By Katrina Olson
This article originally appeared on tedmag.com on April 22, 2016.
At last year’s NAED AdVenture marketing conference, a whopping 60 percent of attendees were female, and approximately 43 percent were under age 36.
Contrast that with the demographics of electrical contractors.
The average age of the electrical contractor is 56.2, according to Electrical Contractor magazine’s 2014 Profile of the Electrical Contractor. And you probably won’t be surprised to learn that women hold only one percent of all electrician jobs, according to 2009 Census data.
“How do I market to people who are very different from me?”
A good marketer gets to know their customers, inside and out—who they are, what keeps them up at night, and how they make decisions. By understanding customers’ concerns, buying habits, attitudes, preferences and behaviors, you’ll get a feel for what kinds of media and messages they’ll respond to. Along the way, you’ll also learn about trends in their businesses and industry.
“How do I learn more about my customers?”
Following are seven ways you can find out what makes your customers tick. Some are pretty easy; others are more involved. But all should yield valuable insights..
1. Read your customers’ trade publications.
Most industries have trade association and publications. Health Facilities Management, Facilities Manger, Facility Management Decisions, Electrical Contractor, and Buildings and Electrical Contractor are just a few.
2. Join online groups.
Is there a LinkedIn group or social media platform where your customers and prospects hang out? Observe without participating or commenting to learn what’s important to them.
3. Ask your salespeople.
If you can’t talk directly to customers, talk to those who do. Counter staff, inside sales, outside sales, and customer service representatives can give you insight into what your customers care about.
4. Attend company events.
Get out from behind your desk or computer and attend counter days, workshops, training sessions, and other opportunities to get to know your customers. Try to uncover your customers’ hot buttons and pain points.
5. Contact customers directly.
Call or email some of your key customers and ask specific questions—like how they want to learn about new products and services. Or take them out to lunch. Explain that you want to better understand their business so you can better serve them.
6. Conduct a short survey.
Curious about what media your customers are consuming? Want to know what social media platforms they’re using? Wondering how much they use their smartphones? Ask them!
7. Host a focus group or customer advisory council.
To get honest feedback about what your customers think, conduct a focus group or establish a customer advisory council that meets every year. Rotate members out every few years to get fresh perspectives. (To make sure you get candid comments, hire an outside facilitator and leave the room.)
How can I apply this knowledge to be a better marketer?
Here’s an example. The electrical contractor’s role is evolving as they become more heavily involved in design and specification. Also, building systems are becoming more integrated and interdependent, using data hubs that communicate with each other. All systems are tied together; so all the products must be compatible with each other.
As a result, electrical contractors may look to you for comprehensive solutions, not just individual products. Electrical contractors will also rely more heavily on the electrical distributor’s expertise to help them choose the right products for both new and existing systems.
This knowledge should change the way you position and brand your company, and the way your salespeople are trained, too. Instead of just selling and marketing products, you’re marketing your staff’s expertise and product knowledge.
The trick is putting yourself in your customer’s and prospect’s shoes. That means not just understanding their wants and needs—but speaking their language. That takes a little more practice. But the more research you do, the easier it gets.
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Olson is a marketing and public relations consultant, and principal of Katrina Olson Strategic Communications. She has written for tED magazine’s print edition since 2005, judged tED magazine’s Best of the Best Competition since 2006, and emceed the Best of the Best Awards ceremony for a total of seven years. She can be reached at Katrina@katrinaolson.com or via her website at katrinaolson.com
Today I’m working on an article for the April issue of tED Magazine about marketing strategies and tactics. And I wondered…how many companies actually have a written marketing plan? Large companies develop marketing plans as matter of practice. And some smaller companies may—especially if they’ve applied for business loans. But what about the rest of us?
So I turned to the Small Business Administration website for answers and found this info from a study by Marketo:
- Overall, just over one-third of companies don’t have a marketing plan.
- Only 56% of small businesses (fewer than 50 employees) have one.
- A whopping 81% of companies with over 1,000 employees have one.
“We know what we’re doing…we don’t need a written plan, right?”
Wrong. You’re more likely to commit to and reach your goals when you have a documented marketing plan.
“I’m already implementing strategies and tactics that would be in that plan, so why waste time on planning?”
You may find that the process of researching and evaluating your markets; identifying your target customers; analyzing your competitors; and setting goals, objectives, strategies and tactics will yield some new ideas, new opportunities and new or different strategies and tactics.
Depending on your situation and goals, you may want to consider:
- Marketing automation—sending automatic emails triggered by specific customer actions like website or purchase behaviors
- Content marketing—writing and promoting blogs, LinkedIn posts, website articles, news and updates
- Digital advertising—reaching your customers online where they spend their time (e.g. Houzz, Facebook)
- Public relations—participating in or creating community programs; using publicity to get attention for your most interesting products
- Video—demonstrating new or complex products or equipment; showing how to solve problems using your product.
- Printed marketing pieces—outlining or clarifying a specific process; showcasing a new area of products or expertise (e.g. LED, solar, EV charging stations)
- Revisiting your website—updating it visually, improving functionality, enhancing navigation. (When was the last time you critically evaluated your website?)
“Yeah, we should probably do some of those things.”
Maybe you should maybe you shouldn’t; but you won’t know without working through the marketing planning process. And remember, what’s right for your competitors may not be right for you. And you may be missing opportunities, or worse yet, your competitors may be taking advantage of them!
Sometimes it helps to have an outsider’s perspective. Let me know if you want input on your marketing plan. We can set up a workday (or two), or you can retain my services to review your existing plan. I’m flexible. I just want to help you unlock the those marketing opportunities and help you achieve your goals.
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Katrina Olson is a marketing and public relations consultant, freelance writer, content developer, trainer/coach, former college professor, and principal of Katrina Olson Strategic Communications. She can be reached at katrina@katrinaolson.com or via her website at katrinaolson.com.