Consumers Are Individual Customers
The idea of mass marketing to consumers is outdated.
Consumers are individuals and deserve to be called
customers. The days are gone when marketers can think
of consumers as a mass audience to "push" advertising
out to. In fact, wise marketers will remove the word
"consumers" from their vocabulary all together. You
can't have a relationship with a consumer, you can
with a customer. Customers are individuals. The fact
is that these days they're more demanding than ever.
They expect more from you. They deserve your respect
and expect to be treated like equals. The old fashioned
general store knew how to look after their customers.
The trick for the modern marketer is to take those old
"values" and use the new technology to build a
relationship that treats each customer as an individual.
Be First In The Mind
Or The Marketplace?
It is better to be first in the prospects mind than to
be first in the market place. Once somebody else gets
into your prospects mind you can't take away their
position with money alone. We're all quick to pass
judgement and it's difficult to change a mind once a
mind is made up. You have to blast your way into the
mind because people don't like to change their minds.
Once they perceive you one way, that's it. They put
you into a category and file you away in their minds
as a certain type of person or business. The only way
to change that perception is to become a different
kind of person or business in someone else's mind so
that the majority overwhelms the minority. You haven't
changed their mind, somebody else has.
Marketing is not a battle of products, it's a battle
of perceptions. It does not matter if you have the
best product or service, it's what people think that
counts.
Think Of Your Product
As A Service
These days there's no shortage of "me too" products
and short lived technological advantages. It can be
difficult to find a point of difference for your
product to own in your customers mind.
So, here's a thought. When thinking about competitive
differentiation for your product don't consider only
the physical aspects of your product. Instead think
of your product as a service. What is the service it
provides? What are the "experiences" it offers to a
customer? The answers to these questions will be more
fruitful in developing your marketing strategy than
just focusing on the physical aspects.
About the Author
Noel Peebles
noel@marketleadersltd.com
BUSINESS OWNERS: The Quick And Easy Ways To Get
Better Results From Your Advertising...Increase
Your Sales At Higher Profit Margins Than You've
Ever Done Before. FREE newsletter. FREE ebook.
http://www.betterbizprofits.com