This weekend, on Sunday to be exact, my partner-in-crime and I got our golf on.
I love golf.
For those of you who have never played golf, I know that watching it may seem excruciatingly boring. But when you hit your first ball, you will never feel like that again! It is that addictive.
If you know nothing else about golf, the one thing you would know is what a golf ball looks like. Most of us have seen a golf ball before and most of the time the ball is white. Well, for the first time since we started playing together, we played with different color balls: Mine was white and hers was pink.
I hope she won’t be mad at me for telling the whole world about this, but she really had a tough time this weekend. It wasn’t her day at all! Most of her shots went horribly skew…
Being in Africa – which is where I live – the grass is a light brownish color (we call it the bushveld), especially the rough. In my mind, that was excellent, a blessing in disguise even. She had a pink ball, so how hard would it be to find amongst brown grass?
Boy, was I wrong…
The grass is clearly brown, up close. However, when you scan the horizon, it is a rainbow of colors. You see pink everywhere!
Research your target audience
This got me thinking about the importance of proper market research. When you employ marketing to spread the word of your company, who are you hoping to reach?
This is a critical question! For a golfer to find the ball, it has to be on the fairway. In the same way, if you want your perfect clients to find your company you have to hide in plain sight. Be where they are heading.
That is why we refer to it as a target market.
Find the marketing team, who knows how to research your ideal prospect. Who knows how to hook and engage with them.
You don’t want someone who drops the ball in the rough; you want them to place you in your client’s line of sight.
Contact Mirror Marketing today – the grass is greener this side
What are your thoughts about targeting an audience?
Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from you!
Have you ever had someone sincerely smile at you before? Man, that is a good feeling, isn’t it?
There is something contagious about sincerity – it turns away anger and frustration and it encourages cooperation; but when you mix that with smiling… The whole world can change.
I remember the first time I was considering buying a new car. After doing some research, ‘picture shopping’ through the magazine pages, and treating myself to a test drive, I literally could think of nothing else. Everywhere I went; it was as if everyone was driving my car. I saw it everywhere!
The only other experience I can relate this to, is sincere smiling and all it stands for.
Whether you run a business or buy from a business, you expect that you are going to get what you paid for. Human error, unfortunately, sometimes prevents this and life happens. Nonetheless, in the midst of challenges, you can still make people happy.
Great customer service is a smile we get when things go wrong. These are people who patiently understand and who happily put all other things aside to make sure the problem is fixed as soon as possible.
Does your company have people like that?
We undervalue great customer service. Experts believe that customer service has actually decreased in quality the last few years.
We focus so much on marketing, to build a brand and a business, but all of that is in vain if you cannot maintain it.
Like the time I purchased a car, great customer service brightens up your client’s day! Everywhere they go, they see your company (or at least something that reminds them of you – like a smile!) The mistakes or problems won’t matter anymore because they don’t feel betrayed any longer.
They feel heard, understood, and like your priority.
If you want a more loyal base of customers, sharpen up your customer service. Put the right people in the right positions and make sure your clients know how important they are to you.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this!
Maybe, even some stories of how great customer service changed the course of your day…
Leave me a comment 🙂
A pastime I really enjoy is fishing. It is just such a great combination of good things. The beauty of nature surrounding you; the fact that most of the time, you get to just kick back and relax; the thrill of the catch; and knowing that once you’ve cast in your line, the work has been done, and all that’s left is waiting. I think that is the best part!
That is exactly what happens when you combine marketing with creativity and strategy.
You have probably heard of positive reinforcement. It is rewarding positive behavior with something good.
People LOVE positive reinforcement…And by using it as a marketing strategy, you will too.
There are several businesses all around us (you have probably used one yourself) that have massive banners, or even special days, where you can buy one and get one free. Alternatively, sometimes they have a sale, great discounts on everything!
I even have a loyalty card for my favorite coffee spot (I am sure the card has something to do with it being my favorite); I have to buy like 6 coffees and I will get one free. But, hey! It is a free coffee nonetheless.
These are creative marketing strategies, which lure in clients and hopefully hook them with your company’s awesomeness in the future.
Smart little things like loyalty cards and promotions are things that you get to leave in the water, knowing that eventually, you will have another bite. And clients love to be rewarded!
Check out some of the creative marketing work we have done for our clients (some samples featured in the picture as well) and contact us for more information.
Leave your comment below, we will get back to you in a flash!
Product packaging matters. It is what your client sees first. Either, when compared to competitor products, your packaging will be exciting, or people won’t even notice you.
Stats suggest that most new products fail. Not because the product is useless – it might even be revolutionary! They fail because of packaging. When walking down the isle of a massive store, or scrolling through hundreds of similar products on Amazon, people don’t have the time to look at every good and bad attribute of every product. So what do they do?
They look at the packaging.
Think outside of the box
The power of packaging is that it shows how and why your product and brand is different and worthy of consideration. It has to be attractive to your potential customers.
Target market, target market, target market…
If your packaging is supposed to set you apart, you need to know what makes you different! The packaging must communicate your company’s purpose and your purpose must resonate with your buyers. Know the people, and you’ll know what to do.
It’s not about how expensive your packaging is; it’s about how it engages
To do this, you don’t need to break the bank. Your packaging can be simple and still feel personalized and meaningful. Brands like Apple don’t have all kinds of bells and whistles – yet, their minimalistic packaging epitomizes chic-ness! Judging by the amount of ‘unboxing’ videos posted – people love Apple’s packaging.
You need to make sure your clients love your packaging.
What do you want your clients to feel when they encounter your packaged product?
This will influence what they think about you and ultimately what they do… Buy or Goodbye!
Contact Mirror Marketing and we’ll help create the perfect package for your product.
Leave us a comment before you go!
The role of social media in marketing has increased drastically over the last few years. Companies have the ability to see their following grow and enjoy a sneak-peak into the lives of this following.
If this is the future, how do we monetize it? Can social media bring in revenue?
Don’t be deceived, social media is exactly that – a place of social engagement. Prospects follow you, because when they need your products or services, they want to engage with you socially.
Increasingly, marketers have shifted their focus to the obstacle that now remains; how do you turn social followers into paying customers.
(A fun fact: 1 out of 5 Business-to-Business marketers generate revenue via social media. 1 out of 3 Business-to-Consumer marketers generate revenue via social media.)
The power of social media is its streamlined advertising capabilities. It allows you to identify your ideal consumer accurately. The following attributes explain how using social media will result in increased revenues after you’ve identified these consumers.
You can engage with your customers in a special way
With social media, you have the ability to provide each one of your customers with a personalized experience.
You can ask questions and answer theirs.
By offering your social media following special discounts and promotions that are not available anywhere else, you create an atmosphere of appreciation and desire.
Get them to your website and you’re good to go
To really bring in revenue with social media you need to:
- Gain a following
- Engage with them
- Get them to your website to buy things!
Social media can make potential buyers excited about your offering. It creates a curiosity in followers. If you can guide them to your website, in order to satisfy their newly discovered curiosity, you will have new buyers instantly.
It’s like a search engine for social media posts
With social media, everything is on display to the public. When people want a product, they will be posting about it, hoping to find someone who can help them.
There are services available that filter through such posts, searching for relevant keywords. By using a service like this, you can find qualified clients instantly.
Use social media effectively
The crux of the matter is that you need to be active on social media.
Your focus needs to be on creating excitement and expectancy about your product or company. You need to make people so curious that they can’t help but visit your website.
And, don’t forget the customer service… Prompt, positive, and promising responses to customer inquiries will leave a good and lasting impression.
Running a business and a social media presence – both as effectively as possible – isn’t easy. We understand that having an active social media presence requires a lot of maintenance.
At Mirror Marketing, we are the experts in social media management and marketing. Contact us today!
P.S. Don’t forget to leave a comment 🙂
