What Big Brands Know About Marketing
by Stacey Dadd | November 5, 2019
In the era of the Internet, the marketing options are endless, but so is the noise from other businesses. So, how does a small business stand out from the crowd? If you ask Gerry O’Brion, he would say there a four questions you should be asking yourself on the road to becoming, “the number one choice in a crowded market.”
O’Brion is a marketing keynote speaker with experience at some of the top brands in the world, such as Coors Brewing Company, Quiznos and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. O’Brion recently spoke at Armature Works in Tampa at a special event presented by Spectrum Reach.
Marketing is all about the business of influence. In order to influence your customers, marketing efforts should focus on giving your customers more of what they want and less of what they don’t. Sounds simple, right? Before I give you the four questions that should be answered, let’s talk about what consumers are seeking in the brands they buy from.
Your customers want a valuable relationship. What are you doing for them to provide that value? O’Brion says that “nobody buys anything.” Instead, they choose between the available options.
So how do you become the consumer’s number one choice?
Be different from the competition in a way the customer values. “If everything else is equal, customers will choose the lowest price. You must make all else not equal,” O’Brion said. The brain needs a rational reason to make an emotional decision.
Answering these four questions when launching your marketing campaigns, could help your brand stand out from the crowd, avoiding the sea of sameness. To learn more about the sea of sameness and other marketing missteps, check out this Facebook Live segment.
- Who are your ideal customers? Specificity drives sales so we’re not just talking about your entire target market here. Drill this down with as much specificity as you can. If you have multiple products or services, it’s likely that you have a different target market for each, even if only slightly varied.
- What are your insights about these customers? What do they want more of? What do they want less of? What problems do they want solved? What are their hopes? What are their fears? These insights help to power your business to the front of the line in the consideration stage of decision-making.
- What’s your outcome? As I stated earlier, the brain needs a rational reason to make an emotional decision. Are you providing that rational reason to the consumer? It’s about them, not you.
- What’s your because? Your because is the primary factor that drives consumers to choose your brand over everyone else. It needs to be believable and repeatable. Consumers buy your because.
Fill in the blank: You should buy from us because _______________________________.
If I were answering this for the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida, I would say you should buy from us because we have hundreds of years of expertise in our consultants, they have all owned or currently own their own small business, and our services cost you nothing. What’s your because?
Moving forward, learn from what the big brands know and build your marketing efforts around the because for your ideal customers. At the Florida SBDC at USF, our consultants spend a considerable amount of time advising clients in regards to their marketing efforts. Learn from those who have gone before you, do your research, and plan your campaigns around the four questions above to ensure you can capitalize on what your customers need and want.
Stacey Dadd leads all marketing and communications efforts for the Florida SBDC at University of South Florida. She also offers social media consulting to small business owners.
