Customized marketing strategies deliver on your specific needs

Case Study

Company A provides tax consulting to high net worth individuals, through their trusted advisors – their accountants. In this case, the company needed to reach out to these high end accountants who would use their services. Given the nature of these accountants, it was useless trying to reach them with traditional methods such as advertising, or telemarketing or social media or the Internet.  These accountants just did not fit with those types of tools.

So Company A identified that, given the look and feel of the accountant’s offices (full of files and paper), and given that they had very effective “gatekeepers”, something very out of the ordinary was required to break through this protective veil.

In line with their positioning: “More Tools. More Strategies. Better Results.” they sent, by courier, a fully filled 22 inch branded toolbox, packed with tools that explained how each tool could be used by the accountant to help their high net worth clients.  When the toolbox landed on the accountant’s desk, it was so out of context with all the paperwork that it stood out and the accountant just had to open it and read the message.

The result was that many of the accountants called Company A to compliment them on their promotional piece, and many asked to meet with Company A because they found their approach so refreshing that they indeed could work together.

Why customization is important

How often have you heard:

• Here is a template
• Everyone else is doing it like that
• Your competitors use it
• It works for everyone

These approaches promise an easy way to do or accomplish something.   However, since when is life easy?  What you may be getting yourself into is doing things like everyone else and simply blending in; a dangerous strategy when trying to be noticed is really the ultimate goal.  One thing is certain – if you blend in, there is no reason anyone should take notice and buy from you, particularly if you have been unsuccessful in laying out the reasons for your offering.

Instant Gratification

I wrote recently about the Danger of Instant Gratification – it is an affliction our society is suffering from at the moment.  That short-term satisfaction from just getting the job done ignores the need to get it done RIGHT, and better than anyone else.  Are you suffering from this ailment?

To market yourself or your company successfully, standing out from the crowd is what you need, and simply following what everyone else does or adopting a templated approach will not deliver the results.  You may feel good by getting the job done, however it is not the “doing” that really counts – it is the results.

So commit yourself to customizing your marketing approach.  Your business is different than everyone else’s, even in the same industry.  Make sure your approach meets your needs and delivers on your specific goals.  As an individual, you bring that individuality to your business – embrace it and take advantage of it.  The same applies to your team.

You too can accomplish similar results.  While there may be a template to a marketing process – such as our Planning and Marketing Audit – that is good because it provides you with the guidelines for best practices and to ensure you don’t miss anything.  However, don’t confuse that for the creativity and uniqueness that your planning must deliver to enable you to stand out (like Company A) and become more successful.  Of necessity, that plan must be unique to you, your business and your needs – and as  a result it must be customized.

If you are uncomfortable doing this alone, retain a professional that can help you,  but don’t settle for the easy way out.  That may just turn out to be the most expensive mistake you make.

Neville Pokroy is a principal of Mastermind Solutions Inc., a Toronto-based consulting firm, and leads the marketing practice. He has more than 30 years of experience in corporate marketing and consulting in entrepreneurial businesses across an extensive range of industries. His focus is on helping companies with a vision to achieve business growth.  He can be reached at (905)886-2235 or neville@mastermindsolutions.ca