Throwing it back to a discussion we had a few years ago that we still feel is applicable to marketing today…

Ok, everyone knows the saying… Ready, Aim, Fire! But, when it comes to marketing, why do many companies seem to Fire, Aim and then Ready themselves?

We’ve seen it time and time again, companies not wanting to spend the time, effort and funds on some of the most important steps of marketing, the research and targeting. They are primarily focused on blindly firing out media so they can generate sales quickly. This process will get your company seen, but without proper research and targeting it will not generate overwhelming sales.

Let’s break down the process and show why it’s very important to not skip any steps. Even though it’s more expensive in the front end of a marketing campaign, it will greatly increase your sales.

Ready
To get a marketing campaign “Ready” is to gather the research regarding the marketplace, customers, competitors, employees, past and future trends, retail outlets, and anything else that may lend an insight into one’s product or service. Many companies skip this step because they feel they know everything about their market. Blockbuster thought it knew its customers too, but sadly, they found out the hard way that that wasn’t the case. Don’t be a Blockbuster, do the groundwork and budget in market research as one of your most valuable tools regarding industry trends, customer wants and competition efforts.

Aim
Here again is a step that many companies skip because they believe they know their customer better than anyone else. Maybe they do and, then again, maybe they don’t. The research gathered during the “Ready” phase will validate who the true customer is, how to communicate to them and also how to reach them. For example, a sub-contractor client of ours thought the main thing contractors liked about his company was the quality of the work. Our research showed that this was not on their mind. The things they praised him for was that he was always on time and on budget with his projects. By readjusting our clients marketing aim to his established on time and on budget track record, he was able to resonate more effectively to future customers. By analyzing the research, the aiming portion of the marketing campaign is an easy step and effective for getting the most return when the campaign is fired out to the marketplace.

Fire
This is the step everyone wants to jump to first, mainly because it’s where new customers are obtained and generate sales. But, if the media you create and publish is not focused on what the customers want or where they go then it falls on blind eyes. By spending marketing funds upfront and doing proper research and targeting, you will have safeguarded yourself against a misfire and loss of sales.

Now that you know our approach, how can we assist your business boost sales?

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