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Marketing Seminars
Show How to Get Big Results
Is there really a market for your product or service?
That’s one of the key questions you need to answer as
you consider your business and your marketing budget,
according to David Buchholz with David & Associates in
Hastings, Neb.
In May, the REAP Women’s Business Center collaborated
with local economic development organizations in North
Central Nebraska to offer marketing seminars presented
by Buchholz. Seminars were held in O’Neill in
partnership with Holt County Economic Development,
Ainsworth in partnership with the North Central
Development Center (NCDC), and Valentine in partnership
with the Valentine/Cherry County Economic Development
Board.
The Broken Bow Chamber and Valley County Economic
Development partnered with the REAP-WBC to host Buchholz
in Broken Bow and Ord in June. Business owners and/or
community leaders gained a new appreciation of marketing
efforts after attending one of these sessions.
Dave Buchholz distinguished between “selling” and
“marketing” and emphasized the importance of “marketing”
– which is customer-focused rather than seller-focused.
Price vs. Value was discussed. Price is only one factor
in a purchasing decision. Other factors are quality,
selection, service, location, convenience, uniqueness,
and many others.
What is important to your customers? The seller has to
provide the customer logical reasons to justify their
purchases, especially if they made an emotional buying
decision. Make sure to identify the benefits to your
customer in relation to the features of the product or
service.
Buchholz identified three ways to build your business:
- Get more customers.
- Increase the frequency of purchases from existing
customers.
- Increase the average purchase from existing
customers.
It’s critical to realize the importance of taking
care of current customers.
A Marketing Calendar is essential for budgeting and
planning, in Buchholz’s opinion. It provides one the
ability to say “No” to requests for “donations” if the
budget is allocated or expended. It allows for
evaluation and adaptation as times change. The calendar
should be flexible. It is also critical to track any
marketing and advertising activities implemented to know
if they increased sales.
The advantages and disadvantages of various advertising
venues were discussed. Internet marketing and web site
hints included: make contact information easy to find;
have a memorable URL (your web address) and ensure it is
on all materials.
Other tips included the importance of using testimonials
to develop credibility, partner with other
companies, share mailing lists, joint promotions, offer
in-store seminars, send thank you’s, and make follow-up
calls.
Participants in these seminars indicated their knowledge
and skill level increased from the information
presented. We plan to hold more of these sessions in the
coming months. Please contact your REAP Business
Specialist if you are interested in having a Marketing
session in your area.
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