Many small businesses struggle with their marketing program
. The truth is that there are a lot of people who own businesses who do not know the first thing about how to market products or services in a way that is meaningful. This article is going to go over some of the basics so that your business can thrive where others have failed.
First of all there is your product itself. This is important because it will determine whether people come back to you for business and whether they pass along good word of mouth advertising. There are also other aspects of the product like the customers perception of the brand and any other contact points that they consumer has with the company. The key here is to find a way to distinguish yourself. This can be as simple as offering superior customer service or having a superior brand image. Just remember that the product is ultimately more than just the object you are selling.
The second factor of marketing to consider is the price. This is often seen as a negative thing but the truth is that the price of your product can make a big difference in the way people perceive it. If you are selling a luxury good or if your focus is on the quality of the item then a high price will not only be expected by your consumers but will also will confirm their beliefs. If the price does not match the brand image then the product will struggle to maintain its image.
The third thing that will lead to a strong marketing program is to consider the channels that you take to selling the product. A case example is there has been a strong surge in the sale of home security systems. It used to be that home security systems were only sold from television ads or in home improvement stores like home depot. The recent surge has been coming from a lot of smaller companies springing up focusing on selling the systems door to door. This form of direct selling had never been considered by the industry before but has proven to be the most effective at selling the product. Consider what your distribution channels are and how they affect your product sales.
The fourth issue is the promotion. If your business has been doing the majority of its advertising in one place then perhaps it is time to switch it up and look for contacts in other places.