Eight Questions to Ask About Your Company’s Marketing

The current economy presents challenges for marketers of all stripes – from high-end retailers to OEMs supplying components for finished products. As budgets shrink, you need to find effective ways to market your products while still cutting through the deluge of advertising messages fighting for your customers’ attention. Some studies estimate the typical American is subjected to more than 30,000 marketing messages a year. That’s more than 80 a day. So how can your business reach customers? It starts with asking yourself some serious questions.

1. Do you believe in your product? First and foremost, you must believe in your product as a solution to your customers’ needs. Your belief, your passion and your commitment must come through in everything you do.

2. Are you consistent in promoting your product? One of the keys to successful marketing is consistency. Even in times when advertising frequency or the number of marketing avenues may be reduced, maintaining a clear consistent message is critical.

3. Do you have a clear benefit? This is perhaps the most obvious thing in the world, but too often companies concentrate on product features rather than benefits that solve a customer’s problem. Do the research and talk to your customers to make sure you understand why they buy from you and not your competitor.

4. Are you making your benefits clear? Once you know why customers buy from you, make sure you clearly communicate those benefits in ways that the customer will understand. Depending upon the complexity of the product, you may need to develop complementary message strategies for various audiences.

5. How are you positioned in your market? In a crowded marketplace, successful companies establish a clear position such as price, performance, quality or ease-of-use.

6. Are you using appropriate marketing tactics? The possibilities for creative marketing are practically endless, but budgets typically aren’t. Choosing the right combination of tactics – ranging from print and online ads, to direct mail, trade shows, search engine optimization, pay-per-click and public relations – is vital. You also need to understand the ROI of various methods in generating sales.

7. Are your marketing materials effective? Regardless of the tactic, your marketing materials need to exhibit the same quality as your product or service. A homemade-looking, hard-to-navigate website will cause customers to question if your products perform the same way. No matter what it is, if it’s not executed well, it’s not worth doing.

8. Do you have the right in-house marketing expertise? This is a tough one for many companies. Sometimes the hardest thing is to look inward and make an honest assessment of your existing capabilities. Particularly as people take on greater workloads and hiring internal staff is put on hold, this may be a good time to consider outside marketing help. Independent marketing firms can provide expertise and experience across a variety of discipline. They allow you to choose the level of service needed without taking on the cost of salary and benefits for a full-time employee.

Asking yourself these questions can help you put your company on the road to a thriving, effective marketing campaign that is assured to boost your bottom line. And isn’t that why you’re in business in the first place?

To learn more about how an integrated marketing program could benefit your company, contact NM Marketing Communications at 847.657.6011 or visit: http://www.nmmarketingbiz.com/.