This is the 800th Nailing Post. Fifteen years ago, I started this blog
to talk about the business of marketing. I thought I would share a few items
that I have learned over the past 799 Nailing Posts in this 800th.

First and foremost, if you are going to be effective in marketing, you
have to understand your customers. I have used that line again and again over
the years. I think it is the most unchanging aspect of marketing. Too often,
marketers think they can outsmart consumers. Sometimes, that has been with a
product or service launch that their customers reject. Other times, it has to
do with a social message that rubs the market the wrong way. If you step over
the line with your target market, they will leave your brand behind.

That means you have to get to know who you are trying to sell. We call
that a target market. Not everyone will be a great fit for what you are
selling. Identifying who is a fit comes down to three questions: What are their
needs and wants? Does my product or service meet those needs? Is there another
brand that is better at meeting those needs than my brand? Answering those
questions answers another question: Can I compete for this target market’s
business? If your brand is positioned as a solution for consumers’ needs or a
fulfillment of their desires, and you have done your research to understand
just what those needs and desires are, you will stand a good chance of
effectively marketing your brand.

A second point I have learned is that a strategic marketing plan has to
be both firm and fluid. It is firm in that you need a direction if you are
going to market well. I don’t think you can be effective at marketing unless
you are being guided by principles meant to help you achieve a goal. Fly-by-the-seat
-of -your-pants marketing does not work. At the same time, market conditions
change, and your marketing plan has to adjust to those changes. That is why I
believe in keeping statistics on your marketing efforts and reviewing them on a
regular basis. Analytics are one way to do this, but don’t discount what you
are hearing directly from your customers either. I often sit down with sales
reps to find out what they are hearing from their customers. Sure, you can get
a disgruntled customer from time to time, but even the most cantankerous
customer can give you nuggets of truth about the direction you should go. Good
marketing takes stock of what is being said.

A third point has to do with following up after a sale has been made. It
is hard work to gain a customer. Too often, marketing just focuses on how to
land a sale for the first time, but ignores your current customers. There is a
moment after a sale where a customer will either feel valued or ignored. Good
marketing involves retaining customers for the long run. This is where customer
service becomes a vital part of marketing. There are typically four reasons why
a customer would leave you and pursue a competitor’s brand: Your quality is
bad, your price is too high, you cannot deliver in their timeframe, or they had
a bad experience with someone in your company. On the flip side, if your
quality is good, you are competitively priced, you deliver on time and you have
a great relationship with your customers, you have punched the golden ticket of
marketing – you will have a customer for life.

Finally, I would like to thank all of you who have followed the Nailing
Post over the years. You might not have read all 800 posts, but you take the
time to read my ramblings from time to time. I appreciate you!