An experience I’ve had this week really made me think about why businesses do marketing and how they go about it. I decided I needed a new garage door and a quick Google showed me there were a lot of people to choose from, so where to start? I am a great fan of the FreeIndex directory which also gives customer reviews and on the site (www.freeindex.co.uk) they offer a service to get 5 quotes from local businesses. The service is free to use for both the advertiser and the enquirer so a bit of a no-brainer all round! I thought this would be a good starting point in my search so I filled in the short form and hit submit. My enquiry was on its way to 5 local businesses. All I had to do was wait…..
Deciding to generate leads….
Driving enquiries and opportunities is at the heart of marketing – but it is vital that it is part of a joined-up process that sees enquiries being effectively followed-up through to a conclusion. Over the years I have seen many examples where businesses put emphasis on developing marketing collateral designed to generate leads and enquiries without really thinking the process through:
Too much emphasis on website design
Don’t get me wrong the look of a website is very important. It needs to look professional and to ‘fit’ your business but this is only part of the story. There are many websites out there that look great, but when you try to use them, they just don’t work properly, or you can’t find the content you need. We regularly hear web designers complain that they struggle to finish sites because they are waiting for content from their clients, but the designers all to often just sit and wait. they should be focussed on more than just creating a cutting-edge design, they need to make sure the content is available too. At the same time, a business can’t just hand over a web site project to a designer and expect it to happen. There needs to be a collaborative, joined-up approach to launch an effective website and even then, the business needs to think about how they will use the website as part of their ongoing business development.
Exhibitions – the start not the end
Deciding to exhibit can start a chain of events looking at logistics for the exhibition stand, what it is going to look like, having the brochures and equipment ready in time, agreeing who will man the stand etc, but all of this is about getting to the opening day and having a stand ready and people to man it. The opening day is seen as the end, but from a marketing viewpoint, shouldn’t it be the start? A joined-up approach to exhibiting should focus on making the most of the exhibition days, making as many, relevant contacts as possible, and where those contacts show a current interest or requirement, making sure they are effectively followed-up through to a conclusion
Online lead systems
Pay per click, remarketing, banner advertising etc., are all great tools to generate enquiries on a ‘pay as you go’ basis but many business owners are wary as they have heard stories of bank accounts being emptied as a result of out-of-control online lead generation that simply doesn’t pay for itself. It isn’t enough to set up an online lead programme then sit back. If you are to make the most of it, your programme should be carefully monitored and managed to ensure that the right leads are coming in and they are being actioned through to a positive result. Taking this approach to business generation can be incredibly powerful, but only if you control it.
Back to the garage door….
I am sorry to report that I received a follow-up contact from just one company. This was disappointing for me as it meant I had to go back and do more research to get additional options. The company who did follow up, met with me, took my details and gave me a quote for the work – all part of the business development process. Unfortunately for them their quote wasn’t competitive so they didn’t get the job. I wonder if they will follow the quote up? – but that’s another story! What never ceases to amaze me is that my enquiry went to four businesses who simply didn’t follow-up. This issue isn’t new – take a look at this post from a couple of years ago where we did an experiment looking at follow-up to enquiries.
Avoiding the pitfalls
I’m afraid there is nothing new here!
Have a plan
A plan that sets out three things can prove invaluable:
- What you plan to do
- How you plan to do it
- Why you are doing it
Monitor and review
Your plan is nothing if you don’t use it. Take time to regularly review what you are doing. If everything is on track, great. If not, identify the issues and do something about them! Don’t be afraid to acknowledge weaknesses. By learning from them and addressing them you can make your marketing stronger and more effective. Regular review means, if you are going down the wrong track, you don’t go too far!
Stick at it
Lack of joined-up process can make people too ready to jump-ship at the first sign of a problem. As a result they can constantly be switching from one idea to the next. Unless they hit lucky, this is likely to mean one disappointment after another. A joined-up process gives you control to see a problem and decide if there is a solution. This is how good, effective marketing really works