Mastering Marketing
The Ripple Effect
Marketing trends usually address a category of products that are gaining in popularity or address a niche group of consumer wants or needs. While marketing strategies address how to implement your marketing plan to your target customers. The marketing strategies of the behemoth Amazon and our use of our electric devices are changing how we need to think about both our customers' wants and needs and how we present our marketing messages to them. Let’s exam these two “effects”.
- First is what I term the “Amazon Effect”. Consumers are being trained to expect next-day delivery without an additional charge and an expansive array of product choices from this retailer. Walmart seems to be hopping on the “convenience” hot button as evidenced in their Super Bowl ad that postulated that even aliens are using their curbside pickup service. Wegman’s now offers a shopping and delivery service to your home for your groceries. It’s all about convenience, convenience, convenience.
What marketing strategies will you employ to compete with these services?
First, be sure you are marketing to a customer that wants your product. Do you satisfy their need for healthy, local food, convenience in preparation, right-size packaging, and options for pickup or delivery of an order? Do you have an online store where customers can place their orders 24/7? If not, these are factors you need to compete on the convenience platform even if your customers say they just love your products.
- The second ripple effect is the “Scrolling Effect”. This is about how we conduct online searches and our reading styles on our electronic devices. Traditional marketing feedback found that we need to see an advertisement or call to action at least 5-7 times before it really connects with the reader. WE now get much of our marketing information through our devices such as our cell phones and laptop; in the form of posting, newsletter, and emails. Most people “scroll” through postings, selectively pick which emails to open, and quickly delete others, and they may even scroll right past your newsletter post. Current marketing research now suggests that readers now need to see your advertisement or call to action about 30 times before it garners enough interest to open or click through.
The “Scroll Effect” necessitates multiple postings on multiple platforms. You may need to edit and revise the posting to attract more readers. Does your heading attract your target customers? Are you using photos or videos in your posting to attract attention? Are you posting your message far enough in advance that readers have enough time to find and see it since they may be scrolling past it for several days? Start your marketing outreach earlier if you are counting on social media tools to deliver your message. Keep them brief but interesting to attract your readers and always include a “Call to Action” in your post or email. The number of clicks or responses will provide you the feedback you need to determine who, where, and when folks are connecting with you. Review, revise, and then reach out to your target customers again.
Mastering Marketing is produced by Ginger S. Myers and is published periodically containing important seasonal marketing information.