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Marketing to Make Your Message Stick: Promoting Your Business is the 4th P

BY: Jack Robinson
Words: 613

The first in a series: Marketing to make your message stick

If you saw the movie “Field of Dreams” you remember the recurring theme “if you build it they will come.” In the real world, if you build it, they (your customers) don’t care. You have to help them care -- develop your message, deliver your message, and make your message stick. This is what marketing is all about.

In marketing there are four areas that you can control: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion - “the 4 Ps.” The mix of these 4 Ps is how you position your product and your business in the marketplace. This article covers the 4th “P” – promoting your business. You do that with branding that conveys the message of your position.

Your brand needs to have a consistent look and feel in everything you put out. This is how you develop brand awareness. You can use a combination of logo, brand colors, font choices, graphic designs, trademarks and taglines. These are all designed with your target market in mind. When preschoolers are shown pictures, more can correctly identify Ronald McDonald than Santa Claus. That is brand awareness.

Position includes quality, pricing, and the image you convey to your target market. McDonald's shows fun toys, families enjoying meals together, and clean restaurants with an ethnically diverse clientèle. They stress their value menu and have special pricing promotions to convey the idea of not being expensive. They are not trying to compete with Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

You have several audiences and your message is different for each one. For each audience you need a call to action. Clearly express what you want them to do. You might be surprised how receptive people are to being asked.

• Your first audience is your existing customers. If you already have some customers you can reinforce their experience with every interaction you have with them. You may also know who they are and how to get in touch with them apart from when they are buying something. Customers can be your best source of referrals for new customers, additional sales of new products, and repeat business. I have heard folks say “We don’t do any marketing. We get all our business from referrals.” That is marketing – maybe very effective marketing. It just isn’t advertising. There is big difference in not advertising and not marketing.
• Your second audience is your family and friends. These are people who care about you, and are interested in you and what you are doing. They are probably going to ask you how things are going. Develop your message for them. Is there some way they can help you get the word out or identify leads for you? Maybe they are prospective customers, too or know folks who are. Work the six degrees of separation. They know people who know people….
• You know people who will listen to what you have to say even if they aren’t as interested in your well being. Develop your message for them and come up with a reason for them to help get your word out. Sometimes you just have a moment, so have your elevator pitch refined to your story with your basic message. Or you may have more time. You can develop a presentation related to your product or service and find or make opportunities to present that can lead to sales later.
• Then there is the rest of the world. How to get the word out? There are hundreds of ways: blogs, website SEO, press releases, direct mail, advertising, trade shows and the list goes on. Future articles will cover some ways to make your message stick.