Last time we discussed the meaning of "marketing" and the basic elements available from which to formulate a campaign. We can now look at the subject in greater depth.
A typical sales process.
Having mentioned the importance of understanding the series of steps a potential customer takes to arrive at their buying decision, the following serves as a simple illustration.
Branding
The number of stages from no knowledge of your company, product or service to actually committing, depends on the value on offer. Obviously the process to buy an ice cream requires the customer to make fewer decisions than when considering for example, a new luxury car, although they both probably involve the same amount of guilt!
Slowly, slowly catchee monkey!
A common mistake made by many new businesses is to bypass the progressive sales process, in an attempt to make the sale in the first communication. It is unlikely that someone would commit to a purchase after simply reading one marketing message. And if that's the case, we're actually not selling much if anything, in the first communication. The aim should be to explain what their problem is and how we can solve it, and if they're interested, we can point them in the direction to discover more information.
From a marketer's perspective, we are moving the prospect to the second stage of the journey. By use of promotions and incentives we can be more aggressive, but essentially we're trying to achieve the same thing; to start the sales conversation that will stimulate interest and result in a sale later on.
Avoid information-overload
On this basis, it is surprising that so many companies try to incorporate their entire sales information into their brochure or a website, without considering what exactly a prospective customer really needs to know at the time that they read it.
Providing too much information, too soon, indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of the marketing and sales process.
Marketers need to understand and predict the stages of this journey. Successful marketing campaigns follow this path by providing suitable communications with appropriate messages at each step. These messages are designed to drive prospective customers further along the path towards the purchase decision.
Using proactive tools to support the sales process
The branding or perhaps just a logo is an essential start point when planning a new business. Direct mail, advertising, PR and website optimisation, are all excellent marketing methods to generate leads and interest. This of course, is not a definitive list; for instance, networking could be included, particularly if you are a consultant.
Marketing Tip
It's crucial that each communication delivered by whatever means, includes a strong call-to-action. This can take the form of perhaps a call or email for more information, or encouraging people to visit the website for the same purpose. This last, is a very successful method as it's the one place they can go (especially in the business-to-business area) to find out more and validate their suppliers online. They can do this without having to give their details away or be sold to by someone in person or over the phone. The presence and quality of the website provides some additional evidence, albeit superficial that they are making the right purchase decision.
