subject: Market Research, Media Content Development, Publishing & Distribution [print this page] If you have a business, whether an online business or a bricks and mortar business, then the key to success is to be able to effectively market that business to the relevant targeted audience. Marketing your business is often no simple task. In order to effectively market your business you need to identify exactly "where" your customers are looking for the type of products and services that you are offering. In conjunction with that, you need to know how your potential customer-base attributes value to your products and services and utilise that knowledge in your approach to online marketing.
This involves not just an exercise in designing, deploying and updating websites, emails, ezines, and all sorts of other content, but also an effort associated with conducting relevant market research. Without the market research element it will be difficult to understand "where" your customers are looking, "how" your customers are looking, and specifically "what" your customers are looking for. Where is the value for them? How do you stand out from your competition in terms of the value that you deliver to your customers? Conducting market research online will deliver to your business an intrinsic understanding of how your customer behaves when they search for the products and services you are offering, and how they identify "value" in the products and services that you are offering.
In turn, understanding this behaviour through your market research, will inform you as to how you use this to write, publish and distribute relevant media content across the Internet, with the intention to promote your organisation, goods and services and ultimately bring customers in through your front door.
Again, doing this can often be no easy task. Many businesses ultimately do not have the time to focus on these marketing, media content generation, publishing and distribution activities. Instead businesses tend to be firmly rooted in the day-to-day, business-as-usual operational regime. They worry instead about ensuring accounts are up-to-date, employees are present and productive, and that a good level of customer service is offered to their customers as they either walk through their door, or buy online. This is no bad thing and represents an essential part of running a business. However, marketing is then often thought of as a secondary task and can sometimes fall by the wayside. However, marketing savvy businesses, especially those that are highly marketing-centric, will undoubtedly perform better than their non-marketing savvy counterparts in the same industry or market segment.
So, given that market research, media content generation, publishing and distribution helps to increase people's awareness of your business, and connects you with your customers; how can marketing effectiveness be measured? There are lots of different techniques available; however, the one true measure of effective marketing is simple. You will see an increase in customer enquiries, and potentially sales for your products and services.
Nowadays, given the huge volume of people, and therefore potential customers online, it is critical that businesses do not ignore the vast potential represented by the Internet. It is effectively a great leveller, allowing smaller businesses to complete on almost an equal footing with larger, more established bricks and mortar businesses. Both online and traditional offline business will gain from an effective online presence, but only if your potential customer base knows that you are there. It's not enough simply to have a website, your presence online needs to be marketed effectively.
If your business is unable to invest the necessary time and expertise in terms of conducting market research, writing and developing media content, publishing and distributing content, then you may benefit considerably by finding a third party capable of doing so on your behalf.
Market Research, Media Content Development, Publishing & Distribution
