Where Are They?

How do you find your market?

"Find your market" is really just a fancy way of saying "Find the people who want to buy your product". So...who have you come up with? Here are some typical answers:

• Relatives
• Colleagues
• Neighbors
• Friends from my school/church/clubs

OK - let's see. For me, that list would include maybe 50 people. Not because I'm antisocial. I just don't have very many relatives, I work for a small company, don't know my neighbors, and my friends already know what I sell, so now what?

Well...that takes care of that. What does your list look like? It may have a few more people in any of the categories, but the real point is this: Your list is finite. It is limited. If you limit your view of your market to people you know, or even people you know PLUS their friends, you still don't have enough audience to sell more than perhaps 100 products. Sorry...I'm sure you're a delightful and likable person, but you're only ONE person, and you can only reach so many people by yourself.

Yikes - How will I ever sell anything?

You've probably figured out by now that other people will be involved in helping you sell your product. In other words, if you want to "expand your market", you're going to need some help. We live in wonderful times. You can now reach THOUSANDS of people who are interested in your product, and you can do it on a shoestring budget. The world is connected by a network of online forums called Social Media.

Many of you probably engage in some form of online social networking through the main SM forums: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and/or YouTube. There are others, but these are the most universally used. Perhaps you've created a profile or two, and through that, you stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues. Still - that's the same small list we've already discovered.  

Here's what you may be missing. 

Each of these forums has its own 'search engine' through which you can uncover groups, associations and organizations that share your interests. THIS is the market you need to begin engaging with.  For instance: Let's say your product helps people grow better flowerbeds. In each of the SM forums, type in related phrases, like "gardening" or "garden club" and see what pops up. On Facebook, you'll find "pages" or "groups" that you can subscribe to and begin engaging with people. On Twitter, you'll find people who have used the phrase you've 'searched' for, and 'follow'. They're likely to follow you back. The same principle holds true with LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other sites. Find your audience and engage. Try some other search terms, perhaps "landscaping" or "flower arrangements" or "horticulture". Be curious - explore these forums. You'll be pleasantly surprised how quickly you can "expand your market" as you simply connect with a bigger audience.

Yes, some of you will need help navigating Social Media. However, you have nothing to lose by just diving in and playing with it. If all else fails, ask your 12-year old neighbor to help you if you get really lost.

If you decide you need professional help, that's available as well. I'm as close as your phone or email, and it doesn't cost you a thing to ask me a question!

- Mary Beth Smith

North Dallas Marketing Group

214-536-2624

Repeat After Me

Repetition is an impressively powerful tool for your marketing. Look at this great advertising piece on the left. It would be hard to forget it simply because of the way it looks.

Repetition has a lot to do with your reputation. Did you ever notice that what gets repeated the most is perceived as not only important, but permanent, even though it may be neither.

Repetition also has a lot to do with education. "Repeat after me" is a common opening to learning something. We sing jingles over and over and find that we have memorized them without even trying. We practice certain techniques repeatedly until they seem natural. Do you even think about it when you tie your shoes now? Of course not! You repeated the action until it became so natural that you do it perfectly without even paying attention.

It only stands to reason that repetition plays an incredibly strong role in marketing your business. However, it not just the content of your message that must be repeated. The look of your message needs to be consistently repeated in every form. Do your business cards, letterhead, and envelopes repeat the same colors, logos and typeface? Are they all on the same paper? What about labels, gift bags, pens, magnets, signs, presentation folders?

When you repeat something, you reinforce it. Your message repeated becomes memorable. By repeating your look as well, you are bonding it with your communications. You have increased the impact by involving multiple senses.

The challenge comes with integrating all the parts and pieces of your product, your message, your medium and your frequency. Look at the poster at the top of this article. Would it have been as effective if they had repeated the image of something other than the apples? The artist did an engaging job of creating interest and memory by using an image that supported the message.

I'll practice what I preach by repeating an earlier statement:

"When you repeat something, you reinforce it."

Mary Beth Smith

The AG Marketing Companion

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The AG Marketing Companion is sponsored by AlphaGraphics of Park Cities and North Dallas. We are always ready to support you in your marketing efforts with consulting, planning, budgeting and production. If you would like to schedule an appointment to learn more about our services, please call Sherry Perry at 214-363-1101.

How Big is Big?

If you're an elephant, a skyscraper is big. If you're a mouse, a dog is big. Any way you look at it, big is relative. What does that have to do with marketing a business? Well...it may be that instead of deciding what "big" means, it would be better to focus on "bigger" instead.

If your company employs 100 people, adding 20 more at one time would make them bigger, but not so much that it would shake up everything the company does. On the other hand, if your company employs 8 people and adds 20 more at one time, you're going to see a lot of changes in everything that goes on. For most companies, this would be extremely disruptive, even though it seems like a good thing to be growing enough to hire more people.

When it comes to marketing a business, the planning needs to account for the current size of the company, and the style and pace of the marketing. You want to get bigger, but you want to keep it manageable without turning your company completely upside down!

ALL companies, whether smaller or bigger, can benefit greatly from appropriate marketing. Not every company needs a full-blown agency approach OR budget. Most companies are small enough that they can work with a knowledgeable marketing support services provider at a much lower cost, and drive growth at a level that allows them to become bigger - but not so big that they implode in the process.

Mary Beth Smith

The AG Marketing Companion

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AlphaGraphics of Park Cities, North Dallas and SMU can support your marketing needs, and welcomes the opportunity to talk with you any time. Call Sherry at 214-363-1101, and mention this blog post to receive a $200 consultation at no charge. If you'd rather email her, that's even easier: sperry@alphagraphics.com.

Be sure and reference the blog post to get your special offer - $200 is pretty big!