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Secrets to Success
Deborah Cole Micek
and John-Paul Micek
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Marketing with the new media
Part two of a two-part series
IN last week's column, we used the auto industry to give us an example of how to use the new-media marketplace. But, you don't have to be a corporate giant to capitalize on these trends. Small-business owners have a big advantage when it comes to marketing with the new media -- an advantage that allows you to be quick and flexible, both of which can help you gain a firm leadership role in your niche.
Here are three things you can immediately do to put consumer-generated media and word-of-mouth to work for you:
1. Position yourself as a trusted expert. That means positioning yourself and your company, interacting, and engaging in areas that people in your target audience visit for information or education related to your industry.
When they see that you have a Web presence (instead of a Web site), you'll immediately establish more trust.
2. Make it easy for consumers to learn about you, your company, and what makes you a better choice than your competitors. This may seem obvious, but sadly, the way most business owners and marketers go about this is having a dull boring 'corporate' style Web site. That's a 'World Wide Web' approach. But we are now operating in the 'World Live Web.'
Make your Web site a place where customers and pros- pects can find comparisons of your product/service benefits over your competitors. With blogs, podcasts, and social networking, customers will find that info on their own anyway, so you might as well save them the time. When done properly and linked to your business blog, this is another powerful ally in attracting new customers and prospects.
3. Open a dialog with your target audience and provide multiple channels for developing relationships. The new-media marketplace does have its own interconnected matrix of interactive tools. But the critical core is your business blog. This is where you need to start before jumping to any other new-media marketing strategies.
A blog for your business is low cost, easy to manage, and extremely effective in opening a dialog and getting valuable feedback. That gives you a big advantage over your competitors. A business blog provides a less formal area (than your "regular" Web site) where people can get to know you and your company.
Customers can interact with you at will. And you can generate a significant amount of trust with prospects and clients by communicating through words, audio, or even video that you can publish to the Web in a snap.
The most important thing you can remember if you want to successfully market with blogs and the new media is that consumer comments, opinion, and satisfaction are one with marketing. There is no separation and you can't compete with consumer-generated media with traditional marketing methods alone -- no matter how much money you put behind your efforts.
John-Paul Micek is the lead business coach at RPM Success Group Inc. Reach him at
JPM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.
Deborah Cole Micek, chief executive officer of RPM Success Group, is a business success coach and life strategist. Reach her at
DCM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.