I was reading a book last night about marketing. The author David Garfinkle indicated there are two known types of marketing ideals. Direct Marketing and Branding. He feels that if you can tap into the unknown third this is where you will fly with your business.
Direct Response Branding.
This is another showdown in the wild wild web. This one is about marketing philosophies. Many people put them selves into one type or marketing machine and stay with it. Sometime spreading the love is the way to go. Yes it is imparitive to remain focused but focusing on marketing and finding what works for you IS the focus.
Direct marketing sends its messages directly to consumers.
Think fliers, email or telemarketers. This form is looked down upon because some people feel that it leans toward pushiness. The funny thing is this type of marketing works. The flyers you get in the mail sent directly to the you does work otherwise Wal-mart wouldn’t be spending money on it.
Branding is a symbolic representation of a business.
Coke – Immediately comes to mind. Branding is advertising a symbol that is consistently recognizable that creates a feeling with the consumer so that they identify with the product. People don’t spend lots of money on unknown pair of stretchy blue jeans unless somehow their is emotion attached to them. Example: Oprah promoted a pair of unknown Diva Jeans.Guess what?!! That they sold out over the entire country because Oprah has created a brand of herself and people believe in her because she strives to tell the truth and anything she puts her name on sells.
Direct Response Branding is a new concept
According to Ben Mack: Branding is the relationship a company has with its customers that determines how likely it is that the customers will buy from the company again. Creating the foundation of a brand then develops a relationship that translates well into direct marketing fusing together the ideals of both. Cake and eat it too!
How to make these two marketing systems work together. Keep these goals in mind:
- Encourage your customer to make a purchase through you regularly
- Express your uniqueness of your business by directly communicating to your customers
According to David Garfinkle these are the three top questions you should ask yourself when you review your marketing practices
- Does it communicate a core-identity that fairly represents you and that your customers find magnetically appealing?
- Are the benefits of your business unique and compelling and evident to your customers?
- Does each marketing message make a simple, obvious invitation to your current and future customers to take action that will lead to doing business with you?
If you answered no to anyone of these questions…
Call me now 250-253-2491
Colin the Design Rock Czar
…out to rock the Shuswap in British Columbia