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(Article first published in Nov '09. It has been modified slightly to suit its publication on our site)
Everybody knows that you market your company, product or service to attract new customers. So how come so many people end up creating websites, brochures and ads that just don't work?
It is actually a common error that a lot of people make and it comes from not having an objective and end-goal in mind. Instead, people focus on what's easy, i.e. what they like and dislike. Of course a business owner should be an expert in their customer base and many are, but even if you know everything about your customers and potential customers, it is very easy to have tunnel vision and lose yourself in the design, tagline and colour choices.
But why does this happen? Well, for the same reason why fashions come and go and music that we all 'rocked' to 20 years ago is now about as popular as a stockbroker at a dinner party. (If you're reading this and it's not 2009 then you may not get it and it proves my point - stockbrokers during the recession weren't particularly popular people).
You see, people belong to an age group and gender (demographic) and everyone has their own personality (psychographic) and specific requirements (needs). So creating any successful marketing element is all about matching your marketing to as wide a range of age groups and personalities across one or both genders to meet their needs. As a male in his late 30s, I can tell you that I have no idea exactly what a 21 year-old girl wants when looking to buy a car. I have a general idea, but not enough to be sure of creating a compelling ad.
So how can having an objective help you stay focused? The answer is quite straightforward. If you want to sell cars to women aged 18 to 25 and you keep that thought in the front of your mind (pushing all your own pre-conceptions to the back of your mind), you will start to look at the marketing element in a more questioning yet impassive way. You will be more open to other opinions and more ready to seek them out.
Because you have essentially 'discounted' your own opinion, you can go out to your target market and even ask their opinions (customers love being asked to comment on this kind of stuff).
If it turns out that your own opinions were right after all, you can pat yourself on the back and begin to have more confidence in your knowledge of your market in preparation for an occasion when you are short on time and need to make a snap decision. But if it turns out your own opinions were completely at odds to what everyone else thinks (especially if they are your target customers) then you may have saved yourself a lot of wasted money!
Today you know less about the people who buy from you than you did yesterday - Remember that and you'll always steer yourself in the right direction!
Franco De Bonis has worked in the
field of sales and marketing promotion since 1990 and was most recently
the global marketing manager for a major international technology
company before setting up The DG Group in January 2007.
The DG Group is dedicated to
delivering all the marketing solutions any company may require. Whether
it's a website or leaflets and brochures, or even some product
packaging; The DG Group will manage the whole project and even provide
guidance along the way.
The content in this section is the original creation of The DG Group
and is protected by copyright. You may use this content on your site or
in other materials providing you acknowledge The DG Group as the author
and include a link to our site.
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