In the past businesses could find huge success marketing their product with a method known as the "hard sale." With this form of marketing a business would use tactics that would pressure consumers into purchasing their product or utilizing their service. However, with the recent down turn of the economy, this approach had to transform into something more thoughtful to appeal to consumers. This is because most customers began to carefully watch and monitor where their money was going and how it was being spent. Therefore, businesses now must offer specific reasons why their product or service will benefit or enhance the lives of their customer in order to have successful sales.
As a result of this new sales approach many businesses are having to reevaluate their marketing strategy. Consumers are no longer making as many impulse purchases and now must have a legitimate reason to spend their hard-earned dollars on a specific product or service. Some important tips for businesses to utilize in order to secure consumers purchase what they have to offer include:
- The customer needs to know the direct benefit they will receive from a businesses product or service. This includes how it will enhance their life and why they should purchase one brand over the other.
- Do not use traditional advertising hype and schemes such as: forced urgency where a consumer can only get your product for a limited amount of time, false promises and outrageous claims and overzealous hype that is no longer effective, such as "Get miracle slimming results overnight and drop 30 pounds."
- Do not oversell the product. Ensure the customer knows the benefits of what is offered, but do not saturate media, emails and social networks with too much information.
- Utilize channels such as social media networks to utilize the new form of word of mouth advertising.
It is still a fact that one of the main influencing factors that affect what a consumer purchases is through emotion. If a product induces "good" feelings they are more likely to spend their money on that product. Also, if the company or manufacturer has a good or popular reputation their products may also be purchased more frequently. Keeping marketing and promotion campaigns honest, free of hype and about the customer are sure ways to effect a consumers purchasing habits.
As a result of this new sales approach many businesses are having to reevaluate their marketing strategy. Consumers are no longer making as many impulse purchases and now must have a legitimate reason to spend their hard-earned dollars on a specific product or service. Some important tips for businesses to utilize in order to secure consumers purchase what they have to offer include:
- The customer needs to know the direct benefit they will receive from a businesses product or service. This includes how it will enhance their life and why they should purchase one brand over the other.
- Do not use traditional advertising hype and schemes such as: forced urgency where a consumer can only get your product for a limited amount of time, false promises and outrageous claims and overzealous hype that is no longer effective, such as "Get miracle slimming results overnight and drop 30 pounds."
- Do not oversell the product. Ensure the customer knows the benefits of what is offered, but do not saturate media, emails and social networks with too much information.
- Utilize channels such as social media networks to utilize the new form of word of mouth advertising.
It is still a fact that one of the main influencing factors that affect what a consumer purchases is through emotion. If a product induces "good" feelings they are more likely to spend their money on that product. Also, if the company or manufacturer has a good or popular reputation their products may also be purchased more frequently. Keeping marketing and promotion campaigns honest, free of hype and about the customer are sure ways to effect a consumers purchasing habits.
Another powerful tool for small businesses to affect the purchasing decisions of their consumers is through social media networks. If a business advertises through these platforms they can reach thousands of new and different customers. In order to fully utilize these platforms a business should ensure they customize their information, offer incentives for customers to visit their pages and provide quality and beneficial information that is not just sales pitches. Customers no longer want to be "sold" to. They want to learn what a particular product or service has to offer them and how it will improve their lives. If a business truly wants to impact consumers buying decisions they must ensure their marketing campaigns target and explain these factors clearly to potential customers.
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