Be Uniquely YOU in the Eyes of Your Customer
By Angie Patrick, Director of Corporate Sales and Business Development Scrip Companies / Massage Warehouse
With so many companies jockeying for position in the eyes of the consumer, how can you make sure your company is the one that is noticed? How can you be sure you will not be lost in the sea of logos and sales pitches and be seen for the unique entity you are? It can certainly be a daunting task, and one not many companies manage to do successfully. Some hire crazy spokespeople or mascots to "speak" to the company's uniqueness, and often this type of differentiation is found to be annoying or campy.
For every success story you hear utilizing this methodology, you can count on there being thousands faring poorly. A great example of this is how the Quizno's food chain uses rabid looking rodents to speak for their food. Who thought that genius move was a good one? If you have seen this promotion from a couple of years ago, you will certainly see my point. So, ruling this out, how can you be seen as being unique in your marketplace?
From my experience, one very smart, cost effective and forward thinking way to make sure your clients see you as a step above your competitors is community outreach. When I speak of outreach, my definition of this is a very simple one:
Your company is visibly in your marketplace, supporting the patrons of your services in education, promotion, charitable support, sponsorships and philanthropy.
If your industry has trade shows to attend, attend them. While you have face time with your potential new clients at a trade show, you can set firmly in the minds of your potential clients who you are, how you work and what you offer. You get a chance to put your best foot forward and have personal interaction with them. It will also give you an opportunity to listen to your clients' needs. When you are in the thick of it on a regular basis, listening to your potential clients, and gaining insight as to their ever changing needs, you can bet you will be ahead of the game and be able to change course as needed to meet the demands of the public.
Many companies choose to keep their heads in the sand and miss this incredible opportunity to interact and learn about the constantly changing landscape in your marketplace. Supporting industry events, such as association meetings, conferences, classes, education, promotion and more will also set you squarely in the center of the community, and your name will be prevalent in media releases, articles, blogs and word of mouth.
Additionally, do not underestimate the value of social media. Facebook has more users than most countries have as citizens, and you can reach these people reasonably inexpensively. Ads are reasonable, and creating a profile page for your company is very simple. Update this page with your recent activities, special information, classes and more, and you will grow an engaged following, and one that is genuinely interested in what you have going on at any given time.
Your company personality is so much more than just the offers you provide. You can expand this and become a part of a community &mdash be it an industry, a location, a geographical region or global. Share with the public the things you do to reduce waste, conserve energy, lower costs and save money. People are interested in a company that is actively seeking to make to world a better place and who are involved in the market. Seeing your progress and following your successes is certainly a great way to make your company be seen as uniquely you in the eyes of the consumer.
About the Author:
Angie is the creator of The Massage School Makeover, a partner in the American Massage Conference, and also a columnist for Business Building Blocks in Massage Today. She is also the facilitator of the philanthropic project, Sanctuary. She can be reached at Apatrick@scripco.com.
|
