Coca-Cola, Philips, Toyota, IBM, McDonalds…how did these names come to be so famous?

Through marketing, of course. Yet many small to medium business owners mistakenly believe that advertising only works for the ‘superstar brands’ in the retail market.

But the reality is that marketing, in its broader sense, is an essential part of any venture – no matter what the size, or type of product or service.

What if your products are specific and you are mainly a supplier for other companies? Then you should always be looking for new leads, so advertising(direct marketing) is a necessary part of a deal.

If you are medium size company with about 10-30 customers, you don’t need a huge advertising budget to keep your business contacts in good shape. To contact a large number of companies in your industry, you could use an advertising campaign in a trade magazine. Or it could be a more specific process, such as a one-off promotional event, if you’re approaching just few special new clients.

Whatever your level of marketing activity, you will need to keep an updated database of your clients and prospects. All your marketing and advertising activity should be recorded and linked to this database. For example, if you manufacture plastic boxes – you’ll need a database with all New Zealand companies that could potentially buy your product.

Another crucial aspect of marketing is to have professional-looking presentation tools. These are things like logos, business cards, folders, websites and booklets that describe your products.

These could all come under the sharp eye of your future prospects, so they’ve got to make a great first impression. Your branding must be clear and consistent, to put the power of repetition on your side.

Here’s how it works. Imagine your prospective customer has seen your branding (your unique logo and style of advertising) in a trade magazine. They are then prompted to check out your website, and request a price list (which arrives in a specially-branded folder).

If all these ‘messages’ from you are consistent and professional-looking, it will inspire confidence in your company and its systems. It will achieve the main purpose of your marketing strategy – to turn this prospect into a customer!

In summary…advertise yourself as much as possible; take any opportunity to promote your brand and services (including “free” methods such as public relations).

Remember, people who tell you “We don’t need advertising!” are not leaders in a market. The world’s most successful brands are proof of that.

By Nick Fedaeff
www.marketstorm.co.nz