…and everyone around me knows, that MARKETING is my passion and I can talk for hours and hours about it. I just LOVE IT!! (sorry husband)
The best part of my job is to meet people and their businesses, to really get to know their visions and dreams. I always come away from initial meetings and my head does not stop coming up with ideas.
My friends and family know how excited I get about a new project and the heart & soul I pour into it. For me this is the ONLY way of great marketing!
I recently had a chat with a traditional upholsterer who asked for help with branding and day-to-day marketing. The really lovely and special thing they do, is to send out their quotes by real letter and I suggested that they could have their logo as a seal to even enhance the customers experience – they loved this idea!
Most people have heard of marketing but are not really sure what exactly it is and the ones that do think it always involves a lot of cost with no guarantee of results.
So, what is marketing?
Anything you do to promote your business/product/service is called marketing. From social media posts to websites, flyers to catalogues, give-aways, trade show exhibiting, newspaper advertisements, radio commercials, shop window decoration or having your logo on your shirt or car…this is all marketing.
But when you have a great business idea or product, a lot of time is invested in the creation of the new venture and the development of the product; marketing often takes a back seat – even though it is one of the main pillars of a sound and successful business structure.
The key is to exactly know who your (potential) customer is and how to find them. To know their needs and emotions will give you the base for your marketing and a plan can be created of how to reach them and how to tell your story for them to be interested and ultimately buying your product/service. This isn’t always easy, but once figured out, it will make your marketing plan very clear.
Why is marketing important?
Marketing presents your business in the right light and it engages with (potential) customers. When the customer feels cared for, informed and happy, he will buy the product/service and let others know about the great experience, which will grow your customer base.
Telling your audience your story is crucial in this digital age if you want to stand out against competition. They need to feel happy with not just what they bought but the whole experience! How easy was it to find your business and your products? Was the buying process smooth and delivery quick? Did they receive communication along the way? What will make them come back and recommend the service to others?
Marketing is one of the important pillars of business and without it you won’t get your brand and product ‘out there’. And if no one knows about you or the product, it won’t sell and it will leave you with an empty account.
A carefully planned marketing plan is essential for setting your business and product up in the best light possible and to reach the right audience that will be willing to buy from you and more importantly come back.
Without active marketing your idea will stay an idea, but the right plan will make it a product/service people will want and pay for – in short: A SUCCESS!
Is there right or wrong marketing?
Yes! Not every business needs a Twitter account for example. Social Media can take up a lot time and a newsletter takes a big team effort to be crafted and published (do people still read newsletters?!?).
Weighing up what works and adjusting as you go along is essential. The marketing strategy should be carefully designed around your business and which audience you want to target. Quality over quantity – a few things done right will have more effect than lots of stuff but at the wrong time or in the wrong place. If your branding is solid and you have identified your audience, that will be a great start.
I don’t have time or the budget for marketing!
Marketing is an investment, that will grow your business. It will sell your product when done right! It is the tool to let everyone know about your great idea/product/service.
Active advertising and pointing out the best features about your product is essential to get interest and start selling.
I always tell my clients that only investing a couple of hours in marketing every week will get great results and ultimately the business will grow so more can be invested into marketing in the future. Well planned and scheduled social media posts can save a great deal of time and it doesn’t have to take days to write a blog.
Small budgets are my challenge, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve to get you started without spending a fortune.
Who should do my marketing?
Well, you can try to do it yourself, but often business owners are the ones that came up with a great idea/product/service, but don’t know the right way to get this to the paying customer. It most often is the case that a marketing person can offer efficiency paired with experience and you won’t have to repeat things because of mistakes (which can cost you dearly too!)
Find someone you get along with and you can trust. Have a look at their portfolio and ask them for ideas. It needs to be a good fit as this person or company will represent not just your business, but your vision and dreams. It should be someone that spends time to get to know you and your product/service and that really care about what you are trying to achieve.
They should also provide you with advice regarding where and when to advertise, guide you through the social media jungle and be very honest and critical – it’s never meant personally, but it is great to have a set of fresh eyes on things.
Choose ONE person or agency to overlook ALL the marketing for you, it will ensure consistency and direction.
I have met numerous companies that have an external web designer, a graphic designer, a social media person and the internal sales team do a bit of trade show organising on the side…as you can imagine, things are more often NOT consistent at all and there is no overall language to all the different marketing elements. The designer just does what he is told, while the web designer thinks she is helpful by adding her own ideas; the social media manager does his own thing by injecting ‘funky’ texts – even though the customer target audience is 50+.
A trained and experienced marketeer will set a tone that fits, develop a brand strategy and keep things aligned so the plan comes together on all channels and platforms. A consistent brand will be recognised and loved by customers.
So, how can my passion help you?
Marketing is the essential tool to get your business/product/service ‘out there’, meaning in front of the people that would pay for it. Without it, you will struggle to grow your idea and make money. Marketing doesn’t have to cost the earth, but some clever investments will make all the difference.
It is my passion because I LOVE helping businesses to grow and thrive and I get very excited to get behind a business and their brand so I can ‘shout’ about it from the roof tops.
I have worked with engineers, fashion designers, craftsmen, charities and many more. The right strategy has helped them, get their idea off the ground or further grow their business. From rebranding to connecting them to social media, website updates to trade show stands, good old fashioned newspaper advertising to a full blown digital campaign, I tailor the plan to what your business needs and together with my freelance team of designers, photographers, videographers as well as connections to printers, sign makers, stand builders and merchandise sellers I have got it all covered.
We will get your brand and product not just ‘out there’ but in front of the right audience that will want to buy from you!
Together we will create success!
All the best for now,
Annika
