5 Steps to Breaking Through

Your customers are bombarded with marketing messages–email, SMS text messaging, newsletters, direct mail, and social media. How can you break through all that clutter? Get back to the basics of great marketing!

1. Find a true differentiator.
Everyone has “quality products and great service” these days. What makes your brand unique? Do you serve a specific niche? Do you have a different approach to a specific problem or technology? Define what truly separates you from the pack.

2. Find the right positioning.
How is your competition positioned? How are they differentiating? Knowing this, you can position yourself accordingly. If your competition is focusing on price, for example, you might focus on features. If they are using email and web marketing, maybe you should use print.

3. Target your messaging.
Don’t just know your competition—know your customers. Divide your marketing list into targeted demographic or psychographic segments so that you can target your message accordingly.

4. Know your channels.
Personalization includes channel preferences. Know which channels your customers are most likely to respond to. Some people prefer to click through a link in a personalized email. Others prefer a phone number on a direct mail piece. Others prefer to scan a QR Code. Capitalize on these channel preferences to further personalize the experience.

5. Layer up.
Great marketing is never about a single channel. The most effective marketing coordinates multiple channels to touch customers in different ways at different times. Use inbound marketing techniques to get people to fill out an online survey, then follow up with a personalized mailer or brochure. Or send a postcard, then follow up with an email to boost response.

Breaking through the clutter doesn’t have to be complicated. Use these five basics of great marketing to get your message seen and heard!