 Review
New business owners Mark and Fiona came to me a year into running their
business. They had taken on the marketing role along with their other management
responsibilities for their new gym. As I have seen many times before, a lot of
money had been spent with agencies and design firms creating their website,
logo, stationery and marketing materials and planning promotions and advertising
campaigns. There were as many different approaches to their marketing as there
were vendors on the expense sheet. Without a clear understanding of marketing
communications, they had not set a clear strategy or anticipated what was
involved in executing the suggestions offered by contractors. They were
overwhelmed with the amount of work required to deliver what was required,
frustrated making decisions they didn’t really understand and disappointed with
the overall results. They had learned the hard (and expensive) way what works
and what doesn’t work for their business. After an afternoon together, we had
reviewed all their materials and identified a huge disconnect between their
vision and their message. They were left with a new marketing plan, a better
idea of budgeting costs and new skills in preparing written briefs for vendors
and tips for incorporating new ideas while maintaining a consistent overall
brand message.
With their shared love of fitness, Mark and Fiona both understand their
customer well. They can predict where they will be and how receptive they will
be to messages in different environments. We agreed that they could start an
opt-in email newsletter that would give their members tips and hints on
nutrition and wellness along with their program updates. This way they could
increase customer retention and minimize the expense of recruiting new members.
They are now branching out to deliver value-added information to their networks
social media. Where they were using a push strategy
with traditional advertising, they now see these new channels to open 2-way
communication. They have been advertising (above the line) in a local magazine
and now Fiona is going to approach them to contribute a regular column (below
the line) on fitness. With all these activities, they will pay particular
attention to synchronizing all communication. This way, they will develop a
reputation with existing and potential customers so consumers remember their
name when it comes time to make a purchase and make referrals.
Professional
support from a market expert is a practical business investment.
Shorten
your to-do list and lighten your work load
today.
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