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Marketing is practiced in the same way by most organizations; typically marketers adopt efficiency tools to perform the detailed tasks of their profession. They are infatuated with the minutiae of their world.
There are, for example, keyword research tools such as Ubersuggest, site usage tools such as Hotjar, email marketing tools like Active Campaign and many many more.
Today, there are so many tools available that overwhelmed marketers have a difficult time choosing one that best fits their particular circumstances.
But the real problem is that with everyone searching for the toolset that will make them more efficient at performing marketing tasks, the specific strategic actions that will enable them to stand out in the crowd are often overlooked and given a low priority. In some organizations they are ignored.
Efficiency is a laudable goal, but what organizations need from marketing are strategic tools; tools that will make them different from every else and give them a strategic advantage in the marketplace.
Marketing is not a tactical resource, it’s a strategic one.
These are the actions that different marketers take to add strategic value to their organization and make their marketing efforts stunning and unbeatable.
#1. They don’t care about new customers
They treat existing loyal customers as the lifeline of the business. They choose to reward loyalty with special deals and promotions before offering them as an incentive for people to leave their current supplier.
‘Deals for loyalty’ is the mantra that drives the offer development process and additional revenue is generated by creating programs for current customers as opposed to adding new customers.
#2. They bring service in
They introduce service elements into the marketing value proposition mix, realizing that if the right service umbrella doesn’t overshadow the specific product being offered, there is no positive outcome.
If someone can’t easily get their solution with care and attention, they won’t buy or stay.
And they differentiate various levels of service to reflect the value of various customer groups. For example, a dedicated ‘Chairman’s Club’ 1-800 line is provided exclusively for those customers who are top spenders.
#3. They ignore technology
They are agnostic to technology; they focus on the value and benefits the technology delivers rather than on the technology itself.
Current marketing is infatuated with gee-wiz technology and uses it to declare a competitive advantage.
So, for example, a communications company mistakenly assumes it is unique among their competitors if they use 5G technology yet the technology is available (and eventually will be used by) everyone in the business.
Unmatchable marketing, on the other hand, positions their organization as unique in how they employ technology to solve customer problems or enhance their quality of life.
#4. They covet ‘The ONLY’
They ask the question,’Why should I do business with you and not your competitors?’ guide them in developing the competitive strategy of their organization.
They avoid using ‘better’, ‘the best’ and ‘number 1’ to declare their competitive position; rather they use the ONLY statement — ‘We are the ONLY ones that…’ — to express their uniqueness and state why they should be chosen over their competition.
#5. They are ‘always on’
They are constantly learning what customers desire every time they touch the organization, whether it’s a personal contact or a visit to a website.
They are not enamored with traditional market research studies as the way to discover what people want and desire; they use a learning streaming approach that gathers relevant information on the customer every time they engage with the organization.
The smallest detail may be the most important in terms of providing the right solution, and unmatchable marketers don’t want to miss the opportunity to get it.
#6. They love ‘secrets’
They are obsessed with discovering the innermost secrets that customers hide: they aren’t really all that interested in the needs they give up freely.
Most organizations try to determine what their customers NEED and use their data to drive the marketing process. Unmatchable marketing, on the other hand, tries to get ‘under the covers’ and discover what their customers crave and lust for as the engine for what is offered to them.
If every marketing team is looking for needs, no one will stand out; they all have the same information. If they have secrets though, they will be unique and will have the opportunity to stand out from all others.
#7. They like trying
Experimentation through market trials is the beacon they use for what will really work; studies and rigorous analysis take a second seat to real market experience.
Old school marketers do exhaustive studies on the potential for a product or service and if the results are positive they go to market.
Unmatchable marketers, on the other hand, do abbreviated studies and conduct extensive trials with real customers and then move to a full market launch based on trial results and customer feedback.
The unbeatable marketers’ scorecard has ‘the number of tries’ as a key performance measure; the more tries, the better the performance.
They trust what they learn from the customer experience not from what study and analysis concludes.
Unbeatable marketing is needed for organizations to win in these unpredictable and pandemic times; staying with old school ways unfortunately guarantees mediocrity, herd membership and anonymity.
Related: How Employees Can Be Perfectly Aligned With Business Goals