Sounds easy enough. You have your company's business goals for
the planning period. You've outlined your challenges: competitive
bidding, retail competition, a new DME chain down the street,
decreased financing, the need to diversify revenue sources and
fewer employees. Then you start tripping over marketing, what you
want to achieve, who is doing what and whose budget it comes out
of.
Typically in HME businesses, everyone does a bit of marketing.
Maybe the owner or president has defined business goals and an
employee has stepped up with specific skills in advertising or
public relations. But as companies mature, they recognize the
competitive landscape and see the need to professionalize their
marketing expertise. They realize the necessity of integrating a
variety of marketing activities to attract and retain customers is
now critical to build business.
Let's dispel some misunderstandings right off. Marketing is not
just advertising. Marketing is not just a meaningful logo and Web
site. Nor high tech in-services with organic lunches. Marketing
is the systematic plan and implementation of a mix of business
activities that build relationships of mutual value between
buyers/referral entities and sellers.
Advertising is one of the marketing tools to get the word out
about your firm. A great radio campaign can draw attention to your
grand opening or special event. Well-placed billboards might create
brand awareness if you are being locked out of a market. Or
customer service training and product guarantees can keep customers
returning for more cash sale items.
A special sale builds pricing awareness. An online store extends
your distribution capability. A phone call campaign can introduce
customers to a special event. All are independent tactics unless
tied into a marketing plan with specific objectives, and driven and
controlled by your business goals.
Marketing is not just sales. According to an explanation from
About.com,
“Marketing is everything that you do to reach and persuade
prospects. The sales process is everything that you do to close the
sale and get a signed agreement or contract. Both are necessities
to the success of a business.”
When you are thinking about your company's marketing program,
take a step back. Be pragmatic.
List your business goals and critical challenges.
List your top marketing objectives for each goal and
share them with your employees.
Request suggestions from staff at least once every
quarter.
Build an Excel calendar of key marketing activities (and
tactics) driven by your objectives. Connect the calendar with the
budget.
Hold a monthly staff meeting to share primary marketing
activities. Lack of communication and knowledge equals lost
sales.
Define specific advertising, promotion, Web site, email
marketing, public relations and sales programs that meet your
objectives and attract your target markets. Don't get distracted by
some cool Facebook campaign concept or Twitter opportunity or media
buy unless it meets your objective and your market.
Coordinate the timing of your marketing efforts. You will
save money by working each marketing investment harder.
Case example: One HME provider's marketing objectives was
to increase cash sales to achieve a goal of diversifying revenue
sources on high-margin products.
Strategy: Conduct a targeted, integrated event and
communications campaign.
Tactics: Conducted a phone campaign to 250 current
customers to introduce a new service/products and a speaker event.
The provider followed up with an email campaign, a link on the Web
site, a postcard mailing and reminder calls. Customers received
discounts on other products at the event and door prizes from a
manufacturer. Outside sales personnel got copies of the materials
to share with referral sources.
Remember that everyone in your company is a marketer. Everyone
needs to understand your business goals and the key marketing
strategies that will achieve those goals. If you can't get your own
employees to understand your goals and be actively knowledgeable
about your activities, how will your customers and referral
sources?
Read more Marketing
Matters columns.
Colette Weil is managing director of Summit Marketing,
Mill Valley, Calif., a consulting firm specializing in strategic
marketing and program development. You can reach her at cweil@summitmktg.com or
415/388-5303.
