KEEP YOUR SHOP’S MARKETING MESSAGES CONSISTENT

Because it’s not just about the last direct mail pieces you sent. Those touches also include social media, pay-per-click AdWords, your website, follow-up phone calls — even the way your shop’s sign looked when potential customers drove past.

There are several ways to reach your customers and a number of different messages that you can send. Unless you’re writing, designing, posting and mailing every piece — and keeping creative control over every aspect of your shop’s image — how can you ensure a consistent message on every channel?

That’s a dilemma for shop owners, who have more important things to do than micromanage their marketing, even though it’s one of the most critical factors for their shop’s success. Is it possible to unify your shop’s messages, image and brand even without personally controlling every aspect on every channel?

The good news is yes, it is possible. The better news is that owners can do it in three clear, if not easy, steps.

Step 1: Define Your Shop Brand

Who and what is your shop going to be? Without a defined purpose, shop owners fall into the trap of trying to be everything to everyone and drive themselves crazy in the process.

Your shop’s brand should represent the singular identity of your business — the one trait that defines your shop and sets you apart from the competition. Your brand is a promise to your customers.

Consider that by the time somebody visits your shop, they’ll already have had seven touches from your marketing efforts. That means the majority of new customers visiting your shop will be familiar with your business long before they step through the door.

This is why consistency is key. When your marketing is not synchronized, it can cause more harm than good with potential customers.

Uncertainty kills relationships.

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Step 2: Create Consistent Messages

If a consistent brand is critical for building relationships, then it only makes sense that sending your message consistently is the key to maintaining the relationship.

The problem is so many shop owners attempt to piece together a marketing plan by utilizing the cheapest service from multiple vendors. The biggest issue with this kind of piecemeal approach (even more so than choosing marketing based on price rather than effectiveness) is that it gives the owner a new full-time role: making sure messages are consistent between all vendors.

Coordinating different marketing channels can become a burden for any shop owner. If you’re left policing the work of a dozen different vendors, you won’t have time left to spend on the other important aspects of running your shop.

But, going hands-off isn’t an option either. If you sign up with every ad vendor with a slick sales pitch and then hand over the reins, you’ll leave the results up to chance and throw away your money on ineffective marketing.

Find a company you can trust — a team of experienced marketers with proven results who will work with you to define your brand, create a marketing plan, attract the right customers and show you the true results of your marketing.

When your marketing is consolidated in one place, your job becomes much simpler — communicate your brand (who your shop is going to be) and then deliver on your promises.

Step 3: Hold Your Ad Vendors Accountable

Finding a vendor who understands your brand and can keep it consistent across all of your marketing channels is a good start, but just as important is making sure your marketing is working.

Without measurement, the only way to gauge the effectiveness of your marketing is through the ad vendor’s reporting system. And they’re interested in showing you things that make them look good, like responses, views and clicks.

And when those good-looking stats don’t turn into sales? Some ad vendors will tell shop owners that it’s their fault if new customers don’t turn into loyal, high-value ones.

If the advertising is attracting the wrong customers, nothing you can do will ever turn bottom-feeders into a loyal customer.

Measuring the results of your marketing gives you the peace of mind knowing exactly what is happening in your business. It tells you what is broken and what needs to be improved. It means you can get back to working on your business instead of micromanaging ad vendors.

Unified Messages = Better Results

Instead of micromanaging vendors, build a consistent, unified message across channels to grow your business.

When your shop’s brand is reinforced by every touch and every message that your marketing and advertising sends, new customers will start to recognize your business. They will know what to expect from your shop long before they step through the front doors.

When you can measure the true impact of your marketing on your shop, you will see the results in the type of customer you attract, the value of each visit and the morale of your team.