Designing your brand, your product, your story…

In today’s market there are so many companies fighting for the same market share, often with the same products and/or services….how do you compete, how do you attract, how do you cement that relationship with your customer?

For your share of the market you need to relook at your product and examine your customers. Dig deep to get to know them, really know them and then tailor what you are offering to appeal to them. You need to stand out and you need to deliver.

Instead of targeting the entire South African population, decide to concentrate on a smaller target group. Reinvent your product by persuading them it is a niche product which they just have to have. Once you get to know your target audience intimately you will have a valuable insight into what draws them to a certain product, what makes them purchase that product, what makes them come back for more, but most importantly what makes them tell their friends about your product?

That is the million dollar question, word-of-mouth is the number one marketing tool but yet it is the most dangerous if it goes wrong and the most powerful if it is achieved. Companies need to start designing their product as well as the communication and marketing strategy to fulfill a need within a smaller target audience. Tailor your packaging, language, advertising etc to better suit your customer. Make your customer feel like a VIP and they are guaranteed to return or better yet, tell their friends.

Public Relations can no longer be generic, we can’t go around saying…”same procedure as last year”, we need to hit that bull’s-eye. There is a lot of untapped talent and creative minds in our country and we need to start utilizing them. We are too conservative and too afraid of being wrong to take a chance on new strategies. Who out there is brave enough to take the plunge and try a new, customer designed approach to their public relations?