It’s safe to say that not much happens unless we have a customer. They make up the foundation of what we create, how we present it, how we market, and how we interact with the world. Heck, our customer even dictates if what we’re offering even fits into the world we’re interacting with.
As businesses, we want to offer something to the customer in exchange for payment. Sounds simple, right? Not really.
Let’s take a closer look at what Marketing is.
Marketing is about actively promoting your product or service. It’s successful when you can measure your key performance indicators and you are reaching your desired goals.
The flip side of this would be unsuccessful marketing. Outcomes may present themselves as no return, losing money, or stagnant numbers. Today, your customers want to know how you can help them. Marketing is about story telling and less about sales and discounts.
Secondly, let’s take a closer look at Branding.
This doesn’t mean that horrific hot iron ranchers use to stamp their cattle. Gosh no.
Branding, in marketing terms, is the feeling people get when they experience your product or service. It’s a compilation of everything about your business. The visual, like logos and brochures, along with the messages you put out into the world either via social media posts, advertising, customer perception and so forth. Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room. It is how they describe your business to their friends.
So how do we apply this to your customer?
Before going to market you first need to understand who your audience is, what they want, how will you help them and how best to communicate that.
Be sure to spend a generous amount of time doing research on your target audience. This can look like surveys, having a friendly chat, acquiring market research from a government agency, browsing around to understand your competition, and so fourth.
Make your next steps as strategic as possible.
So put your strategic hat on and do your homework. When done right, digital marketing can be very lucrative. But you’ve got to set yourself up to succeed, and ensure that any moves you make are made in the best interest of what your audience likes. This includes presenting your initiatives in the way which best communicates to them.
Once you know who you are targeting, then a plan needs to be drawn out. And of course, the tools need to be implemented to measure if it’s working.
Why is your customer important?
Your customer is the lifeline of your business. Without them, you may find yourself struggling. Once you have one (and many over time), you then need to provide consistent quality in all you do.
Because it’s a fact that when customers love what you do, they talk about it. Word-of-mouth marketing is truly your greatest marketing tool. Happy customers enhance your branding and marketing efforts, and happily refer you to their friends when they really believe in what you do. If your Brand offers a solution, is fun, quenches a thirst, then you are in business.
It’s important to know who your customer is. It all begins here. Once we know who your customer truly is, we create an effective marketing plan and start taking your business to new heights.
