We all have our little bugbears that rear their ugly heads from time to time, or in some cases, on a daily basis. But with time many of us learn to forgive the toothpaste being squeezed from the middle, and our patience when sitting behind unbearably slow drivers increases instead of dwindles. If it’s something that doesn’t really matter, or that won’t have a direct impact on you or your business then for the most part, we can live with it…the ‘challenge’ comes when the issue could have an impact on your business.
So if the bugbears and gripes are present in your working life then they need to be addressed. I had asked for comments to this blog so that I could feature some of the things that get on your last nerve but as no-one took me up on my offer then I assume something catastrophic happened so therefore I am issuing an all round pardon and instead will share with you some of the things in marketing that grate on me! Or in other words, my biggest marketing challenges.
N.B. ‘Challenge’ is the buzzword for this blog.
Right, just let me just get up on my high horse…there.
I think firstly, as it is closely related to what I mainly do within Début Marketing, it would be the challenge of communication. Sometimes I am given a clear message to convey through a specific channel or channels and that is great; happy Caroline. It is when the message is unclear or there are simply too many to convey in one go that I start to get a little uneasy. When communicating with an audience you rarely get very long to do it and you almost never get the opportunity to be the only one sending a message so therefore it is extremely important that you ‘nail’ your message before you begin communication. You may find that a brainstorming session is required to clarify your message or that you need to look at some stats to see what has worked in the past. Either way your communication needs to be on brand and targeted so as not to confuse your customers.
Wow, I feel so much better now that is off my chest…on to the next one.
Generating awareness. There’s one. I appreciate that this is perhaps more difficult for smaller businesses or for those just starting out as they are not yet established or maybe their budget is not huge. Unfortunately I cannot help you with the latter but the other is something that Début Marketing has had plenty of practice in. There are many avenues to go down that don’t involve pots of cash and that work two or even three fold. Take a blog for example, not only does this give you a platform to share what you are up to as a business so is therefore a free billboard but search engines love them. But only if the content is relevant, up to date and keyword rich. Social media is another way of boosting interest in your company. Post regularly on Facebook and ask ‘friends’ to share and like – the key here is interaction. If you don’t invest the time then you will be slow to grow but also don’t be afraid to try new things.
This is great therapy…
Lastly, and this one is a big one for me, sticking to tried and tested methods ain’t always the best way! I am aware of the old saying ‘if it isn’t broken don’t fix it’ but I am also coining a new one being, ‘if it isn’t updated it may be outdated’. Marketing, business, communication…these are all changing so quickly and it seems that every second week there is a new plug-in or app that is guaranteed to generate more business and increase sales. As these things change the marketplace is going to change, shoppers will become more savvy and will expect deals, and your competitors know this. Try new things, or if that seems like a leap of faith then test them against existing methods at the same time to build up an idea of what is really working as opposed to what you think is still working. You may be surprised at what you find.
But promise me one thing, before you rush off and do anything rash that you will seek some advice from Début Marketing first…?
Next week I will talk about how to convert leads into customer – watch this space!