Beginning with Why: Planning a Marketing Strategy

The world of marketing can be complex. Business owners and executives can study marketing for years and may still feel lost when it's time to make a successful commercial, select a logo or design a useful sign.

Know Your Product, Understand its Value

The first step in developing an effective marketing plan is to develop a full understanding of your product and the appeal of your brand. Why do customers wish to buy your product? What can they gain from using your product?

• Conduct research. Hire a company to conduct product research that will give you an understanding of your customers and their relationship with your product.
• Understand the full experience that customers have with your product. When do customers feel the need to use your product? How often will customers return to your product? Where are customers when they realize that they need to use your product?
• Know your customer's emotional state. Your customers will have an emotional response to your product. Knowing and understanding the emotional connection that customers feel when they use your product can help you spread that emotional connection to new customers.

Once You've Formed Your Marketing Strategy, Convey the Message

All advertisements must begin and end by asking and answering the simple question: why? Why is your product useful? Why is your product important? What can be done with your product? Who needs your product?

Emotional connections are what keep customers returning to the same product again and again. Emotions are an instinctive and abstract response that can't be forced. Simple product messages are the best way to develop an emotional connection between the product and the customer.

• Use few words. The best logos and advertisements are succinct, clear and to the point.
• Choose powerful photographs. Powerful photographs can elicit an emotional response from viewers even without the use of words.
• Get comfortable with whitespace. Whitespace helps keep the customer focused on the main point of the advertisement or marketing strategy without diluting the message.
• Focus on the true heart and soul of your product. As your company develops marketing strategies and advertisements to reach your customer, don't ever forget the why of your product. Understanding why customers use your product will help you convince others to try your product, use your product and come back for more.

Possibly My Favorite TED Talk Ever

Simon Sinek has a great TED Talk on "Starting with Why" (and there's a great book by Simon with the same title BTW!). If you like this concept, you'll love his TED Talk.

Work With an Internet Marketing Firm

Even businesses that make great products may fail to develop a good marketing campaign. Understanding the appeal of your product is the best way to create a successful marketing strategy. If your business struggles with marketing, now is the time to hire a team of experts to craft your message. At ProFromGo, we help businesses like yours develop smart marketing campaigns. Working together, we'll start with the question: why? To make an appointment for consultation, contact us today at (412) 530-5027.