Marketing tips

Annoy your customers at your peril!

One of my current bugbears is confusing pricing. When I look at prices for something, I want to know exactly what I’m getting, and how much it’s going to cost. I don’t want to have to get my calculator out to work out how it compares to something else. An example of this is the supermarkets. They often display an item next to two similar items. One might be priced per 100g. Another might be priced by exact weight e.g. 175g. Another might be ‘buy one, get one free’ – the end result is absolute confusion unless you are prepared to stand for several minutes working out the unit cost. Do this more than 3 times, and you’re extending the length of your shopping trip considerably!

When was the last time you surprised your customers?

Whenever my family go on a long journey, we often end up stopping at a grotty service station, or we decide not to stop at all and plough on, arriving exhausted and hungry. Alternatively, we try and come off the motorway to find a village pub and drive round for hours looking for somewhere suitable with increasing grumpiness all round.

Why advertising doesn’t work

Placing an ad in a newspaper or magazine is often seen as a sure fire way to get enquiries, especially if that publication has a large circulation. But unfortunately on its own, that advert is not going to achieve much.

As a rule of thumb, people have to see or hear about your company or your offer 7 times before they will act upon it, so if your ad counts as one of those times, where are they going to see the other 6?

Are you missing an opportunity that’s staring you in the face?

I have a watch that people often admire. It’s not expensive, but it’s very pretty with a beaded bracelet as a strap. Unfortunately, it’s quite delicate and the strap is prone to breaking – something which I realised (and accepted) when I bought it.

After I’d had it 2 years, it suddenly went ‘ping’, spraying beads all over the floor making it completely unfixable. I left what I could find in a saucer and debated whether to get another one – while I was debating, my lovely husband ordered one which arrived by post.

Referral marketing made simple

You may know the term referral marketing – people talk about referrals all the time. It’s just when somebody recommends somebody else.

I started using the system because it was recommended to me by Lisa from In a Pickle (a very efficient lady so if it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for me!)

‘Don’t speak to me in that tone of voice’

Tone of voice is a term used term in marketing and advertising to describe the way in which your language comes across in your written materials. But why is it important?

Businesses spend hours, months or even years working on products and services, but potential customers decide at a glance whether they are interested or not.

Could you be an ‘award winning’ company?

Most industry sectors have some kind of awards or competitions. But a lot of businesses don’t bother with them, usually because they think they’re not likely to win, they’re ‘fixed’ in some way or it’s too much trouble.

But actually, they can be a great marketing tool. True, there’s some effort involved in putting the entry together, and yes … you may be up against some stiff competition. But if you don’t try, you’ll never know.

Do you operate in a niche market?

Although at first glance, it might seem you’re narrowing down your options, working in a niche market can actually increase your appeal.

I’ve seen a couple of great examples recently. Near where I live, there is a pub that offers only sandwiches … but it’s famous for it. They do every kind imaginable from fish fingers to jam, ham and cheese to roast chicken and stuffing. People travel from miles around and thanks to its location near the Thames, it’s a popular destination for a family day out. If you fancy a sandwich it’s the place to go.

Adele proves that sound and vision is a powerful combination

Did you see the BRIT Awards recently? I was channel hopping at the time, but stopped on singer Adele’s performance as there was something captivating about it. I found myself glued to the television screen – it was just her and a piano, but the performance was so striking I couldn’t turn it off. 

Goals and opportunities for successful marketing

£50? Why not go for £100!

This week, despite the fact that I look forward to the prospect of going for a run about as much as I look forward to going to the dentist, I signed up for Race for Life.

I got swept along through a sequence of coincidences which included hearing about a friend who just lost her father to cancer, picking up a magazine with a supplement all about training for Race for Life, and seeing a friend on facebook encouraging us all to join her in the local Race for Life event. (Plus, if I’m honest, carrying an extra pound or two due to the Christmas excesses – I’m sure the timing was well planned by the organisers!)