The Importance of a Strong Marketing Strategy and Great Customer Service for Growing Your Business

In today’s competitive business environment, it’s next to impossible to succeed without a solid marketing strategy. How to market your business—and, most importantly, how to position yourself against the competition—should always be top of mind when considering your long-term growth plans.

Your marketing efforts are the primary channel(s) through which your customers gain access to your business. And without a thoughtful plan for how to stand out from the crowd, the odds are that growing your business will be a constant challenge.

There are three main areas to consider as you begin creating a marketing strategy.

1. What makes your business different?

Ask yourself the following: what is one defining aspect of my business? This is sometimes referred to as your business’ ‘singular promise’. It’s the most important feature that you want to leave in the customer’s mind and should be clearly conveyed through all of your marketing endeavors.

In the early stages of developing your marketing strategy, spend some time brainstorming with your team on how you define your business and what you think truly differentiates you from your competitors. When you know exactly what you want to say to your customers, it’s much easier to decide how and where you’ll say it.

2. Who is your target and where do they hang out?

Once you’ve articulated the defining qualities of your business, it’s time to decide who your primary and secondary targets are. Although you might think that you already know your target audience, if you’re committed to growing your business, it’s worth taking the time to consider how to widen your reach.

And equally important to determining your audience is determining where/how to interact with them. Whether this means bringing in an external party to conduct some market research on your target’s habits or initiating a study of your own, gaining a fuller understanding of where you should be advertising will have a tremendous impact on generating new leads.

3. How will you track results?

Knowing what worked and what didn’t as you roll out your marketing strategy is crucial when you’re looking to grow your business. Ensure that every marketing project has a clear plan for how results will be tracked. With the advent of online marketing—email blasts, AdWords, banner ads, etc.—this is now very easy for businesses to accomplish. 

With a well-structured marketing plan and clearly defined tactics for tracking, your business will undoubtedly make noticeable gains. But as you begin to notice an increase in interest and awareness, it’s absolutely crucial to deliver great customer service to new and existing customers. While marketing is essential to getting your customers in the door, exceptional service is what keeps them there. By paying attention to both pieces of the puzzle, you can make 2013 your best year yet.

To learn more about how a marketing strategy can help you grow your business this year, contact Employment Professionals Canada. With expertise in marketing and customer service, we’d be pleased to offer advice about any part of the process.