Do You Advertise or Market Your Business?
Dictionary definitions:
'Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience
(viewers, readers or listeners) to purchase or take some action upon products,
ideals, or services.'
In other words... You pay to advertise your disco in print, on the internet or
on radio and cross your fingers, hold your breath and wait for the phone to
ring.
'Marketing is the process by which companies create customer interest in
products or services. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques,
business communication, and business development.'
In other words... You have a plan to promote and develop your disco company to
potential clients which involves a combination of advertising, networking and
promotion.
Confused?
If you place an advert to gain more enquiries, you are advertising. If you place
an advert as part of a planned strategy to increase your profile, reach targets
and ultimately grow your business, then you are marketing. Marketing isn't by
accident. It is a planned strategy with many elements.
Marketing is like a road trip, so buckle up your seat belt and keep your eyes on
the road as we take our marketing journey
The Marketing Road Trip
Where are you going?
Whenever you set out on a journey, you firstly decide where you are going before
choosing the route to take. It's the same with marketing. Decide first what you
want to achieve (your destination). If this is more bookings then try to be more
specific. For example it could be: more wedding functions or gaining a karaoke
residency; higher paid bookings; bookings in particular venues or localities.
Who's going to meet you there?
After deciding on your destination, you need to be clear about who you want to
meet there. These are the clients you want to reach ie your target market. For
example, if you specialise in R&B your target is for more 18th and 21st birthday
parties, so it wouldn't be advisable to advertise in a Saga magazine! When you
have decided who your target market is, then brainstorm ideas of how to reach
those people. For example, for brides your list would include bridal magazines,
wedding websites, wedding fayres and other wedding providers.
Lay-bys and Service Stations
Its a long journey, so make sure you have located the service stations along the
way and timed when you will get there. On our marketing journey, this translates
to smaller targets that we set ourselves, and giving a timescale by which to
reach them. As with any rest stop, achieving a smaller target helps to recharge
your batteries and give you the energy to continue on your journey. The timing
of your marketing is crucial. As DJs we often laugh about the clients who try to
contact us on a Saturday night, which can equate to us marketing at the wrong
time of year for the service we are offering. Without this kind of structure its
very easy to put things off or like me, leave it till tomorrow!
Short cuts and scenic routes
A good marketing plan has several routes to the same destination. The old adage
springs to mind: Don't put all of your eggs in one basket. Routes to consider
are your own website (optimised to be found by search engines), listings on
other sites, bridal fayres. Other avenues are: striking up good relationships
with shops and service providers that are aimed at your type of client and agree
to promote each other and of course other DJs in your area.
Budgeting for your journey
With any road trip, you wouldn't start off without an idea of how much money you
have available and how much each part of your journey is going to cost. Your
marketing journey is no different. It is possible to plan your journey to avoid
expensive toll roads, and still reach your destination. A good marketing plan
will be cost effective and doesn't necessarily need a large budget eg activities
such as making appointments with venues and function managers, distributing
leaflets to party suppliers by hand etc. is not expensive.
Here are some examples:
| Target |
Market Route |
| Birthdays |
Party Supply Shops |
| Balloon Suppliers |
| Private caterers |
| Venues, Pubs, Village halls, Golf clubs |
| Weddings |
Photographers |
| Bridal fayres |
| Venues, Marquee Companies, Hotels |
| Florists |
| Corporate |
Business Forums |
| Business Networking & Clubs |
| Corporate Hotels |
| Local Council |
| Direct to Companies |
How's it going?
So...you're driving along the route you've planned. To gauge how well you are
doing you can check the time, mileage, petrol gauge and the well being of your
passengers. But what about our marketing journey? With each element of your
marketing, you need to constantly check whether it is working and achieving the
goals you have set. A handy tool to use is MERA:
Monitor what you are doing. For each route, keep a record of its success
on a monthly basis.
Evaluate how successful it has been. Refer back to your destination and
your smaller targets, and the budget allocated.
Review the success. Some marketing might be unsuccessful in meeting the
designated target, but successful in other ways.
Action! Use your monitoring to inform you of your next step, whether its
continuing in the same way, tweaking something, stopping due to ineffectiveness
or even making a U turn.
Till next time... enjoy your marketing journey and keep your eye on the road
ahead! Sandy & Paul
08456 808 247
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