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Developing an Effective Marketing Strategy in the Emerging Skills Environment was the
title of a presentation I made at the AOC Business Development Conference in London
in February 2014.
The principles covered are relatively timeless and can be applied to many other businesses.
However they are pertinent in light of Matthew Hancock's comment, "Get out there and sell
you talents, not to ministers, but to students, parents and, more than anyone, to employers."
It is important to appreciate that, in this context, marketing is about satisfying customer
needs, profitably. Without profit, or a surplus, there is little point.
But we need a strategy. Not a 100+ page wishlist or research findings. It should be an action
plan designed to achieve an aim or objective.
Once we have a strategy we need a plan. It should be SMART, easy to follow and used as
a living document.
We also need to stop selling course features as this makes training a commodity. Focus
on the value that your offer delivers.
For example, in the desert, a bottle water isn't about where it comes from. It is about
not dying of thirst.
You also need to segment your market. Plumbers are NOT interested in hearing about the latest
hairdressing courses!
Don't limit yourself to the traditional. Email is a great communications tool but think also
about CRM, autoresponders, messaging on LinkedIn and Facebook as appropriate to a given segment.
Some segments will not attend traditional networking events. So don't attend in the
hope of meeting them there. But you could network with them at conferences or even on
LinkedIn.
Farmers grow carrots to all look and taste the same. But your marketing, and you, need
to stand out as being different. Become a thought leader or authority in a given niche.
Do this and people chase you for help .. not the other way around.
PR is a really effective marketing tool. Send media releases to papers, trade magazines,
websites, radio and TV stations. And use the same strategy with articles.
Websites need to follow some basic rules. Make it easy for visitors to find what they
want, including your telephone number if you wish them to respond via phone. Move on from
the idea that a website is to be read to one where visitors can watch video, listen to
audio and download useful materials.
Websites should carry useful content .. not just course information .. if they are to
be used to drive searchers from search engines.
In the end marketing is about building relationships. Do this and you start to communicate and discover
what your prospects want and need.
Most advertising fails. But the chances of success are high if you segment your market,
promote benefits and value propositions and have a strong call to action.
Events, such as this one, can be promoted at nil cost but still attract hundreds of
people.
Exhibitions are potentially very expensive. So not preparing or turning up isn't an option.
Spending your time on the phone or sat down doesn't encourage people to visit your stand.
Putting people, particularly from industry, on the stand will attract their own kind.
Social media is a marketing channel. The message is more important than the channel and needs
to be chosen after the message is decided.
LinkedIn is a very good database of prospects but you need to have a good profile and understand
that this is NOT a sales platform. Use it to connect but not to sell.
To sell easily ensure you have a referrals strategy. Don't leave this to chance. Ask
satisfied customers for referrals.
When negotiating with anyone ensure you are well prepared. Do your research, plan the
meeting, listen to the other side, have a pricing strategy; never give anything away,
always exchange rather than give; and consider value based fees as an alternative to a fixed
price.
If you have found this short video useful please comment below, check out Provider Mastermind
dot com, follow me on Twitter or link to me on LinkedIn.