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Evolutionary MarketingBy: Kim T. Gordon Is your business experiencing flat or lackluster sales? It may be time to give your company a makeover using "evolutionary marketing" strategies. In real terms, there’s a kind of customer-driven Darwinism that rewards businesses that refuse to stagnate or follow the pack. Evolutionary marketing ensures survival of the fittest -- a surefire way to avoid extinction by staying one step ahead. It all comes down to anticipating and responding to changes in four critical areas: your audience, products and services, marketplace and competition. Study Your Audience The clearest sign that your marketing needs a makeover is when your messages stop resonating with your target audience. Your customers' or clients' tastes, preferences and even lifestyles are continually changing, and only an evolutionary marketing approach will keep your messages relevant and your sales strong. The first step is to understand your customers' hot buttons by continually reviewing published articles and research. Look beyond the basic information on how and what your prospects buy, and learn everything you can about them. It's also vital to get one-on-one input from select B2B customers by visiting their jobsites or offices -- not for the purpose of making sales -- but to discover the challenges they face and what they hope to gain by working with you. To make this your break-away year, use forecasting to stay ahead of consumer and industry trends. By searching Internet sites, such as www.business.com, you can find extensive forecast reports on trends in everything from lodging, fashion and the restaurant industry to commercial construction. And you can subscribe to Forecast, a subscription newsletter of demographic trends and business forecasts produced by American Demographics magazine (www.americandemographics.com). Add Value Through Innovation Entrepreneurial companies excel at innovation. New products and services are created and old ones tweaked. Evolutionary marketers are continually looking for ways to promote a "new wrinkle" to the old target group and expand by taking on new niches that will be receptive to their innovations. Chances are, even if you haven't reinvented the mousetrap, you can add value to your current product or service offering. So shake off last year's stagnant marketing approach and find new ways to communicate the value of your company's innovations to your target audience. Respond to the Cultural Climate The mood or condition of the marketplace profoundly affects the success of a campaign. In response to the souring economy, for example, affluent shoppers began curtailing their high-end department store purchases and increased their spending at discounters. Target stores adapted brilliantly to this dramatic cultural change by marketing low-cost, high-style items from world-renowned architect, Michael Graves. It’s corresponding advertising and PR coverage brought affluent shoppers into the stores, as did the recent Todd Oldham Dorm Room television campaign aimed at parents of college-age students, featuring the designer’s stamp on everything from lamps and bedding to faux fur throws. To be effective, your own campaigns and messages must evolve along with the shifting marketing climate -- the harsh environment in which your campaign must survive. Set the Competitive Pace Does your competition define your marketing strategy? If you spent last year reacting to your competitors' marketing messages, it's time to start setting the pace. Monitor their innovations and how they market, but develop your own evolutionary campaign that addresses your audience's hot buttons and focuses on adding value. The key is to create a campaign that will find a warm reception in the current marketplace and allow your selling message to evolve. Dell’s memorable "Dude, you’re getting a Dell" campaign, featuring a young, pugnacious spokesperson, is a good example of this because it provides a single recognizable framework for their continually changing promotions. Resolve to begin the new year by breaking away from the pack with evolutionary marketing. After all, it's a jungle out there. Get In-depth Coaching on this Topic>> Kim T. Gordon's columns and articles are read by nearly 3 million small and home-based business owners each month. She is the author of two books, including Bringing Home the Business: The 30 Truths Every Home Business Owner Must Know. Copyrighted material. May not be reproduced in whole or part without expressed permission from the author. |
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