Hi guys and girls!
Here we go for more on our marketing advice thread. I know I have claires attention
and this will be quite a read so please take your time and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask me about anything.
Ok so earlier in the thread we discussed some basic misconceptions of marketing, covered briefly how the consumer has evolved and we all realise how small we are in relation to that big marketing budget pool (especially John the amoeba)! So far I have painted a pretty grim picture of how hard promoting your business can be. However, it is very important to face up to the reality of how difficult a task this is so we do not waste our valuable and limited resources. No matter what form of interruption marketing you do (flyering, direct mailing, radio adverts) someone else has much more money to throw at it and therefore will out noise you.
Halls of ivy, you said you were investigating the possibilities of appointing a marketing/PR personnel to join your team. Aside from cost (this can be very expensive), the majority of marketers are still practicing out-dated traditional marketing techniques. This is what they were taught (as was I) and they do not want to lose control. You see the reason we pay for adverts, fliers etc is because we can control the message and we can measure the success. What amazes me is that we continue with these techniques when the hit rates are so low. For example, from a new report that came to me yesterday, facebooks advertising revenue is up 160% year on year. They are now turning over £2 billion per annum through advertising revenue alone and will overtake Google this year. You have all seen Facebook adverts right? Well these give you an incredibly low hit rate of less than 0.1%!! Marketers don't want to lose control even when there activities are largely ineffective. They called these platforms 'social media' when they fail to realise its much much more... a social culture (By calling it a media it means they can control it as a platform in terms of advertising). I will go into more detail on this subject later. First though I want us all to rewind, go back to the very basics and talk about brand values.
Ok so whats brand values? Well brand values is basically the soul and heartbeat of your business. Without them you are just a product/service at its bare value i.e just a hairdryer, just a fruit smoothy or just another Salon. Charles Revson, the founder of Revlon, famously said In the factory, we make lipstick. In the stores, we sell hope. I couldnt of put it better myself. Though to fully understand brand values lets take a look at something simple, a fruit smoothy.
When Fruit Smoothies first hit the UK they were generally very formal in nature and had a very health consious image. Basically this was seen as a health/fitness drink even though they were filled with preservatives. Three college students, who loved fruit smoothies, decided to give making there own fruit smoothies (just with a blender) and after everyone loving them around the campus, they quit college and gave it a go on their own. Now they had a few issues with the fruit smoothy market. First why did smoothies have to be just for health concious reasons and why could it not be desrable (after all smoothies are tasty!!). Also they did not agree that smoothies should have preservatives and should be 100% naturual and fresh. They clearly identified core brand values as desire/fun, integtrity and honesty.
From then on every little detail of their brand communicated these values. The writing on the bottle was informal and freindly (and often in local lingo), like chatting to your best freind, their packaging is quirky and made from recycled materials, they have no preservatives and they called themeselves innocent that created desire and fun for what was always a health only product. I know you all know innocent smoothies. They are now the biggest brand in the smoothy market turning over £33 million P/A and holding a 66% market share. All because there brand values were clearly outlined and this made them interesting. People talk about interesting! The whole reason brands exist is because the consumer can put their faith within that brand. Innocent has core brand values that the consumer can beleive in! And there staff beleive in it too! Innocent have had the most of the same copy writers for years because they beleive so passionatly about the way innocent tone there communication (on the side of bottles, in newsletters etc). Think how much more beleiveable your brand becomes if your staff love your values and what you stand for!
It doesnt matter what innocent smoothies go on to do from now on they will always be recognised for honesty, integrity, desire/fun. Their new veggie pots are another way of marketing their brand values and displays this superbly. Apples Ipad 2 is another way of marketing their design is just as important as the technology values or rimmels new lip gloss as a way of communicating London/british Culture. All these brands offer something much more than just a product/service... An idea.
You see we live in a world that invest in ideas. Thats why twitter (although it doesnt make any money) is so heavily invested in. People like the idea. So now, as I am aware this is quite large, lets get some homework organised. Tell me your clearly outlined brand values. Simple. Oh, and there is one rule; you are not allowed to mention excellent customer service or offering high qaulity products/service. I am guessing thats most of yous snookered
. People expect this and I will discuss that later. First we need to set the foundations and your core brand values are the foundation of your whole business. Dont worry if you dont have brand values, the majority of you wont. This is why we need to create them now, build the foundations and communicate them across that big pond we are all swimming in.
Then we will, as in Adam Morgans words, eat the big fish :green:
