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Author: Malia Powers

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5 SIMPLE TIPS FOR STRATEGIES TO WIN SALES

The question often arises nowadays: how do we keep winning them over as consumers are becoming more and more complex.

The consumer has become more aware when it comes to marketing approaches but also more economical. Gone are the days where you can trick your consumer into purchases, now you need cold hard facts. Everyone now has information right at their fingertips with technology, so the marketing game has changed.

Let’s review five strategies that should help you increase sales and overcome the competitors in a highly concentrated market.

01 IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM

By looking at the ideal customer in the market where you do business, you can acknowledge the sort of problems your customer is facing that you can solve. If there is a solution out there for a specific problem, the customer will pay for a readily available solution.

Research has shown that sometimes the customer is aware of an existing problem. However, because it’s minor and, most importantly, because they know there is no solution, they do not pay attention to it. You need to show them that a solution exists. There is a high chance that, in this case, the customer will remain a loyal consumer by knowing you’re the only one able to provide the solution they require.

02 DEVELOP A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

You need to make your customers enjoy purchasing from you by offering them more benefits. Most important is to provide them with the benefits they need and the benefits they want.

Offense within marketing is trying to take loyal customers from the competitors by attracting them with different deals or promotions, which is very good. However, you’re not able to concentrate on defending your customers from the competitors, who may come up with a different strategy to snatch your loyal customers. You have to choose carefully what type of strategy you decide to use in such a concentrated market.

04 PICK THE RIGHT PLACE

This is a more complex step where you need to focus mostly on doing market research on your competitors to determine the right price. It’s imperative to remember that the value perceived by the customer determines the price you set on a particular product or service. If t he customer does not see your product being worth more than $20, he will not be willing to purchase for a higher price.

  • You may need to take into consideration certain price variations that are on the market.
  • How much is a specific benefit of your product/service worth in the market you’re doing business in?
  • Why are the competitors willing to pay so much or so little?
  • Why are the consumers willing to pay so much or so little?

These are questions that you need to consider even before the product’s actual production or the implementation of the service.

05 FOCUS ON CUSTOMER RETENTION

If a new customer has just purchased your product, this should not mean the end of the relationship between you and the customer. Once the customer has been attracted, you need to focus on retaining them by showcasing how beneficial your product/service can be to their problem or quality of life.

It is all about keeping a strong relationship that will eventually lead to the consumer becoming a loyal customer, one who will not choose the competitor’s lower-priced product over yours. Offering the client more than a product: You have offered them a solution that is perceived as valuable.

Remember that the first impression is the key aspect because most consumers decide on a particular product in five seconds. The ideal customer is far more likely to purchase the product if they see it in action. Make sure that in your advertising campaign, you have a video that shows how the product functions and how it can be a solution to the customer’s problem.

As mentioned before, communication with the customer is simply the key in this section. If you are willing to listen to the customers and adapt your product/service for their needs and wants, they will remain with you because they trust you as a business to solve their problems. I hope that these five strategies can help you push your sales, products, or services in the remainder of the year and on a long-term plan. It is imperative to remember that analyzing all the information you can get your hands on is key. You may find a small gap within the market or segment that has a problem to which the market has not yet responded with a solution (product or service).’

Need helping getting started? Contact us today!
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WHAT IS INFLUENCER MARKETING?

Influencer Marketing is a form of marketing utilized throughout social media platforms and other online avenues where companies leverage influential people in the community or online to push sales, leads, or brand exposure. 

Influencer marketing can commonly be a lot more affordable than traditional avenues of marketing; hence, it has become so popular in the business world in the last couple of years. As social media continues to grow, so does the opportunity for influences and influencer marketing to grow and prosper as one of the most successful forms of advertising. 

HISTORY OF INFLUENCER MARKETING

The original form of influencer marketing was utilizing celebrities to advertise your products. This could cost companies hundreds of thousands of dollars, but now with the influencer community growing, it does not have to. Nowadays, the average everyday influencer can sometimes produce more quality content and sales than an A-List celebrity could. Why, you ask? There is something to be said for the authenticity of a regular person influencing their tight-knit community and messaging going to your intended audience from a person that your audience trusts. 

There are different ways you can utilize influencer marketing. You can offer discounts on your products in exchange for free advertising on social media platforms, blogs, or affiliate links. You can do product exchange – this is a free product in exchange for advertisement and endorsement, or paid advertisements. For the more influential people with wider audiences and reach, you can pay influencers to pitch your business to their followers and bring in sales. These three levels depend on the influencer you are trying to target, your company’s budget, and what audience you are trying to sell to. 

Influencers can help you reach new audiences and the right audiences instead of mass advertisements that can be seen by people, not within your clientele. Stop wasting time advertising to broad demographics when you can select influencers within your business niche and get the audience that is actually interested in what you have to offer. If you are a childcare product, reach out to the mommy blogging community. If you are a beauty brand, reaching out to makeup artists and beauty influencers would necessarily be a better audience for you than someone in lifestyle. 

NICHE INFLUENCERS

It is safe to assume that if an influencer is posting within a specific niche, their followers are there to see that type of content, so your product or service should seamlessly fit what the influencer has to offer. Suppose you position yourself within the right niche. In that case, you are automatically targeting an audience more likely to invest in what you have to provide through that specific influencer than you would with someone outside your realm of expertise. Find the proper niche by searching to discover pages or targeting particular hashtags. Also, assess what your competitors are doing and who they are advertising with. If you are looking for someone to advertise for your restaurant, target a local food blogger. Pick a local food blogger known for their unique food journey in the community. Other restaurants consider targeting people like this for their profile stature and influence within the community. This is just one example of finding someone to show you the right audience.

GROW YOUR AUDIENCE

Influencer marketing can also help you grow your business social media platforms, boost credibility in your niche, and serve as great testimonials. 

The other purpose influencers serve for your business is content creation. Take the heavy expense out of photographers and models. Influencers make their living off of the content they create, so you can get creative and high-end content to utilize form influencers for yourself. 

The possibilities with influencers are endless! Do you guys want to learn more about influencer marketing? 
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ADAPT YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY

In our current uncharted territory, everyone’s business is subject to rapid change. Here at Power On Marketing, we highly advise a plan that is proactive and a plan that will adjust and adapt as you lead your company and team during these unprecedented times and in the future. The way we speak to customers, and manage brands is changing, don’t get left behind.

Finding your voice during such tumultuous times can be a struggle. It becomes even more difficult during a landscape that is changing daily. With the challenge, though, comes opportunity. Businesses are presented with the chance to show their integrity and also what they stand for. All of this though has to be done sensitively, to not make light of present situations or turn people away. When selling a product or service well-suited for these difficult times, there is a fine line that does not come off as exploiting tragedy and chaos.

HOW DOES THIS ALL TIES INTO YOUR MARKETING, YOU ASK…

Your customer may never know how your business reacts to these events internally, but your social media and marketing are at the forefront. The face of your company is what foot you put forward online. Marketing sets the tone for how customers will perceive the brand during difficult times.

We want to provide you with a four-step plan to define different scenarios that are arising, monitor customer’s reactions, and plan forthe upcoming marketing changes caused by the issues throughout the world and society.

01 SCENARIO ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING

Define theoretical best, worst and moderate scenarios that could play out during the crisis from the perspective of the business, its customers, and critical partners. Work with peers in other departments like HR and finance to develop the scenarios as they apply overall to the business. However, marketing must not rely simply on the high-level corporate scenarios but must go further for their department and brand. Marketers must drill down to identify the specific challenges that customers, the brand and the marketing organization could experience in each scenario, and identify actions to take. For example, if the best case “business as usual” scenario involves ad purchases during the Tokyo Olympics or an industry tradeshow, a worst-case scenario in which that event is canceled should identify alternative ways to reach customers.

02 LISTEN FOR CHANGES IN CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR

Long before the coronavirus emerged, consumer trust in both government and large brands had begun to erode. People want any excuse to shop local or support small businesses. The current climate has made it even more of a plus to shop smaller, and we see smaller brands emerge from the ashes. Here are some ways to use that in your marketing tactics and keep the ball rolling:

Listen. Now more than ever, it’s essential to know what customers feel and do, and why. Determine who your ideal customer is and make sure you are speaking to them, but unlike the ways of the past, don’t just speak to one person, but make sure not to exclude other voices that might vary.

Stay true to your brand, but don’t alienate. When marketing your brand needs to support customers while still staying true to what you stand for also but what you can and cannot deliver at this time

03 PREPARE FOR CHANGES

During a crisis, it is highly likely to see hiccups in the average production of daily activity for your company. Nothing is business as usual anymore.

In the marketing industry, we have to adapt clients messaging to reflect the mishaps and realities as they roll out day by day. So it is more important right now than ever to be ready to go with the flow and think quickly on your feet. Some steps to take to make this process either could be:

Avoid promises. Set realistic goals and realities for your customers, so you do not over promise and disappoint. Evaluate current policies and consider rational changes — for example, allowing cancellations or extending payment terms.

Go fully digital. Now is a better time than ever to promote yourself online. Make sure people can shop for your company online and that your social media presence is accessible.

Increasing your digital marketing budget. Prioritize your spending, and do not forget to include all things digital for it to adjust to this technology world-driven shift.

04 SHIFT THE MARKETING PLAN

Now that you know changes are right around the corner shift your marketing plan to address them. With preparation and awareness, you will not only succeed but thrive in what is being seen as such a trying time.

Anticipate the future and create suitable action plans to stay ahead of the market disruption pick value-added partners.

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CONTACT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM) – WHAT IS IT?

A Contact Relationship Management (CRM) program is simply a system for how your company does 4 things:

  • Coordinating How New Leads are Handled
  • Tracking Prospect Communications
  • Automated and Personal Activity
  • Automate the Sales Process
  • For Accuracy and Measurement
  • Providing avenues to grow business
  • fewer lost leads
  • more client retention and secondary sales
  • more measurable activity and analysis

OK, so that wasn’t exactly 4 things anymore than this series of business blogs is going to be 6 topics long when it’s all said and done. The reality behind the solution is that we are in a time where it’s not ok to simply rely on activity alone as a measurement of Salesforce automation success. There are fewer leads in the marketplace, the competition isn’t being lazy anymore, and every contact is valuable even if they don’t close right away.  Along with a great web design services and marketing with SEO, every business needs tools to manage their clients.

It is no longer a smart business decision to rely simply on rolodex, outlook reminders, or pad and pencil methods of trying to keep track on who needs to be called and other activities along the sales cycle. With cost effective solutions now available individual salespeople and smaller local businesses can now afford and manage Contact Relationship Management (CRM) solutions that can help them work more efficiently like a larger institution. With all that is on the line, the monthly expense of this kind of solution is negligible based on the potential return in efficiencies and sales that can be delivered. More to come…

Power On Marketing offers Website Development , Design and Online Marketing such as Search Engine Optimization in Tampa Bay, Florida. Call for a Free Consultation!

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SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION – HOW WILL IT IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS?

Finding relevance in the online marketplace begins and ends with a targeted and focused effort on keyword combinations and quality content, which is the focus of Search Engine Optimization. Look at the internet like a chamber of commerce, and the keywords as a representation of the committees, meetings, and other activities you can target for new business development. First thing is that there must be a plan to engage those activities that would give you the best benefit to growing your business, and second is that you must show up and engage those activities in a credible and accountable way. Over time the effort not only puts you and your business in a viable position within the community, that position has been earned and is deserved due to the work put into it. The digital marketplace, unlike some commercials we see late at night, also takes time and focus to become a viable business channel and Search Engine Optimization is critical for long term ROI.

So, our first objective to help define the value to your business Search Engine Optimization can have and how it can deliver results to the bottom line. Here is a quick list of the SEO value that can be expected:

  • Focus your online position
  • Target qualified business opportunities
  • Earn Organic “Free” traffic looking for your services
  • Allows for an ability to analyze web resource performance.
  • Cuts down Performance Based Advertising Budget so company can grow.

So, with all of these benefits available and the ability to finally put a measurable ROI on the performance of your resources it is clear that Search Engine Optimization is important for those companies who have a plan and need a way to measure growth. It doesn’t always have to be a big investment, but if there has never been an effort to engage the search engines with a targeted keyword focus then you can expect there to be a setup fee related to the work needed to edit and organize your existing resources with the appropriate purpose. It is important to make sure that you have a Search Engine Optimization Assessment before you get going as it will greatly improve your ability to keep the hours down to a minimum and save money on development.

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BUILDING A CUSTOMER-CENTRIC BUSINESS

In today’s day and age it has become more imperative than ever to build strong meaningful relationships with your customer base.  The days of selling a product or service and moving on to the next client are over if you wanted to keep loyal customers?  With the events of the last decade (9/11, Katrina and the financial crash of 2008) consumer buying behavior has shifted.  Things that customers took for granted are now uncertain in their mind.  Companies that have been around for over 100 years are no longer in business.   Now customers are looking for a more meaningful connection with the companies and people they do business with.  This connection needs to be cultivated and maintained through every aspect of your client’s interaction with your company.

The key to making this connection is to truly understand who your client is and how you can structure your services and communication to better relate.  In trying to identify your ideal client base, don’t stop at revenue size, employee size, or vertical.  Go beyond that, segment your ideal clients further by understanding their working hours, business goals, strategic direction, and utilization of social media, decision factors to buying and their expectations of service.  For example, if your ideal clients are teachers, then you need to make sure you are open after 4pm when they can work with you.  If your ideal customer is a small business owner, get to know their business and how your service can help them achieve their business objectives.

Relate your products and services in terms of the solutions they need to make their business more successful.

Once you have a full understanding of who your ideal client is and how your services can benefit their business, you have the tools you need to test your current process to make sure it meets their needs.  Take a moment to walk in the shoes of your ideal client and buy your own products/services.  Take notes step-by-step of what you had to go through, and whether or not it meets your expectations.  Don’t forget for the moment you need to be pretending you are your customer.   Now take all this information and the customer specific information you gathered and restructure your business model that focuses on customer centricity to improve each stage of your customers experience.

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LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO MANAGE CUSTOMER CENTRICITY

Taking the knowledge you have gained by evaluating and defining your ideal clients needs (see Creating a Customer Centric Business Model), and determine how to leverage technology to provide the level of service expected in a cost effective way.  There are a lot of choices when it concerns what technologies are worth the effort to implement.  From the implementation of a CRM, Business Blog, Social Media, Distribution Networks, Email Marketing, Website Platforms, etc., there can be a lot of tools to choose from.

How can these technologies improve your ability to manage customer more effectively?

  • Customer relationship management (CRM) software can be used to segment your client base in a way that will allow you to tailor your messaging to relate to their buying behavior.  Properly setting up your CRM and automating custom tailored messaging and campaign tracking will give you the ability interpret the results you achieve in a way that will allow you to replicate the success in a more predictive manor.
  • Business Blogging is just a way to build your website content in a way that is easier to track and follow as a customer interested in what you have to say.  You can categorize and link information in a way that tells a story.  Creating a story that relates to your customer base and flows through multiple pages on your site will increase a prospects willingness to contact you.
  • Social Media is a venue that is most likely being used by your ideal customer base.  Furthermore it is a way to reach your ideal client in a more personal setting in a more personal way.  The key to effectively using social media is to understand the mindset and interests of the participants of each type of social media account.  For example LinkedIn is expected to be used for business purposes but you should further segment its use between business and personal pages on LinkedIn.  Personal LinkedIn pages are for your personal accomplishments, which can be written in a way to sell your companies services.  While company pages should focus on the companies marketing and accomplishments for the same purpose.  Of course relating this messaging to what your ideal prospect wants to hear is the key to success.
  • Distribution Networks can be used to create brand awareness.  Remember when you are reaching out to new networks understand the networks purpose and relate your message to them.  In addition, remember this message could be the first impression you make on the prospect and the link used to get them back to the site should take them to page that continues the story you are telling.
  • Email Marketing is a great way to stay in touch with your client base.  It can be used as a way to improve lead conversion rates and a way to unobtrusively provide current customers with useful information that relate to them.
  • Website Platforms need to be established in a way that tells a great story, captures reader’s interests and entices them to convert and share the information with people they know.  This can be accomplished with appropriately placed Calls to Action, Share It Functionality and tools like live chat.  Making customer interaction and usability is vital to successfully relate to site visitors.
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HOW IS SOCIAL MEDIA USEFUL FOR BUSINESSES?

Social media is a platform through which businesses can boost up their profit. Traditional marketing techniques are essential for businesses to flourish offline. But how does a business go about gaining success online? Social media is one of the answers.

Over the past few years, social media has become a vital part of the Internet.  Today social media has become so important that without it the Internet seems incomplete.  Due to social media’s importance, each and every business, regardless of size, should include social media in their online marketing efforts. Social media for a business is considered to be an extension of their brand, which makes social media a powerful tool for online marketing efforts.  There has been a wide range of social media platforms developed, which can make it hard to chose which one is right for your business. These platforms include: blogs, videos, and social networking sites. Each of these mediums, are highly effective for social media marketing.

Promoting a business online has become much easier with the emergence of social media.  Today websites are just the face of the business. In order to develop a genuine online presence it is essential to communicate with your target audience. This is possible with the help of social media, which acts as the voice of a business.  When a business is communicating regularly with their target audience, their credibility increases drastically, which in turn increases revenue for a business. This can all be accomplished through social media.

Social media gives prospective customers a chance to learn and get to know more about a business with little effort on their part.  Interacting with target audiences on a regular basis has proven to build up a customers trust with a business. Every business owner should take advantage of this immense opportunity and use social media for their business.

Social media marketing when done strategically can work wonders for businesses. The right mix of all the social media tools can bring about a notable change in the profit margin.

The tools which are essential for social media marketing are as follows:

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. These have almost become a part of everybody’s daily life. If businesses can make their presence felt in these platforms then success will not be far behind.

Blogs

A website is incomplete if it doesn’t have a blog. A blog represents a business and also keeps visitors returning for up to date credible information.  Providing credible information is enough to turn one-time visitors to reoccurring patrons, which drives traffic and in turn paves the way for lead generation.

  • Social bookmarking

Social bookmarking communities like Reddit, Digg, Stumble Upon, etc are useful in sharing website content which in turn promotes the business. Social media marketing cannot be complete without these social bookmarking sites.

  • Videos

Videos are in great demand nowadays. Their viral effect can greatly increase a businesses profit as well as credibility. Platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, etc are used widely by all the business for their promotion.

Social media for businesses is extremely necessary in this day and age where an online presence matters just as much as an offline presence. Social media marketing helps businesses leave their footprint and extend their brand in the virtual world.

Power On Marketing is committed to delivering their clients profitable results with online marketing solutions. Social media marketing is done by developing and implementing strategies that are tailored to your business’s exact needs.

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SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS

Social networks have become one of the fastest growing outlets for businesses in all industries to extend their brand awareness. It’s safe to say that social mediahas become a HUGE part of the way businesses market their products and services. These social media networks have become a great outlet for businesses to gain insights from target audience’s through comments and backend analytics. Check out our infographic that represents the top five social media do’s and don’ts.

5 dos donts infographic

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BRANDING: THE LIFELINE OF ANY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS

For any business, branding can truly affect the level of success you can achieve.  A brand is much more than a pretty logo. It’s what sets you apart from your competition while motivating employees.  Many proven business’ tend to give less attention to branding and focus more on funding and product development. This can be costly; branding is a huge component in building any business. Here are just a few reasons why you should focus more on branding:

GET NOTICED

In a world where most markets are saturated, the best way to stand out from the competition is brand recognition.  The advantage of being the first business to pop into someone’s mind when they are contemplating who to buy a product or service from is astronomical.

INCREASE VALUE

The importance of your company’s brand can be measured in dollars and cents. Having a strong brand ensures you will be top of mind in your target market, which in turn increases market share, sales and public image.  Brands are so valuable that larger organizations will put the value of their brand on their balance sheets.

PROVIDE DIRECTION

A solid brand can do wonders for employee loyalty. When employees have a clear understanding of the common goal, everyone works harder and overall office morale increases. This also lets the public know exactly what the intentions of the business are.

CONSISTENCY

Branding helps keep the overall image of the business consistent across all public outlets.  This, in turn, makes the brand stronger. In order to successfully stay consistent across all mediums, businesses must create a clear identity for what the brand stands for and apply this to all products/services offered.

In the end, your brand should represent a compelling promise to your target market and current customer base that is delivered at every level of the business.

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