I know that small businesseses cannot compete on price and do not have the kind of marketing budgets that allow for large scale advertising. Don’t fear, I have plenty of product marketing ideas.
As a micro, small or medium business you have two advantages over multi-national brands. Firstly, you can implement product marketing ideas easily. Secondly, customers love small, forward thinking, socially conscious brands who offer a quality product and a unique experience. All you need to do is communicate with customers in the way that they like. Not only the format but also the language style and the content is vital for two way communication.
There is a general sense of overwhelm in the modern consumer, so keep it simple and think outside the box. Whether you are selling online or in a retail store you have the opportunity to give your customers a reason to come back. A repeat customer is the absolute best kind. Remember a balance of online and offline marketing activities are crucial for success when working on your product marketing ideas.
Customers want the transaction to be easy and your communication is key. The basic model in creating a repeat purchase pattern is to leave a warm fuzzy with your customer AND encourage on going transactions for the future.
8 Product Marketing Ideas
1. Discount, Deals & Offers Product Insert
Who doesn’t love to save money? One of, if not ‘the’ most effective promotions is a discount offer. Whether your promotion comes via packaging insert or a followup email, this simple tried and tested method is a fantastic way to have a customer come back to you.
As well you can up sell, cross sell and generally help them fall in love with your product. There are soooo many ways to do this, need ideas?
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2. The Dirty Words
Everytime I mention the words ‘Facebook Advertising’, whether it is with clients, friends or family, the other person rolls their eyes in disgust, despair or plain disinterest. The truth is that Facebook offers many types of advertising methods and a campaign is totally driven by what outcome you want. Facebook ad can be targeted to your customer plus you can run the ads on your terms and in your budget. You can measure the effectiveness of your ad REALLY easily. This advertising platform is a game changer for all small businesses.
3. Gratitude Is Sexy
It is an old fashioned notion but a VERY effective one. A thank-you email, note or card is so simple. No it’s not antiquated, it’s polite. Obviously you don’t want to over do this as it will not come a across as sincere. My suggestion is to communicate with customers who have reached a milestone, e.g.: 3rd online order or have been a customer for 2 years. Acknowledge the milestone, thank them and include a ‘loyal customer voucher’. Goodwill goes a long way.
4. Sizzling Samples
Including a small sample in a package (or an online promotion to receive a sample) can be a great value add. Most people will try a new product if it’s free. This small sample provides customers with exposure to a new varient/flavour, increases brand awareness and creates good vibes with your existing customers. Including a sample is an ideal way to ‘cross-sell’ to customers without the ‘hard sell’. This is a perfect way to launch a new product on a low budget.
5. Instigate ‘Insta Love’
Run a competition. Need to get your social numbers up – the answer is always yes if you want to do any kind of online advertising. Ask customers to take a photo of your product being used, cooked with, consumed ect. post to Instagram and hashtag with the brand/product name. Nicest photo wins! You can also use this opportunity to ‘follow’ your customers. Remember to entice them with a desirable prize!
6. VIP Customers
Ok you don’t want to go too cheesy with this one but a small gift is a wonderful thing to receive. Generosity is the new black and your VIP customers do not know they are VIP’s if you don’t let them know. Choose something fun and relevant to your product, something useful and has a message, something which helps customers delight in your brand. You will not please everyone with this but most people love a little surprise. I once got a cool t-shirt… so cool that people would ask where I got it, everytime I wore it.
7. Website Wonderland
Ensure your website is performing as a sales representative. It should not be an online brochure – your website can create sales. I don’t mean you need an e-commerce website, I mean have it setup to track your customers every move. Is your website built with a search engine optimised foundation? Is each page of your website driving traffic take action towards your brand?
8. Be Transparent
People are over being tricked and marketed to in ways they have not asked for. If you want an email address for your database marketing, then say so. Say it nicely and remember to offer something in exchange – something of value: quarterly entry into competition, free product sample or a 10% off voucher. This small investment can be the one thing that will help you build a strong customer database for your marketing ideas to come to life.
Wondering where to start?
Ideally you will not run promotions randomly and hope for the best. A strategic marketing plan is always the best place to start. Once you have this in place then implementing your marketing plan is the next phase. The duration and cost of each marketing activity will be dependent on the platform you choose. For example, you might offer a discount for every long term customer for a year but only run a Facebook ad for a week. Obviously the range of options will vary but after 12 months you will know which promotions offer the most bang for your buck. Once you are able to identify your top performing promotions you can refine and offer those the following year.
Product marketing ideas like packaging inserts, thank-you cards, small samples, a website with an SEO foundation, online reviews, social media engagement can all create a mutually beneficial exchange for your brand and your customers. These are cheap ways to increase sales and reconnect with your loyal customers or new customers.
Show your customers some love and they will love to purchase your products – again and again.
The marketing plan is the foundation of your promotional activities. Remember a balance of online and offline product marketing ideas and activities are crucial for success. Need help to create a product marketing plan? Feel free to call me for a quote, 07 3862 1236.
If you like this article then you may also want to have a read of ‘Save Money With Design: 10 Top Tips‘.
