A good product or service that meets the need of the customer is a key to the success of any business, whatever be its size. But only setting up shop is just not enough to get and keep customers. The whole process of planning how to get and keep the customers is marketing. A vital component of this process is the knowledge of who the customer is. The small business may not have the staff, money and time to set up an expensive Marketing department. But they easily compete with the KYC process of big businesses – they meet their customer face to face, talk to them and help them all the time. As that is a great advantage, it is a shame not to spend some time to set in place a marketing process that has been built keeping in mind the size of the small business and the resources at hand.
Here are the ways in which we can partner with you to define the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of marketing your business; and then help you do it.
- It begins with the Marketing Plan: Obligent Consulting would like to revisit the marketing plan that you already have or initiate a short formal exercise. We would examine the customer demographics, market area and buying patterns. If there is a case for introducing supplementary products and services then Obligent would help you through the process. We can also assess current brand awareness and loyalty of existing customers. The marketing plan would include decisions on the need for new branding materials like brochures, business cards and their alignment with the digital presence.
- Setting up the Plan for success: This is would be the next step and a bridge between the planning and the execution of the plan. At this stage Obligent will would with the business owners to identify how the plan will work and set up a frame work. In tangible terms this may mean identifying and investing in advertising channels that complement the Internet Marketing plan. It may mean identifying a media team and process to support the marketing process. We would set up a referral model and make it easier for satisfied customers to become your advocates. Obligent would help the business set up the process of capturing the data points for analyzing the key performance indicators set up in the planning process.
- Implementing and executing the plan using the framework set up: This is where the rubber meets the road. Running the plan may need current processes to evolve if the plan introduces some change in the way business is currently conducted. To help the business through the process and let the current personnel focus on their core strengths and skills, Obligent would be happy to shoulder some of the operational matters of the marketing process. We can design and run contests, coupon deals, holiday campaigns, and the customer loyalty & appreciation program. We would be happy to periodically assess the effectiveness of the marketing process or the referral volume. If need be, we can also refine and modify the marketing plan as appropriate.