Connecting Marketing Communications with Sales Efforts to Deliver Measurable Results
Vol. 8, Issue No. 2
June 2007
Filling the Funnel:
Build Brand Awareness
Part one of a seven part series
TsuluWerks serves growing and mature businesses by connecting sales and marketing to deliver measurable results. Over the next seven issues, we would like to focus on the sales funnel, helping mid-market businesses move more prospects to qualified customers. As the first installment in this series, we will look at building brand awareness.
Before you can sell your product or services to someone, they have to know that you exist. Traditional brand building methods included saturating areas with your message, broadcast television ads, and radio spots. In today’s world, building brand awareness is more paramount, considering that people have numerous choices for companies who can serve their need as effectively as you do. So how do you cut through the clutter to build clear brand awareness with your target audience?
- Stay targeted. Identify clearly who it is you would like to target. Focus your efforts on touching them AND the people/resources who influence them. Want to sell fun games to children? Like Cranium, build brand awareness among the children and build brand reassurance with the moms who actually decide which games to purchase for their families. See how they’re documenting the results at http://blog.cranium.com/articles/category/martha-b-blog/
- Choose your position. When you choose a position, you have to be prepared to stand your ground. Let your audience know what you do better than anyone else. Clearly demonstrate how your solutions blow your competitors out of the water. If you can’t say this in less than seven words, your position will be lost to the people you’re talking to. See how Avis “tries harder” to position itself from other national car rental companies. http://www.avis.com/AvisWeb/images/US/en/deals/avis_video_xm.wmv
- Focus your solutions. People need to know more than who you are – they need to understand what you can provide for them. Make it clear how you serve the needs of your target audience. Just because you can do more doesn’t mean that you have to tell it all. Too many messages will only confuse your audience. Even TsuluWerks has been guilty of “we know what you do, but we don’t know what to buy from you!” Starbucks recently confronted the same issue when CEO Howard Schultz expressed his concerns that lack of focus were diluting the brand position of being the world’s best purveyor of coffee.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117245011028618856.html - Be consistent. You know how people are; how many of the people around you “get it” after telling them only once? Be consistent about staying in front of your target audience. Repeatedly touch your customers so that when they’re ready to buy, they immediately think of you first. Who do you think of first when you think of online booksellers?*
To build brand awareness takes time and persistence. The average business requires three years of consistent customer touches when starting out or launching a new concept. If your marketing team commits to repeatedly communicating with targeted, focused position-centric messages, your team will be well on its way to moving better customers through the sales funnel.
*If you’re like most people, you immediately think about Amazon.com. Barnes and Noble sells books online, too, but they haven’t built their brand awareness around being the largest online book seller.
How can TsuluWerks keep your sales funnel full?
First, we listen to you. Then, as your Made-to-Order Marketing Team, we use Vision Beyond Looks™ to plan, manage, and implement your brand awareness program. If you are ready to keep your sales team from making cold calls, call us at 206.782.4040. You can also email Tracy at tcorley@tsuluwerks.com.
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Seattle, WA 98101
Client Accomplishments
“The phones are ringing off the hook!”
— Sales team at Builders Capital Mortgage
Want to see how Made-to-Order Marketing can keep your sales team from making cold calls?
Give us a call at 206.782.4040. Or learn more about Made-to-Order Marketing online.
Events
The Seven Secrets of Shameless Sales
June 15, 2007
7:30 am to 10:00 am
Bellevue Community College
Wondering how to bring positive impact to your sales efforts? Afraid that your sales tactics might be repelling real results? Then join Tracy Corley for The Seven Secrets of Shameless Sales. Based on her popular series, Shameless Self Promotion, this workshop offers easy ways to bring shamelessness to your sales. We’ll look at what it takes to be shameless, the differences between promotions and sales, and how you can tactfully take command of your sales processes. After attending, you'll possess the tools to be completely shameless — and feel good about yourself in the end!
Just $25 if you pre-register!
Copyright © 2007 by Tracy A. Corley and TsuluWerks, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, visit us online at www.tsuluwerks.com. Send comments to tsulunews@tsuluwerks.com.