Is your marketing a sail or an anchor? Does it help your
business move ahead or does it hold you back from looming danger? It actually
can be both, but the trick, as any seasoned sailor will tell you, is knowing
when to use one or the other.
Marketing as a sail
The point of marketing is to help you sell your brand. In
the case of a business that produces tangible goods or one that services the
needs of others, marketing helps you make sales in three different ways. First,
it helps define your target market and make them aware of your brand. Second,
it entices people in that target group to make a purchase and try your product
or service for the first time. Third, it enhances the relationship you have
with your customers and gives them a reason to return for another sale.
Marketing as a sail helps you keep pushing to get more sales in the door and to
make sure your customers are satisfied with your products and services. It
strategizes the best way to attract business to yourself. There is a problem
when marketing becomes an anchor when it should be helping you catch the wind
and navigate ahead. How can marketing be an anchor in these situations? It can
happen when you miss a prime opportunity to get in front of your target
audience. Skip a trade show, delay getting your website updated, forget to send
an e-blast out to clients, don’t follow up with a customer after they have purchased
your product. All of these are examples of opportunities lost. There are only
so many chances to make a marketing impression. When you miss one, marketing
has become an anchor holding back your business from moving closer to more
sales. Transversely, marketing anchors can also happen when you are spending
your marketing dollars on ineffective marketing methods. When your target
audience is no longer responding to your form of marketing, it is time to make
a switch to a method they will respond to in a positive way.
Marketing as an anchor
There is another aspect of marketing that needs to be
addressed as well. Sometimes anchors are for your good. It is the job of
marketing to guard your company’s brands. That has never been more true than it
is today, when one negative comment on social media can sink a business. Here
is where marketing can act as an anchor that holds you back from devastation.
It is important that you know what and how to communicate when your brand is
under attack. For instance, I had a customer who was recently called out in a
Facebook post for offering a product that was dangerous. The comment was
misinformed, but the audacity of it caught the attention of many other people.
The storm waters were brewing around this company. Should you respond to a
negative comment left on your social media page or should you just let it go
and sail away from it as if it were never stated? This is where I would suggest
you do your best to rectify the situation, but not over the tit-for-tat medium
of social media. I would personally reach out to the person who made the
statement to see if you can fix their problem or alleviate their fears. That
may or may not happen. I am also not opposed to deleting untrue comments from
your social media pages when that is possible. The importance of having a
communication plan when something negative comes about is paramount in today’s
business environment. There was a day when the sorts of things that are said on
social media were of little consequence to most businesses. They simply sailed
on. Ignoring attacks against your brand today can be treacherous. Marketing
anchors your brand in these troublesome waters.
Are you using marketing as a sail? Are you using it as an
anchor? Both should be true in your marketing strategies. Happy sailing!