Anything you can do to help your clients organize, plan or unwind is an advantage to you and your product or service line.
by Debby Raposa —
Before undertaking a marketing campaign, it’s important to first investigate certain conditions. Here are some facts and trends to consider that can help you decide where to put your marketing efforts.
Because of the global accessibility of Internet bulletin boards and chat rooms, customers and clients can easily exchange information about vendors (good or bad) regarding their products and services. The best way to decide on promotional materials and/or events is to find out as much as you can about the interests and concerns of your clients, and proceed from there.
Clients and customers seem to be focusing more on their personal interests and home life than on material gratification. As a society, we want to validate our self-worth. Simultaneously, we worry about aging and our mortality.
People are responding more to life experiences like out-of-the-ordinary marketing events, travel and intimate gatherings. They’re also doing more socializing and entertaining close to home. Businesses and products related to spirituality, travel, wellness, home entertainment and home improvement are in demand.
We love to collect and store things; we value keepsakes and deeper experiences. We are beginning to create personal histories with scrapbooking, photo albums and trips — so collecting and displaying our experiences is important. We have the ability to send high-resolution photographs for inclusion in any collateral promotional materials at the click of a button. Case in point — we can use our Web sites to showcase our products in full color, as well as demonstrate our superior customer service through client testimonials.
Because the working population has less time for events outside of work, this group tends to want more interesting experiences of a higher value. Business customers want first-class travel, accommodations and all the obvious accoutrements they entail. How can you best meet the needs of your more elite clients to ensure you will receive referrals and future clients?
The fact that people are so busy these days is good news for businesses, in that there is great demand for products and services that make life easier and more productive. What sets you apart from your competition? What makes the experience a client has with you different and special?
And here is another notion of time. With frequent complaints about not having enough time, many consumers find themselves doing many things at once — from answering the phone, to eating breakfast, to opening the day’s mail, to planning the day. Multi-tasking is going extreme. Anything you can do to help your clients organize, plan or unwind is an advantage to you and your product or service line.
The spa experience is now an integral part of life and is considered more of a necessity than a luxury. Day spas are now all-encompassing — like mini-vacations — and may include such upscale amenities as cosmetic surgery. The idea is to leave feeling better, with a relaxed body and mind.
Competition in this market is huge, so you will have to promote and market your services very well. Providing unique natural body products and amenities items is paramount.
Remember, even though you might have a superior product or service, without research and marketing, it will be more difficult to retain your best clients or acquire new ones. An action plan is paramount and will enable you to see results as soon as you put it into place.
Debby Raposa is president of Idea Source Inc., a promotional products and marketing services company in Mesa, Ariz. www.ideasourcepromotions.com.
Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 24, Number 4, August/September 2005.
October 18, 2013
Business, Career and employment, Lifestyle