Marketing in the 21st Century

When I first started in business, marketing was easier and less complicated and had a local focus. That was in the 1970’s.

When I opened my first business as a Temporary Secretarial Bureau, all I did for marketing was two things:

1. Find secretaries that wanted to earn more money, have a flexible schedule and be willing to temp.

2. Find the attorneys who needed to hire temporary secretaries due to overload work, vacation or sick time. What could be easier?

Things have changed quite a bit since then. Now just getting in to meet with an attorney is a whole heap of a lot more trouble.

When we do get in, we get just a tiny window of time to talk, and one of their first questions is “Do you have a website?”

Psychology of the web

Today, unless you have a web presence, you are not in business. Our websites have become, in effect, our business card. We’re just expected to have one. Our customer wants to see a picture of the skylight we installed, if our business is installing skylights, before they will think about doing business with us. They want to see the testimonies of satisfied clients. The website has become the medium that legitimizes our business.

Marketing in the 21st Century is a bit more complicated than my very first marketing experiences. Unlike my first small area of business that was centered geographically on a couple of central streets in London, we now have access to the world market. Now I can hire a secretary anywhere and have them do the work via e-mail.

Currently, we have at least three very distinct areas to market:

1. Our local market
2. Regional market
3. International market

In 21st Century Marketing, we are no longer limited to the area we can physically reach. Whether we are constructing buildings, coaching or manufacturing product, we can reach people around the world and still create an effective business relationship via the web.

What is Marketing?

When I ask this question in seminars, I get a range of responses from “letting people know where you are” to “educating people on why they should buy your product.” They are all right. Marketing is a large skill set that each business owner uses several pieces of at any given time. The larger topic of marketing can be broken down into a number of major areas:

Market Driver:

Market “driving” is getting someone to your place of business. Whether you are a storefront business or use only a website, you must get people to view your product or service. This can be done through the business cards, newspaper, web or television ads or promotions you use to entice them to visit you. Naturally, your marketing materials always provide your physical or web address, or both.

Web Optimization:

One way of driving people to your website is through what’s called “optimization”. This is done by using descriptive language designed to bring you to the top of search engine lists such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. This language should be specific to your product or service and also be the language used by potential customers to search for what you have to offer them.

21st Century Branding:

Branding is name and package recognition. Branding should be a large part of your market driver plan. The goal is to familiarize your customers with your product or service, and then have them select your product or service because, why? They are familiar with it!

Branding is everything from having a website where every page has a familiar look to McDonalds “golden arches” or the Nike Swish. Let’s look McDonalds.

They took the ‘M’ of their name, painted it yellow and called it “The Golden Arches.” McDonalds does not sell hamburgers, they sell recognition of their golden arches. They have taken the lowly hamburger and created an experience around eating it under the Golden Arches. Their hamburger is the secondary marketing focus.

Product Familiarity:

What are the first two words that come to your mind when someone mentions the company Kellogg’s? Corn Flakes! Why? Kellogg’s has branded itself as the cornflakes company. They have made their box so familiar to us it is easily recognizable from a distance in the supermarket, and it is the one we’re inclined to reach for first.

The effect of branding is most evident in a recent study of children who were asked to eat McDonald’s food from McDonald’s containers and the same food from unmarked, plain containers. The majority of the children said that the food in the McDonalds containers tasted better. However, it was the same food divided in two…

Marketing in the 21st Century is centered on branding/positioning. In order to sort out which company we are going to do business with, we will first select the company that we are most ‘familiar with.’ Being familiar simply means that we have learned to trust and be comfortable with that company’s appearance, logo or slogan.

Teaming Up in the 21 Century:

When I work with small business owners, I often recommend that they team up with other businesses. My mother took this approach to business back in the 1960’s when she got together with another storeowner in the neighborhood to drive their customers to each other’s store. There were four stores in the direct neighborhood where people could purchase the same merchandise. Her team partner made sure that his customers were directed to her store when he did not have what they needed. We reciprocated. These two proprietors talked about the other to their respective customers and let their customers know that together they were “working to bring the customers the best price and merchandise”.

I’ve followed my mother’s example. I have memberships in organizations that have allowed me to be part of worldwide networks, and I team with other businesses to refer potential clients to one another. This is an effective and inexpensive form of marketing.

Tracking your 21st Century Marketing:

One of the most costly mistakes business owners can make is not tracking the effectiveness of their marketing dollars. No matter which medium you choose to use for your marketing, you must track the results.

Too often business owners throw money at a marketing campaign thinking that the person who sold it to them will take care of everything. This is poor business practice. It is up to you to track how effective each marketing piece is for your company. With just a few simple tracking steps, your marketing campaign can become much more effective. Whether you choose newspaper or web advertising, networking, or team marketing, tracking the impact of your efforts and dollars is vital to your marketing success.

Call High-Gear Training at 541-681-9877 or e-mail Info@HG-Training.com