Your business was created based on your passion and vision for your goods/ services. Armed with your value proposition, you must convincingly communicate your value to win and grow your business. How can you market your brand and effectively differentiate your products or services?
First, you must ensure that you know your target audience. Take a look at the most recent posts by Michael Nordstrom to get tips on identifying and segmenting your target market. Equally important is the channel used to reach your target audience and the messaging you use to grab and retain their attention. For example, in California, mobile gourmet food trucks such as Chez Spencer are successfully marketing to their customers by tweeting their locations on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. The folks at Chez Spencer know that their customers have gourmet tastes, want quick meals, and are technologically savvy, so this medium works well to get the message to the right audience at the right time. Social media such as Facebook and YouTube is being used to create viral buzz to reach audiences that increasingly use the web for entertainment and information. Of course the traditional mediums of advertisements, radio spots and networking events can also work IF these are preferred mediums for your target audience.
Once you have a potential customer’s attention, your messaging should compel them to seek you out for additional information and/or to purchase. Messaging based on the demographics of your target audience is much more impactful than generic messaging. While there are many ways to convey a message, one tried and true type of messaging articulates a knowledge of the potential customer’s need, and your unique approach to meet that requirement.
It’s also important to take a look at how competitors are marketing similar products and services. What is their value proposition and how do you distinguish your goods and services from theirs? Be careful not to make reference to competitors in your messaging. Evaluate competitive positioning as a consideration as you develop your brand positioning to allow your company to stand out from the crowd. I’ll talk about brand positioning in more detail in my next blog.
Lisa

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