What Is The Big 'R' For Marketing Your Business ?
Successful businesses have many things in common, today we'll
look at the big 'R'of recognition and how a digital advertising
network may help.
Recognition can be illustrated by two individuals entering a
crowded room at a party. Both walk to the far side of the room,
one of them slips through the crowd easily and unnoticed as they
reach the far side. The second person takes much longer to reach
the far side because they are engaged in conversations along the
way as they continue to meet acquaintances and friends during
their path. Which type of person would you like to model your
business after?
Your business is in a continual battle for your customers'
recognition whether you know it or not. If you happen to be
fortunate enough to be in a marketplace with very few
competitors, that will not last for long. You need your business
to be at the forefront of your client's minds so that when they
require your products or services, you are the go-to people.
Marketing your business is a necessity. Putting your name and
logo out there and keeping it there is a must. This lets clients
know that you are "still around" and in business. Frequency is a
good way to achieve the "stand out factor" in recognition. I am
reminded of both television and radio ads I had heard of in the
past. They run continually with a catch phrase or musical jingle
over and over again on the radio or television until you are
absolutely sick of hearing it. You also cannot get it out of
your head. Although this type of advertising is expensive, it
can be very effective, and the recognition factor is quite high.
Television and radio can reach a large audience, and they are
broad in their appeal. In a brief sentence, you are paying to
market to both those that are your potential customers and a
large segment of those who are not now and probably never will
be your customers.
There are more economical ways to pursue frequency, the point is
to define your target market demographic, and invest your
marketing funds into the locations that will best be seen by
them.
Another factor to consider is "can I market myself in a place
where I will stand out from my competition, or where my
competition does not have a presence?" Why would you market
yourself in a flyer or newspaper right beside your competition
and risk blending into a crowd, and ultimately being ignored?
Another issue to look at is diversification. As the saying goes,
"don't put all your eggs in one basket". When you look at your
advertising budget for the year, try to find the affordable
solutions that will continue to reap during the full year of
your advertising budget. An expensive radio or television
promotion may give short term gains for that weekend sale, but
what about the rest of the year? Your clients may end up with
the impression of where did they go, I haven't seen or heard
anything about them for so long.
Don't always look for the old standbys in marketing, but keep
your eyes and ears open for the latest and greatest ways to
market your business. With the costs of technology coming down
dramatically new options such as digital advertising on LCD and
Plasma screens are becoming more and more affordable, and the
paper billboards and posters becoming a thing of the past. With
the flexibility, and curb appeal of full color and motion video
footage with computer generated graphics available to you, this
is an option you don't want to pass by without a good look.
Ultimately, recognition is required if you want to get people
"in the door" of your business (or on your website for the new
e-businesses). This is going to cost you money, time and effort
up front any way that you look at it, but if you have
successfully reached your target market, the payoffs will be
worth it.