Member Article

Creative Marketing Ideas That Won’t Break The Bank

Even without a sizeable marketing budget at your disposal, it is still possible to breathe fresh life into your marketing by utilising your existing resources to seek out a novel angle. Sometimes this can be at your fingertips, it’s just a case of taking the time to re-examine your business, so consider inviting different employees from across the business to take part in a workshop, in an environment which is receptive to new ideas.

Successful marketing relies on clearly defined goals and a real understanding of your target audience, which in turn leads to clear messaging.

Here are 3 steps to get you started.

1. Challenge your customer segmentation

Get your team together to re-visit and re-define exactly who is buying your products, exactly what they are buying and why they are buying from you. What is their preferred channel for doing business? Marketing is dynamic and it could be that new customer groups are emerging and that the same customers appear in different segments, so don’t confine your thinking by batching customers solely in one way – people and businesses have many facets.

You may be able to identify this from existing data, or you may have to speak to your customers to get the answers.

Once you have challenged your thinking on how you ‘label’ your customer groups, you can also use this as a platform to generate ideas on how to find more of them. Word of mouth recommendation is a leading method of generating new business, so ask customers to provide a testimonial or case study.

2. Create customer ’cameos’

Bring your customers to life by naming customer types or segments as though they were a real person. How do they behave, what characteristics do they display, what product specifications appeal to them and why? Use illustrative abstract photographs to make them ‘real’ and get to grips with what makes them tick. Customer cameos can be updated or re-defined periodically and are helpful in getting you thinking about your target audiences in a more creative way - as buyers (corporate, or individual consumers) with their own distinct set of motivations.

This can be effective both for business to consumer and business to business markets and ensures that everyone in the business has those customers firmly in mind during marketing campaigns.

It is also a useful means of generating new ideas for other product areas that might appeal to the same type of customer. As the adage goes, those who already do business with you are also more likely to buy alternative items, provided that they are happy with your existing proposition and service delivery of course.

3. Make meaningful connections

Imagine that you are having a conversation with the cameo that typifies that particular customer group. What might interest them, what terminology might you use to discuss what you do and how it might have relevance for them? Putting yourself in their shoes will sharpen your marketing communication. Marketing messaging should be focussed upon each newly defined segment, with direct appeal and meaning. The purpose is to demonstrate empathy, build trust and make them more likely to want to do business with you.

Now that you have defined who your customer groups are, what you want to say and how you want to say it, you are in a better position to communicate in a more effective and targeted way.

For further ideas on marketing on minimal budget please visit http://www.freelance-marketing.com/News/ID/25/Marketing-on-a-shoestring

Lorraine Davidson is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has held roles in both marketing and market research for over 20 years, working with organisations in both the business to business and consumer goods sectors.

She set up Freelance Marketing Ltd in 1998, an independent marketing consultancy based in Richmond, North Yorkshire, which operates as an outsourced marketing department, providing market research, planning and project management of communications services. The company offers a very hands-on, creative approach to projects.

Freelance Marketing Limited, 2 Lawrence Crescent, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 5QE

Tel: 01748 822063

Since all businesses have specific requirements, this article should be used for background guidance only and should not be interpreted as one to one, personal business advice. For this reason, no liability can be accepted by Freelance Marketing Ltd.

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This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Freelance Marketing Ltd .