Last week I had the opportunity to attend a session within the Entrepreneur 101 series hosted by MaRS Discovery District. This one was entitle Marketing Communications and was presented by Mark Evans. I have outlined the main takeaways from this year’s presentation which are different from last year’s session that Stephanie Goodman attended. She wrote a blog about her findings as well.
Marketing is not a rinse and repeat cycle; in fact it is the complete opposite. When developing a marketing strategy it is important to continually be assessing what is working, what isn’t, and how to improve. There are two main questions to answer when thinking about your marketing strategy.
What is Your Story?
Target Audience
Figure out who your ideal customers are. What kinds of people will be interested in your product? How many of them are in the market? Where can they be found?
Competitive Edge
Something that makes you unique. This can include new features, low prices, or excellent customer service. What is going to make a potential customer choose your product or service over someone else’s?
Customer Benefits
How does your product or service help a customer’s life become easier, faster, or more productive? Pay attention to what your customers are looking for in a solution.
Once these questions have been answered you have developed your core message which was also mentioned in Stephanie’s earlier blog. A good rule of thumb: you should be able to deliver your core message in one breath in order to engage your potential customer.
Where to Tell Your Story?
There are a number of platforms available for the delivery of your story. It is also essential to remember that different people respond differently to messages depending on the channels. Some effective channels include:
Website
Website viewers know within 15 seconds of being on a webpage if they want to continue browsing. Create a website that reflects your organizations culture. Focus on the about page; people are interested in talking to other people not a brand.
Blog
Blog to build good will and to make a name for yourself as an aggregator of valuable content in your community. Also remember that blogs are you own property so they can be refurbished to use in other mediums: for example, presentations, white papers and, social media.
Videos
Videos hold a lot of potential to engage customers. Consider creating a short video, no longer than two minutes that acts a demo for your product or service.
Social Media
Social media is becoming more prevalent, so think about using platforms that may not be very popular but where your target audience is active in. However, don’t rely too heavily on social media; it is only part of the marketing mix.
Newsletters
Newsletters are effective in being a timely reminder for customers who may have forgotten about your product or service. They are also delivered into someone’s mailbox creating a direct connection with a potential client.
As a marketer simply develop a message that a potential customer can relate to and deliver it to them using the most appropriate platform. For more information about the presentation you can view the slideshow.
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