Adventures in Business and CRM

        I’ve come to the conclusion that many entrepreneurs and business owners have found some sort of new momentum in the past few weeks. Perhaps it’s the breathe of fresh air that a New Year breathes into many of us. The feeling seems to be across the board. Everyone is calling me saying “We Need Change! Now!”  I know that when business owners come to me, they’re ready to make some sales, make profit, and basically rock and roll with an array of marketing strategies that they know are out there, but aren’t quite sure how to utilize.

     One of the first things I look over in any client’s company is their brand. If  they lack a brand, is their business model brand-able? This is of course all decided by their target demographic, in other words, who they’re trying their hardest to appeal to. You can’t appeal to all, can you? Perhaps.

Stalk Your Target Audience.

     Listen to the echoes of ideas, suggestions, thoughts, comments, and complaints that wave through your community based on your demographic.  I know, this takes time… and time is probably something you don’t have a ton of these days. Find out what people are talking about in your industry or niche. Check out how your brand is doing by measuring how it stacks up against it’s competition.

     Take a look at sites like Google’s Blogsearch and Technorati for tidbits on what others may be saying about your brand or your industry. Find site’s that are linking to yours via what you see on search engines, and keep a close eye on your Reputation Management. Your business’s reputation can be easily damaged by one negative comment on a local review site, blog, or forum.

Add Something Valuable to Your Consumer’s Lives

     Keeping your brand in front of your customer’s eyes can be tough. It can be annoying if you do it in a way that seems to be pushy, and it can be spam if you send unsolicited sales emails out of the blue – if they haven’t knowingly opted into an email list or newsletter of some sort.  One of the best and most affordable ways entrepreneurs have found success in keeping their audience coming back to their sites again and again is content. Whether it’s through a blog or an email newsletter, content is key to keeping your brand in the forefront of your customer’s mind.

Content That Wow’s Your Customer

     When deciphering what kind of content you’ll be adding to your business’s site, keep in mind that it needs to add value to your demographic’s everyday life. Of course, a blog is perfect for this scenario because if you run a children’s clothing e-commerce site, you can easily add a blog about parenting, health, babies, and even connect with other potential customers utilizing that blog as a tool (but not necessarily a sales tool.. more like a networking tool). Your goal in creating content isn’t to primarily sell to them, but it’s to first add value to someone else’s life. Give them something free. Free advice, content, coupons, industry news, and a good idea of your company culture helps drive sales.

Media Is King

      Adding valuable content via audio and video is one of the internet’s most rapidly growing trends. Rightly so, as it currently accounts for most of the hours spent online by the average person. Establishing your brand using media is important because it’s telling your users that your company is current, and with the times. It speaks a language that says you’re not afraid to spend a little extra time to woo them. Whether it be creating information-styled videos about how to more effectively use your product, or even health-related news or musings for a local doctor or practitioner. I am a firm believer that anyone can integrate media into their brand, and that they should!

The benefits of Integrating Media:

• The possibility of others sharing  what they see, or going Viral. Viral Content is exploding.
• YouTube Videos appear in search results on major search engines like Google and Yahoo. (and they generally rank quite high for relevant keywords and titles).
• Adding another avenue of cost-efficient marketing has never hurt anyone.
• The cost of creating a quality and professional-looking video is cheaper than you may think, and even free if you utilize tools that you likely already have on your computer such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker.
• The ultimate expression of corporate culture. Who runs your company? Who is your staff?
• It’s simple to integrate into to your company’s website design. Times have changed, and it’s not as difficult as it used to be to add media to a website.

   I am a firm believer in business’s having a strong brand. Your brand goes so far beyond a logo, and once you realize that potential, you’ll reap the benefits of having an established brand.  A great product or service is obviously still essential, but your brand drives that burning desire for your consumer to buy, even when it’s not necessarily something that they may need. It idealizes the item or service as trusted, established, and sometimes even mandatory, even when it’s not. (think trendy).

 * What other branding concepts will your company be implementing to ring in the new year? How will it coincide with your marketing efforts?

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