Take your message to market - REACH

Why does this matter?
Think about the amount of information we are bombarded with at any given point of time and take into account all the information sources that compete for our attention.

+ Email
+ Internet
+ Signs
+ Brochures
+ Junk mail
+ Letters
+ Phone calls
+ Message bank
+ Reports
+ Flyers
+ Radio
+ Television
+ FOXTEL, and the list goes on and on

What is it that grabs your attention?
For me, it is that which is big, bold, loud and emotive. How about you?

Perhaps a more important question to ask as a business owner is “What doesn’t grab my attention?”

The information overload phenomenon that we are all faced with many choices about what we take in and what we dismiss. We cannot possibly retain every piece of information we are exposed to.

As a business operator, we want to ensure that our marketing spend has the best possible chance of success by being noticeable and memorable. To do that, our marketing must have impact and reach.

Reach
Marketing requires business owners to have a healthy respect for, and detailed understanding of, the target market for their products or services and to then strategically select and utilise a mix of channels to reach that audience. Of course it also involves an element of risk and so it is essential that we monitor and review our performance to determine how successful we are in our marketing endeavours.

Focus on the target
In life generally, if we expect to hit any kind of a target, we need first to focus on that target in order that we can select the most appropriate weapon, ensure our timing is spot on and so that we can take into account any kind of distraction or resistance that could possibly come into play and stop us hitting the target.

Marketing is no different. The first step in hitting a target is always to have a healthy respect for it.

The target of your business market is those that need or want what you have to offer. Who is that?


Business Application
Make a list of your best clients. How are they similar?
Look for common characteristics that they may share and begin to understand them.
There will be some common criteria that you could use to create a list of others who might make potential clients that you could be marketing to.

When we gain an understanding of who our target is, we are then able to hone in on creating a marketing campaign that has real impact and reach.

Choose the Right Weapon
When you understand the target, you can begin to hone in on the exact weapon that gives you the best opportunity of hitting the target.

Ask yourself if the best weapon with which to hit a balloon on a wall at a carnival, is really a dart? Is the best way to catch a fish the most effective way to catch a crocodile?

In business, there are many alternative channels for distributing your marketing message. The CHAMBER alone offers over 19 opportunities to do just that, but not all of them will have the same results for different products.

If you are wanting to reach a business audience in Norwest, then you have a number of alternative opportunities such as GWP Magazine or the CHAMBER Business to Business mail out. If you are wanting to reach a consumer audience with your message, then perhaps a better alternative is the local newspapers or a letterbox drop.

The least expensive opportunity may not always be a good investment for your marketing dollar. But then again, it could be!

Which marketing channel is best suited to your target audience?

Business Application
Brainstorm all the possible ways of distributing your marketing message.
Include website, yellow pages, referral sources, CHAMBER, newspaper, magazine articles, journals, business networks, events, seminars, business directories, BLOGS, podcasts . . . . .
Match up those that seem to be a good match for your target market and explore opportunities to implement and monitor your results.


Hit the Mark – Take account of distractions
When we focus on our target, and take the attitude of serving our clients rather than selling to them, we must take into account and understand all of the little resistances and barriers that are in the way of our target audience receiving our message.
The crucial aspect of the timing of our marketing message is imperative. Many of us make the mistake of sending out our marketing when it suits US, with little regard or thought given to when it might best suit your audience to receive your message.
What time of day, week, month and year do your potential clients need or want to hear from you?

Think about the time of day you would have head and diary space to read an electronic newsletter that pops into your Inbox. Do you want to hear about the services of an accountant at the end of the financial year or over the Christmas break when you are quieter and have more time to implement change in your business?

What other barriers are there to your potential clients noticing and acting upon your marketing? How can you eliminate or reduce those barriers?

Would a trial offer or FREE up front meeting with potential clients work in your favour? Sample products can provide an opportunity for potential clients to experience the “value” of your business. Anything you can do that provides an experience, rather than merely conveys information can be an enticing offer, too good to resist.

Take stock – monitor and review
As with any business strategy that we employ, we should be aware of the indicators of our success. With a target such as a bullseye on a dart board, a positive result is easy to discern.

However, not all targets are so easily tracked.

If you are working on building brand through your marketing, it can be tricky to know how effective each marketing campaign truly is, although there are plenty of marketing companies who would happily work with you to develop measurement tools that track brand recognition in the market place.

For small business, it is easier to track a campaign by creating a unique offer for each marketing activity. Perhaps you offer one kind of package in the newspaper, while another distinctive package is offered through your website. Tracking sales of each package or offer then becomes a much easier to identify entity. Consider setting up a separate phone number dedicated to one campaign over time to establish its success.

No matter how you do it, tracking your marketing dollar’s effectiveness is crucial in determining future marketing success which results in IMPACT and REACH!

Email: nbaines@sydneyhillsbusiness.com.au
Web: http://www.sydneyhillsbusiness.com.au/