The Do’s and Don'ts in Marketing to surpass your Competition – Why your Tech business is falling behind

In fact, although it is essential for marketers to stay up to date with the rapidly changing trends and practices, I believe too many companies are forgetting to stay faithful to the fundamental basics of marketing.

Finding the right balance between the old and new, and truly understanding the core of marketing is pivotal to overcoming the barriers to success. Thus, before we all try to quickly brush over these seemingly insignificant points, let us first return back to the basics – with the DO’s and DON’Ts of marketing.

What is behind the failure?

To address this failure, we first and foremost need to understand the true meaning of marketing. Marketing is quite a broad term. If I asked anyone to define the practice, there would be a broad range of definitions.  

Yet, the key goal behind all we do can be easily summed up as sending high-quality messages to control or change the perception or behaviors of your target audience.

Hence, this means all marketing activities will be focusing on attracting the right audience by providing value through quality content. This will in turn create a lasting impact in heightening brand awareness, brand loyalty, and product value.

Do - Understand your audience

Initially, truly understanding your target audience is the most important step to decipher. This is a critical step that no company can skip as it can strengthen your foundations or potentially lead to the cause of your downfall.

Focusing on your customer's wants, needs and perspectives is the golden rule of marketing. Thus, mapping your customer journey maps for your targeted customer personas will allow you to focus on the needs of your customers above all else.

Do not make the amateur mistake of underestimating the importance of research into your market and target segment, as this may leave you vulnerable to your competitors.

Customer-focused marketing changes the game, with your sales and marketing directed towards your specific consumers' preferences and market needs. Therefore, knowing your customers and creating a message that will sincerely resonate with them is the first must DO in your marketing process.

Don’t – Pivot your focus

If you believe you have followed the right steps to ensure you have effectively comprehended your target audience, now you must not safeguard this information.

The next step will create a safety net for all your marketing strategies. Focusing your attention to developing a distinctive and unique value proposition will ultimately save you time and costs in the long run. This will allow you to differentiate your products/services from your competitors and better reach your customers. In addition, make sure you are grounded in your companies’ values and do not pivot your focus or purpose within the process.

Define your niche in the market and aim to provide a need that is unlike your competitors, as this will guarantee you a free pass to success.

Do - Attract your audience in the right way

Make sure to figure out an effective way to attract and segment your audience. Any company can choose a target market and promote its message, nonetheless, there are a few companies who do it effectively.

Firstly, clearly define the overall brand message that you want to send to your audience.

Then begin segmenting your audience with your customers in mind.

Segmenting your audience into smaller groups in accordance with their preferences, consumption patterns or characteristics will ensure you are reaching your intended audience.

Your business could create the most compelling promotional content, yet lack quality leads due to missing out on this basic step. Segmenting your audience in-depth will allow your marketing to be personalized to the specific customers and leads suited to your goals.

Don’t - Misuse your Channels

This leads to the last step that will aid your marketing strategies above all else. Do not misuse any of your communication channels. Strategic messaging only comes into effect when the most effective marketing channels are used.

With the vast expansion of multimedia, specifically directing your intended message to your targeted audience can be tedious. Yet, the companies that have been able to successfully implement content strategies and direct them within the most efficient channels are currently surpassing competitors at significant rates.

Knowing how and where to spread your brand’s content is vital to the survival of any business. It is a well-known fact that in our digital age, perfecting your social media strategy will create the greatest results in your marketing strategy. The expeditiously escalating levels of social media usage in our world today create an opportunity for marketers to gain important leverage to reach their audience through an expansive communication channel.

Thus, being able to correctly use your channels and catching the attention of prospective consumers and leads are significant to the survival of your business.

In summary, here we have outlined the specific DO’s and DON’T’s to optimize your marketing strategy. These factors are imperative to your success, thus make sure to undertake and deeply address these fundamental steps in your marketing plan.

If you have any questions regarding this topic or your business needs advice in its marketing activities please get in contact with an experienced marketing professional today.