The Key Elements Of A Marketing Mindset

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. The lifeblood of any business is its marketing of its products and services. The following contributed post is thus entitled; The Key Elements Of A Marketing Mindset.

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Do you have a marketing mindset?

Sure, you probably understand the basics of marketing, and you should be making efforts already to push your business out into the consumer arena, but how much thought are you putting into your strategy?

Are you putting ads out here there and everywhere, hoping that somebody will notice them?

Have you created a website, hoping that somebody, anybody, will stumble across it?

Or have you put a little more thought into what you are doing, thinking like a marketer, instead of creating slapdash marketing efforts because you know you probably should?

For greater success in business, you need to have a marketing mindset. You need to approach this part of your business in different ways, with various types of thinking. In this article, we will list what we consider to be the key elements of a marketing mindset; giving you the inspiration to think in ways that maybe you haven’t thus far.

The Key Elements of a Marketing Mindset.

Think Big

You have something to offer people, so shout it from the rooftops. Don’t be that quiet voice in the corner that is barely noticeable. Let the world know you exist, pushing your business out there to as many avenues, and in as large a way, as possible.

– Don’t just take out small ads in newspapers and magazines. Pay a little extra to get bigger ad space. And don’t just rely on print media, but consider radio and television too, sending the word out to the masses through these popular mediums. And target the right spots within all of your media campaigns, perhaps outsourcing to the folks at this website to maximise your ad potential.

– Don’t assume people are going to read the flyers you put through their letterboxes, or that they are going to spot your business ads in the classifieds. Instead of posting small, post large. Consider taking out billboard space in a high-traffic area where news of your business will be hard to miss.

– Go beyond your usual reach with your advertising, and consider other demographics. Can you make your product or service appeal to somebody who may not normally consider it? Can you target the international market, above and beyond the communities in your locale? Can you partner with another business, complimenting their service with what you have to offer? Think big about your company’s appeal.

– Do something that will make the media take an interest in you. A publicity stunt, a generous act, or an organised community event, are just some of the ways to raise greater awareness about your business. When people start talking about you, for all of the right reasons, then word will spread, and that can only be a good thing for you.

– When attending business events and conferences, try and raise a larger awareness about your business. Instead of handing out business cards to the people you meet en route, consider a more prominent position. Lead a panel debate, host a seminar, or stand up in front of thousands, and use your elevated status to promote your business.

Think Small

Excuse us for what might seem like a contradiction, but we do have a few points to make. Sometimes, thinking small makes perfect business sense, and this can be applied in the following ways.

– If you don’t have a large marketing budget, you can still market your business for free. From word-of-mouth marketing to using social media to channel your efforts, you can still market your business, despite your small budget.

– You don’t need to market to everybody. While there may be ways to appeal to other demographics, it would be a waste of your time and money trying to market your service to people who are unlikely to buy from you. Narrow down your efforts, and use these ideas to define your target demographic.

– Marketing far and wide is all well and good, but what about the people you meet every day? Those people you sit next to on the bus or train. The people within your own family. The patrons of a local coffee shop where you take your morning break. Think about all those people who make up the small circles of your daily routine. Have 1:1 conversations and raise awareness about your business.

Think Creatively

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Businesses fall into the usual tried and tested methods of marketing, and that’s okay. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? However, there is still room for a little creativity to make your marketing efforts stand out. You will make a stronger impression if you do.

– Going beyond print advertising in your local classifieds, look at other ways to attract the attention of your community. Commission a mural from a local artist to advertise your business (get permission first) on a wall within your neighbourhood. Dress your team in outlandish costumes that reflect your brand and send them out onto the street with flyers and freebies to hand out to passersby. Commission a flash mob to perform a show that is reflective of your business. Try these and any other urban marketing ideas to make an impact in your community.

– When thinking about your content marketing, go beyond basic text. Use plenty of visual imagery to back up your words, with high-definition photos, video clips, and humorous gifs to make your readers smile. Mix up your blog posts with infographics, using this creative medium to get your points across in a more user-friendly visual medium. And be creative with your title posts, with catchy headline titles that your readers will struggle to ignore.

Finally

Think big, think small, and think creatively. These are the key elements of a marketing mindset. Be sure to use some of our ideas where appropriate within your business, and consider other ways to market your business as you think about your strategies for the weeks and months ahead. Be sure to let us know what you think, and if you have any ideas of your own, expand our mindsets by sharing your advice with us. Good luck, and thanks for reading.

The Basics Of Branding And Marketing For Business

“A well-branded product instills the visions, values, thoughts, and feelings you wish to express to attract the desired customer.”

Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Potentially the most important component of any business/enterprise is its branding and marketing. What are the basics of these two aspects? The following contributed is entitled, The Basics Of Branding And Marketing For Business.

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Branding and marketing are both instrumental in helping your product or service to be visible to customers either online or in person, a distinguished brand which makes an impact big enough on your customers to trigger their curiosity enough to buy your product and then recommend it to their friends. Discussed below are the basics of branding and marketing and how you can apply this to your own business to effectively sell your products.

Branding

A well-branded product instills the visions, values, thoughts, and feelings you wish to express to attract the desired customer. However, once your brand is launched to the world, it also encapsulates the ideas and interpretations of what new and existing customers think about your business too. The quote below highlights the importance of shared values between the brand and the customer:

“If people believe they share values with a company, they will stay loyal to the brand.”

Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks

A well-branded business will help you to stand apart from your competitors, you will become distinguished and recognizable in the market to the people who matter most to your brand.

For instance, when you think of Dolce & Gabbana, this may conjure thoughts of, luxury, exclusivity, whereas when you think about Walmart, you may think family-friendly, affordable and accessible. These thoughts are shaped by the brand and how it presents itself.

The best place to start when thinking about how to piece together your brand is to treat it as though it was a person trying to attract other people. Start by answering questions such as what impression you want to convey? And what’s your reputation? With this, you can begin to create a name, a logo design, a slogan and gradually an identity. According to Steve Forbes Editor in Chief of Forbes Magazine; “Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business”

Which is why it’s paramount to invest a lot of your time and creativity not just in the initial creation phase, but also throughout the duration of the brand’s existence to save your business from sinking later on.

Marketing

There are various divisions incorporated in marketing. One of which is the process of distributing your brand to a broader audience to increase popularity, to target intended audiences, and to convey the message set during your branding process. However, the branding process is an integral part of creating your business prior to distributing your marketing collateral. The reason being is because, without the brand, your marketing plan will lack direction. If you need help with marketing, be sure to hire an expert who knows what they’re doing, like Cullen Fischel.

For instance, you may decide your brand of clothing will represent the importance of veganism. This will help you to devise a marketing plan with direction to reach those who are interested in veganism. In turn, you can tailor your marketing strategy on targeting this niche to convey your message across social media sites, to take an active part in either attending or initiating vegan events by supplying merchandise from customlanyardscanada.com, or you might choose to write a blog on your business website related explicitly to veganism to improve your search engine optimization with unique content and improve your business’s chances of being discovered on Google. By presenting a well-crafted brand to a specific niche, you can better own, you can convey a consistent message to customers, which will also support your brand’s professionalism and reputation.

Reputation building

Speaking of reputation, a key aspect of branding and marketing is reputation building. You need to showcase that you are an ethical, experienced and high-quality company in order to win over the trust and respect of customers. This involves providing information on your values and evidence of your achievements.

Online professional bios such as this one from Alice Chang PhD can be a great way to list your achievements and detail your values. You can also display certificates and trust badges on your site or around your premises. Harnessing the power of customers reviews is also important – make sure that you’re actively encouraging every happy customer to leave a Google review or testimonial on your site.

Investing time in branding and marketing your product or service will help you to reach your intended audience with an image that’s relevant and professional in both appearance and ideologies in order to attract and persuade your customers to buy from you now and in the future.