The changing face of marketing

[Chatmaster]

< I need to point out something. Marketing consist out of different segments and the ideal way of going forward with a solid marketing plan is to utilize as many segments of marketing as possible. Advertising is not dead and will probably not die very soon. Advertising forms a platform on which all marketing can be built. It makes people aware of your existence and ensure that you obtain customers to make your Viral campaigns work.

The main factor in compiling a proper marketing plan is a budget. If you do not have a budget, advertising opportunities would be very restricted. A further factor is your product and pricing. If your ROI is going to be low, advertising might not necessarily be a wise option to initiate your marketing plan.

For a small business, targeting your market accurately is essential regardless of your budget. This will ensure that your closing ratio is high enough to maintain a proper ROI.

Would I be correct in stating that one should not go for one media only, but multiple medias all at the same time?

Media marketing is a very wide term and can be anything from press releases TV appearances to multi media viral campaigns online. You will have to be a bit more specific here.

I think that we need to stand out from the herd today, and that the first step is our method of marketing. Doing it in a humorous way is sure getting old fast, or is it only me? Some advertising is so strong, I remember the punch line, but not the product!

Yes, I fully agree. You need to stand out. For that reason you need to know your competition and their products compared to your own. Being unique gives you marketing strategy a platform to make a statement that people can remember. Essentially it is all about the customer. What their needs are and how you can satisfy it.

Humor is not getting old. Being aware what is going on around current events and utilizing it to build your brand. Utilize humor it gets people talking and make them remember your brand.

Telephone sales are just irritating, and if I get one, I don't like it at all. The general perception is that it is just a scam. As consumers we have become disillusioned & jaded. With time a scarce resource, the ads in magazines are just colour and we don't read them, same with newspapers -- we just go for the headlines of the day. So what is left?

I would seriously suggest that you rethink this one. Doing telemarketing cannot be discarded that easily. It is all about the way you do it. Telemarketing agencies tend to do cold calling without any personal discussion. Make it personal and meaningful to the recipient (ad value). Once again be selective with who you approach and make the approach adapt to the person you call. In other words, if you are selling a website, rather make your goal to make an appointment for a direct sale. The product or service wouldn’t allow you to make a sale over the phone so make your goal to get an appointment instead, by offering an opportunity to the customer to discuss his current situation and you to use your people skills to sell your product. In direct sales people by people not the product.

[Upstairs]

Do the hard yards. Go and sit in front of your prospective customer, and do that many times if you believe that you can add value to his business. Focus on what you can do for him, instead of is wallet. The time will come when he needs your product or service. By then you will be like an old friend he can trust. You do not have to talk about business every time you visit him. Build the relationship and the business will follow. Go and sell yourself. People buy from people.

[Alta Murray]

Global Master, thank you so much, you have given me much to think about. I do think this is one area that I am not naturally good at, nothing comes to mind, and that does not happen often. As for all the platforms mentioned -- geez, I didn't even think of that, I was thinking along the lines of perhaps starting out with O magazine or your more high-brow mags as most business women tend to read those types of maggies?

The only feeling I do have is that I am overlooking something, that there is something out there that no one has tried before, pretty much the same feeling I had before i started on my system....... will try to make time for that as well. I bet you there is a new way.....

Thus far I have done quite a lot of work on what makes my system unique, the value it adds, my competition ( not much out there) and all the rest of it. But thank you so much for helping me, I really appreciate it. You do know a lot don't you?

[Alta Murray]

Hi Upstairs,

Now what you wrote I can really relate to, that is my preferred method as I find that I do very good one-on-one with prospective clients -- I get my msg across. But it is very time consuming and I can not represent myself in this way and do all the rest of the work. I love the human element though and people selling to people...... I love that!!

Thank you for your input, somehow you made the whole marketing plan seem less scary,perhaps because you mentioned something that I can actually do Ha!

[Chatmaster]

Thus far I have done quite a lot of work on what makes my system unique, the value it adds, my competition ( not much out there) and all the rest of it. But thank you so much for helping me, I really appreciate it. You do know a lot don't you?

I seriously recommend that you read Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson and also do some research on Lateral Marketing. Lateral Marketing is so flexible their are hardly any rules, it is also extremely fascinating and you might enjoy getting the marketing block of your brain.

[Dave A]

OK - no new thread so let's derail this one properly.

Product - financial software
Target - business owners, managers.

Apart from the thoughts above, I'd also think "inside the box" (just for a change) and get it on retail shelves. Makro, Incredible Connection - where else?

If your box is the right size, it's really cheap advertising and you might even make some money selling the box. Why else does Nortons, Microsoft et al have boxed product on the shelves when the product can be delivered online? Free marketing exposure!

Next thought - Send demos to accountancy companies. If one shows interest from a reasonably reputable firm - go the whole nine yards to impress. Nothing like an accountant's endorsement - you could even mention him/her them on the box

[Alta Murray]

Oh, thank you again! It does make sense -- a box!

[Dave A]

Yeah - In the minds of the masses, only cheap and nasty software comes in a jewel case. And online there is this "there must be a free source" mentality if you dare to charge.

[Alta Murray]

Hi Dave,
That made me laugh out loud! Talking about jewel cases, Mothers Day is coming up, so I don;t think the masses will frown on that type o box on that day of the year! Make it count boys!

Yes, they do always want something for free, but if you think about it, it is usually a demo version on offer and I have no problem with it per sae, but these demo versions can ruin your rep as you have an untrained end-user trying to eval. your system.

I have been thinking about giving mass presentations of the software as well, but you know people have so little time that you need to create a hype beforehand. So you have to host a golf day ( which incidentally stand for gentleman only ladies forbidden) and then have a presentation afterwards. I think marketing and entertainment should go hand in hand these days as people like us don;t have time to socialize just for the sake of relaxing.

I would of course prefer having a tennis day with strawb and cream, as I broke my foot playing friggin put-put, so I don;t handle a club very well.

Sorry for my scant participation but my dad is fighting for his life in hospital, so time is more of a problem than usual.

[Seagyn Davis]

The answer - Social Marketing.

Duncan touched on it - what if your product touches a person so much that they just speak about it?

Case in point - I am a car fanatic, to be precise a race car fanatic. I had a stand at the Gauteng Motor Show and took time off to go see the other stands and chat to a few people I know. At the time I was with a good friend and a car enthusiast (built the fastest Cobra in South Africa) and we went to one of the most renound car tuners in the country, bear with me now. He had a BMW M3 on display and promptly came up to us to chat about the car (it was not standard at all). He then went through what he had done, what he can do, what he is planning to do etc. knowing that as much as he tells us and 'sells' his product to us, my friend and I would most probably do it ourselves anyway.

BUT (a big but)

By the end of the day, and without realising it, I had told about 20 people and each of those people maybe told 5 people reaching an audience of 100 people just from 1 guy.

Great marketing strategy.

This guy is the owner of the store with enough money to pay 10 marketers/sales reps to sit at the stand and sell his company but knowing that if he as the owner sits there and markets his passion, then it will strike a greater nerve than anyone else.

Online applications - create applications that people can interact on, both potential and exisiting clients, which in turn promotes the product and actually gets people to get more info on it. One of the best marketing strategy I have experienced was for the Toyota Auris. You could actually play a game online, compete against 1000's of other people whilst racing an Auris around. Then after you raced around, you can go into the garage (on the game), change the colours of the Auris, check the stats of the range and head straight back into the game where it would hit you with more Auris subliminal messages.

The bottom line is that its not about putting your name on 20 meter build boards, having R10 000 Google AdWords budgets, its about allowing the customer to interact with the brand and feel as if they are getting something in return - I have read that bit from Seth Godin.

In terms of promoting software, Dave A, hit a very valuable point there. Millers, (SAB), give certain clubs/bars a fridge full of Millers for free if they only have that fridge full of Millers. In your face advertising and great incentive for the owners of the clubs.

Also a good way to promote software is online demos/downloadable demos or like was said a free demo in a jewel case. I for one really want to see what the product is capable of before I actually use it and to be brutally honest without knowing to much about your product, is that it should be self explanatory. A demo and full version should show you exactly what to do and the demo should clearly define that you can access this feature when you buy the full version.

Hopes this sets you in the right direction?

[woody22]

Great thread,

Thanks for those useful tips... Hope these will be very helpful. I will surely implement these in my marketing strategies... Will come back for more....

[Alta Murray]

Remember I said I just had a feeling there is a new way of markering out there? Yes, oh yes, I have found it! I know so little about marketing that it might have been done before but I doubt it.

Also Dave, off topic, I have a daughter in Matric and you know what the Boerewors Gordyn kids do after matric, they flock down your way. Is Durban safe? Which areas can one look at?

[IanF]

I have a daughter in Matric and you know what the Boerewors Gordyn kids do after matric, they flock down your way. Is Durban safe? Which areas can one look at?

Alta
My youngest daughter is also in matric and going down with friends to Umhlanga for her holiday. She is going with 5 other girls in her school, they are flying down and then will get a taxi. I know she has a good head on her and shouldn't get into trouble, but she is responsible and has had to save for the spending money.

[staffrepublic]

Ja, I too find that South Africans have short memories and one has to keep plugging services/or products in their faces before they actually take any notice. If you don't visit/call often enough, they simply grab whoever is available at the time, fall on their bekke when things go badly, then call you to complain. But they definitely do need to be reminded often and always. Sefricans for you!

[Dave A]

Remember I said I just had a feeling there is a new way of markering out there? Yes, oh yes, I have found it! I know so little about marketing that it might have been done before but I doubt it.

I hope when the time is right, you will share it

Is Durban safe? Which areas can one look at?

The main danger for that particular migration might not be the locals.

Ian's right. Umhlanga Rocks is "safe." Probably the highest risk area would be Durban central beach front or isolated beachfront areas.