-face marketing.
How Do You Get Started Doing Door-to-Door Marketing? You visit the business premises of potential clients, without an appointment. You ask to speak to the person who deals with your service.
If that person?s there and will speak to you, pitch him/her for a meeting or leave information and arrange to call back, or even, if the person has the time, pitch him/her for your services on the spot.
If the person?s not there and may speak to you, get his/her business card and then try to make an appointment to come back and talk or drop off information.
If he or she doesn?t want to speak to you and you can?t get a card, leave marketing materials and your card, asking the person you are dealing with to pass it on to the potential buyer.
That?s pretty much it. The key to this kind of marketing is not to come across as someone on the ?hard sell? but to introduce yourself as a neighbouring business (e.g., local ? not next door necessarily) and to start a dialogue.
You may find that you arrive just as they?re looking for your services or that they?ve been thinking about using a similar service for years but never got around to acting on it. In other cases, they may not need your service. However, if you represent yourself and your business effectively and professionally, you will almost certainly find it leads to work in the long run.
The bigger the place in which you live, the more door-to-door opportunities you are likely to have.
Always follow up on any door-to-door call with a telephone call to increase?and dramatically so? your chances of closing business.
Most business-to-business door-to-door marketing doesn?t take place on the doorstep. It takes place in someone?s office, but it can take place on the doorstep, and it?s best to be prepared to hold a conversation anywhere.
One Last Thing ? Personal Safety
I?ve done plenty of door-to-door marketing to businesses and never had so much as an angry response. However, it?s best not to take any chances when you?re putting yourself into someone else?s space. The following advice may not be necessary to apply in your local area or in your country at all. But if you?re in doubt, take the following necessary precautions:
I?ve done plenty of door-to-door marketing to businesses and never had so much as an angry response. However, it?s best not to take any chances when you?re putting yourself into someone else?s space. The following advice may not be necessary to apply in your local area or in your country at all. But if you?re in doubt, take the following necessary precautions:
Don?t go into any setting that makes you feel uneasy.
Do ensure that someone else knows your calling route before you leave and that you check in with that person when you?re finished.
Do carry a phone with a GPS tracking service.
Don?t be afraid to leave any premises where you are made to feel uneasy or if someone becomes rude or abusive.
GPS can be a handy navigation device when going door-to-door, but it can also be used for personal safety. Make sure your phone has GPS which can be tracked by a friend, family member or business partner just in case.
The Take Away Face-to-face marketing is highly effective but needs to be conducted with a sensible regard for personal safety. Make sure that there?s a decent sized market for your services in a location before conducting face-to-face marketing work; otherwise, it?ll be a lot of work without sufficient rewards.
If you find it hard in the early days of doing door-to-door marketing, you might want to remember Thomas Edison, the famous inventor?s advice: ?Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.?
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