At our agency, we frequently receive calls from businessmen or entrepreneurs who are looking for help to reactivate their businesses and recover their clients; many because they were affected by the pandemic situation that is happening to us, others who, although just like the first, are just beginning to be interested in working on their marketing and having a presence in the media; but there are also many who simply had never considered that they should address this issue, and suddenly, they realize that they were in a comfort zone with the same old practices that obviously no longer work for them.
Most of them contact us specifically asking for a service, the most frequent: presence on social networks, with the conviction that only with that will they increase their sales and magically begin to receive clients. Our immediate response to this request is always: Are you sure that’s all you need?
I would like to make an analogy to this situation; working “on request and without finding out” is like going to the doctor sick and asking him to only prescribe a painkiller when he hasn’t even checked you up, and what you could have is a strong infection, needing a combination of antibiotics, painkillers, anti-inflammatories and maybe even some therapy for your recovery… Do I explain?
There is nothing more wrong in marketing planning than deciding on a means of communication, such as social networks, without having previously done an analysis of your business to find out “what hurts” and what “medicine” it needs.
Continuing with medical terms, doctors know very well that each patient is different from one another, and even with the same condition, the treatment that each one needs will be according to their conditions. This is what happens with companies; The owners must know, as we who dedicate ourselves to advising companies in marketing and advertising know, that before starting a strategy they must analyze “where they stand”. We have been faced with cases in which the recommendation has been to turn business models around and rethink a new perspective of their own companies, taking them by the hand throughout the process.
Our work goes far beyond just making creative ads, “videos” and posting on social networks. In these times in which consumers are no longer the same as before, we have become business advisors in their commercial strategies, and we do not just give a miraculous recipe for their ills, because we seek to accompany them throughout the treatment, based on the analysis of all areas involved.
Some of the many “exams” we do are aimed at answering the following questions: how are your products or services compared to the competition? How is the service you offer? And how is your relationship with the work team and collaborators? Do you have a good relationship with your suppliers? Do you really have operational control of your inventories? And your brand, do you have it registered and well armored? Do you already know your sales funnel? Do you know what are the threats and areas of opportunity for your business? Do you have your digital ecosystem aligned?… and one of the most important, do you know your client?
Everything has to turn in the search for results; If customers don’t know you, they can’t buy you, but to make yourself known you must first be “very healthy” and achieve a good position based on the truth. Sales strategies must be supported by efficient internal processes. We must look for where we can differentiate ourselves from the competition and be clear that customers have changed and consume in a different way, now you must focus on what they are looking for, not only on the channels they use to find it, such as social networks.
Depending on your type of product or service, you should know which channel is best for your market, and it is not always just social networks. It is very important to have a digital presence, but it must be backed by an accurate diagnosis and good management so that it generates flow to your points of sale, whether in person or online.
Entrepreneurs must be willing to invest in technology, in facilitating procedures to speed up the purchasing process for their customers, in working from within for their own transformation and in the marketing area at the hands of experts, in planning strategies to be resilient, stay afloat and get out of this crisis. And you, how healthy are you?
By Guadalupe Zúñiga Elizalde
Managing partner of Digitocreativo Publicidad and president of the Sonoran Advertising Association A.C.
Contact: gzuniga@digitocreativo.com.mx