Tag: marketing strategy

In-bound marketing gets customers to come to you. On this basis, it is a 'pull', not a 'push' model. When someone is looking to make a significant purchase, they require information. This can be provided by SEO optimised website pages, blog entries, landing pages as well as PDF documents, online videos, podcasts and social media content. Notice that all of these items are digital. Here is an example of an inbound marketing process. Imagine that a buyer thinks of something that they or their enterprise needs. They are quite likely to open their favourite search engine, perhaps on their mobile phone. They enter a short phrase and scan the first page of results. They click through to a web page and find some useful, relevant and interesting information being offered for free in exchange for contact information (in a compliance-driven world, it is important that permission is requested to keep in touch). The buyer wants the information and they trust the website. So they fill in the form and receive a PDF...

If you have competitors, how do customers see you in relation to them? Whatever the answer, this is your market position. What do customers think you do? What do they think you deliver? What do they think of your enterprise? What are you well known for? What words do they associate with your brand? If I rang some of your customers and asked them these questions, what would they say to me? How should you position your brand? For example, should you go upmarket or go downmarket? Should you be seen as reassuringly expensive or as cheap as chips? Are you focused on customer service, product excellence, price or something else? These are strategic business and marketing decisions. Every decision that you make affects your market positioning. Your actions speak louder than words, when it comes market positioning. Every time that your customers engage with your brand, their perception of your market positioning is either affirmed or challenged. Besides products and services, a key issue is human interaction. You can buy a great product and feel let down...