We are all subject to having an advertising jingle or two stuck in our heads at any one time. It’s bloody annoying. Men still walk up to a bar saying ‘5 cougar’s thanks’, just to have a laugh.
But how did that one ad from 5 years ago become so engrained in our brains that we still think of it today? A really good marketing team, that’s how. The primary function of marketing is to promote or sell the goods and services of a business. Step one of marketing a product or service is to identify the target market. Pinpointing the exact 32-year-old bloke, in an Australian pub, hanging out with four buddies on a Friday night will provide the foundations to build a campaign upon.
Marketers can then research:
All of this information and more, is compiled and used to influence the decision-making processes.
Marketing encompasses many mediums and although TV ads are a great story telling example, they are just the beginning of a complete marketing campaign.
Clear Audience
They found him. They found Joe and his four mates drinking at the Geelong Hotel (hello neighbours!) on a Friday night. They knew that the 25-35 age market segment was where their customers were and they knew that they also watch a lot of TV.
Connection
Apart from watching a lot of TV, what else do 32-year-old men like? Pretty women. Yes, sex sells, but this was a wonderful example of how to connect directly to the male brain in a way that will make them remember.
Behind the scenes of the world of advertising, there is a marketing team working away at creating these moments of brilliance and there are a few key processes that take place for masterpieces like this to happen.
Have a Product
Why advertise if you don’t have a product? Duh.
Identify Your Unique Selling Point (USP)
Why would I buy your product over your competitors? What makes your product different? There is always something you offer that no one else does. Whether it’s 24/7 email support, or a free returns policy – make your business unique and individual so that you have that little somethin’ somethin’ Michelle over there doesn’t. Your customers will love you for it.
Understand Your Target Market
Speaking of customers – who are they? Where are they? How do they like to purchase? Getting to know your customers like you know your best friend is the best thing you could do for your business. If you know exactly what they want then you can actually give it to them. Neat, hey?
Set Marketing Goals
There is really no point investing in marketing if you’re not working towards that gold star. Whether it’s an increase in sales, a higher engagement rate on social media, more click throughs on your website or even increasing how often your phone rings, you must have a goal – a goal that is measurable. Consequently, if you can’t measure it how will you know if you’re getting what you paid for?
Set Accountability
Now that you have your product, your audience, your USP and your goals – who is going to actually do the work? Assigning people to be responsible for creating content and implementing the strategy is instrumental to launching a campaign. As a result, if Jenny doesn’t know that everyone is waiting on her for the images of last Saturdays catering event, how is today’s Instagram post going to get posted?
Evaluate!
Understanding and celebrating your achievements is one of the best and most interesting steps in your whole marketing strategy! Knowing what your return on investment is and uncovering areas of future (marketing) opportunities is what evaluating is all about.
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