For the past two years I take one or two calls a week from a new customer looking to advertise. These calls can meander in a lot of different directions but inevitably they end up in the same neighborhood – customers want a better Return on their Investment.
Most have a pretty good idea in their gut who their best customers are; they’ve tried to contact and persuade them but with mixed results.
At this point the conversation usually turns into a back-and-forth twenty questions. But these are the very questions every company should periodically ask themselves. Hopefully, you have asked and answered most of these. If not below is a good place to start:
- Who is your best customer? Not who is your most usual customer. Who are the customers with passion for your product or service? And Why?
- What’s the value of that customer? If they are repeat customers. What’s the value of the customer for the year? For 5 years?
- What have you tried in the past that’s worked? (This is the crux of many calls)
- How do you know it worked?
- Companies don’t always know what works the best or has the best Return on Investment. That’s one of the reasons they are calling in the first place.
- What has failed?
- What’s your creative position?
- Tagline
- Spokesperson
- Online Presence
- Reputation
- Who’s your competition?
- Broken out into more in depth – who do you aspire to be? And whom do you not want to emulate.
- What sets you apart from the competition?
- One of the hardest questions to ask. It may very well be ‘not much’ which is OK.
Good marketing creates strong brands. The world is full of aspiring brands; From Apple to Louis Vuitton. The biggest difference between UnderArmour and BCG (store brands) are the logos. It can take years to build (Cartier) or weeks – like Beats Electronics.
The Miller Agency has built brands on a local level since 1984. We have the expertise. Some of the answers may be hard to take but if you start by answering the above questions truthfully, you will be well on your way to succeeding in your business and your brand. So, take the assessment in 2020 and give us a call at 972-243-2211 when you are ready to take your brand to the next level.
