Beware of Uncle Ernie’s Marketing Advice

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Business owners with big plans and small budgets are often tempted to get marketing help from a helpful friend or relative.

But before you follow that ‘free’ marketing advice, take a moment to reflect on whether it’s good advice for your business. After all, it won’t be ‘free’ once you invest money and effort into implementing it – especially when it isn’t effective.

If you’re not a marketer yourself, you may not know how to evaluate Uncle Ernie’s advice. Here’s a 2-step method to help.

Step One – Consider his credentials

How does your free advice-giver score? Do they run a successful business of their own? Do they make their living as a marketing advisor? Do they know the ins and outs of your industry?

If you can’t award yes answers to these questions, be very cautious about taking the advice.

Step Two – Understand your customer

The best thing every business owner can do is to make sure they understand their ideal customer. The more you understand, the better equipped you will be to make good business decisions (and evaluate the marketing advice others give to you).

Here’s how.

Sometime in the coming week, take an hour out of your day to write customer profiles by answering the five questions below. Consider updating the profiles every 6 months – put a reminder date in your calendar in June 2015 for the next one. It won’t just keep you up-to-date, it will keep you grounded and focused on your customers.

1: Who are my ideal customers?

Begin with some basic demographics:

• Are the decision-makers men or women?
• Do they live in the city, the suburbs or in a rural area?
• What level of education have they completed?
• Are they single or married?
• How old are they?

2: What problem does my product or service solve?

If you run a restaurant, your customers may be looking for breakfast, a fine-dining experience or quick take-out for the family after hockey practice.

In other words, they don’t decide to choose your establishment simply because they’re hungry. You need to be as specific as possible when outlining your solution.

What makes your business unique? Why does someone choose you versus a competitor?

3: Common objections

If you deal with customers directly, you know their typical objections. Maybe there are less expensive alternatives to your product, or more convenient places to purchase what you sell. Perhaps seasonal considerations either discourage or encourage people to purchase.

4: Favourite websites and information sources

If you’re considering selling your product online, it’s key to know where your customers spend time on the web … and what sources they use to get information about your product.

If you’re a contractor, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with Angie’s List. If you run a restaurant, review-sites like Urbanspoon are key for your business.

5: Social media expertise

Social media – everyone talks about it, but where should it fit in your plans?

First, ask yourself if your ideal customers use social media. If they do, think about what platforms they use. While most Canadians are on Facebook, your business may benefit more by being active on a different social media platform: Pinterest, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Bonus tip

Group your ideal customers together based on common traits, then give each group a name. I like to use alliteration – so if some of your ideal customers are homeowners and the decision-makers are women, you could call that persona Homeowner Harriet.

If you own a collection agency, your ideal customers might be Bookkeeper Betty or Finance Frank. If you can, cut-and-paste an image beside each profile, so you can actually ‘see’ your ideal customers.

Make better marketing decisions

Here’s how to use your customer profiles to make better marketing decisions:

• Don’t file them in a drawer. Print them; then put them somewhere where you’ll see them several times a day.

• Whenever you receive advice about marketing your business, look at your customer profiles. Consider the decision through their eyes.

• If Uncle Ernie says your business must be on insert name of social media platform here or that you must use Marketing Tactic ABC … ask yourself if this advice helps you reach your ideal customers and build your business, efficiently and effectively.

Consider the context

You get all kinds of advice about your business—and listening never hurts. The key is to avoid considering the advice in a vacuum.

Does the advice-giver have proven expertise? Do their suggestions mesh with your business and your customers? Have they tailored their recommendations to you, your customers, and your business?

Or are they sounding the same drum they play for every business owner regardless of their circumstances?

Do you need help with your marketing? Sign up for a complimentary consultation with a 411.ca digital marketing expert today.

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