Through your day to day activity and the pressures to meet monthly, weekly or even daily sales targets, it’s easy lose sight of your overall marketing strategy. Here are four key warning signs that you might be losing focus on your long term goals…
1. Different messages on different channels
With so many platforms and mediums available to promote your brand, it’s possible your core message can become diluted as you increase the number of campaigns you undertake. While it’s tempting to tinker and tweak your messaging in order to appeal to specific channel audiences, a lack of consistent key messaging risks weakening your brand’s overall appeal. It might also be a sign you’re relying too much on tactical or ‘quick fix’ reactive marketing activity. Perhaps it’s time to run a quick audit?
2. Too many promotions
Campaigns to boost short-term revenue goals are sometimes necessary, but by making it a regular occurrence risks your brand becoming little more than a bargain opportunity to your customers. This perception can then be hard to shift!
Unless it’s a core part of your business plan or brand, be careful not to succumb to endless promotions, discounts and special offers. Short-sighted tactics like these might also result in pricing wars with competitors that ultimately weaken your position and long-term value.
3. The customer benefit isn’t clear
The most effective business strategies focus first on helping customers, not making money. Although the thought of putting customers ahead of profits might not feel intuitive, in the long run it always works. The same can be said for how you approach your marketing campaigns. You must keep listening to your customers. When you get feedback, don’t discard it.
4. The message is difficult to quickly articulate
If your brand message isn’t clear coming from your staff, prospects or customers will find it even more challenging to grasp. If this is the case then now is the perfect time to remind or re-educate your people about your proposition and why your brand message is so important?
Can RETHINK help you stay on track
Direct marketing is not just about quick-fix marketing campaigns. Our ultimate goal is to deliver a direct marketing solution which offers far greater long-term benefits, value and return for your business. Please get in touch – we’d love to explain more.
