the prettiest bridesmaid.
An old colleague of mine probably said it best after an unsuccessful pitch:
“Will, we’re always the prettiest bridesmaid at the wedding - never the bride.”
Sometimes there’s the thought that all you need to grow your business is to slap a nice stock photo on the cover of your sales collateral, maybe throw some extra money into paid advertising and pay a Kardashian to say how great you are on Instagram.
Nothing against Kim or Kylie (all marketers should pray at the altar of Kris as far as I’m concerned) but if you’re not putting thought into your overall strategy before jumping into marketing you’re not only burning your budget, you’re ultimately setting fire to all those views and interactions that could have been loyal customers and brand champions.
So where do we start?
During consultations at doubleUcreative, before we look at making things look amazing (and I’m very good at that) I ask the following:
What’s your value proposition?
What itch do you scratch? Stop only thinking about the features, and start thinking about the benefits. Apple’s new watch may have features of a great battery life and durability, but you’re sold on the benefit of it being “ready for your next adventure.” Am I scaling Everest on the weekends? No. Am I wearing one? Absolutely.
What’s your unique selling proposition (USP)?
Why you? In a potentially saturated marketplace, why would someone walk through your door vs your competitor’s. Sometimes it’s easy; you’re the cheapest, the biggest, the quickest. Sometimes it’s not as tangible, like Metro Bank’s focus on customer experience. Whatever it is, find it then make it yours and only yours (at least as far as everyone else is concerned.)
Who’s your target audience?
Who do you want to see you? ‘Everyone’ doesn’t cut it. For almost every product / service there’s a target demographic, and knowing who’s most likely to buy from you is a key part of how and where you market your business. Do your research: customer age, gender, location, spending habits and more can be invaluable in helping to zero in on getting infront of prospects more likely to engage with you rather than wasting time and budget on those who aren’t. Do women want to see your ‘male performance’ pills ads pop up (nice) on their Facebook timeline? Whenever you can, fish with a spear, not by throwing dynamite into your local lake.
Once those questions are answered, you should have enough to perfectly position your brand and start building on all of the above to tailor your content and marketing strategy. Marry that with slick, unique design and you’re onto a winner.
