Long term vs Short Term marketing
Throughout the pandemic and even prior, my concern for small businesses, no matter their product or service, was how much time they were giving marketing. Were they just investing in marketing support because sales were down? Or is marketing a foundational pillar that seeks potential new customers and retains existing customers?
I have listened to a number of marketing webinars, all with the same message - engage with your customer. Know your customer. Know the data and sell a solution.
To break this down; expert marketers advise that you don’t just know your customer in detail, you need to know your category you’re selling into as well. You need to know your whole playing field in depth before going out there and pitching a new solution. The noise polluting our customers digital platforms is intense - so to stand out, you need to know what you’re selling into. Are you moving into a new territory following the 2020 smackdown? If yes, then your customer will change, their language will be different (how you talk to them) and thus, you need to pivot again in how you sell to them.
Long term vs short term spend; used when marketers talk about brand investment (long term) vs sales activation (short term). When you know where you’re selling into, you then have a guide where to direct your advertising / media spend. Brand investment is a long term investment because it’s your brand. Think about it - your brand is who your business is, it’s your brand essence, it’s why you started your business and why you want to to see it succeed.
Clear + consistent communication. Without it, how do you set up your customers' expectations of your brand? Can you even sell if you’re not communicating? I don’t think so.
My thoughts:
Use emotion when you talk to your customers. Align with your brand essence and use it (talk / sound / feeling and tone)
Understand your category, your landscape. What do they actually want?
Be simple in your communication but be disciplined in consistency
Be helpful in your communication; show benefits - you might even surprise and delight!
TEST + PLAY!
I’ll leave you with this. If covid has left us with a silver lining, it’s the ability to now pivot how you sell and communicate with your customers. Customers are more forgiving to see you make mistakes, ask questions and pivot from your traditional ways of talking (+ selling) to them. So try it!
The worst thing you can do is to alienate your customers now and wonder why sales are down - 2020 changed how we do business, how we sell and how we communicate. If you know you need to pivot and need some help - we’re here!
