Authentic Marketing - Company/Brand

How can you develop an authentic marketing style? Here is a simple process:

1.    Figure out who you really are as a company. Are you Young, Hip and Fun? Or are you Stable, Secure and Safe? Create a stick figure to represent your company and write down key points to develop its personality.

EXAMPLE:

This is an example of how we define Bob,who represents an independent neighborhood grocery store.

You can do this for a sole proprietor, too.

2.    Figure out who your ideal client is. What does she look like? Where does she live? What does she do on the weekends? How does she like to receive information? As with above, create a picture to represent your ideal client and give her a personality.

EXAMPLE:

This is an example of the ideal client for Bob, who represents an independent neighborhood grocery store.
Note that Bob can still work with "Fred," a totally different type of client, but this is the store's target client and can help it make critical marketing decisions. 

3.    Now that you have completed the above exercise, every time you send any sort of marketing message, imagine that your company is communicating directly with your ideal client. Speak directly and clearly as if you were actually having a conversation. 

EXAMPLE:

• Bob can market an extensive line of healthy prepared foods that can be purchased when Jane doesn't have time to cook
• Bob can share easy recipes and helpful shopping tips for Jane; because Jane is busy, these should be really short and easy to read when Jane has a few moments to spare. Bob can put them into Jane's shopping bag and also post them on Facebook
• Bob can post dinner specials on Facebook so that Jane knows there are easy, healthy options for her family when she is too busy to cook (note that coupons and discounts are probably unnecessary for Jane - she is more interested in convenience and health)
• During the holidays and at the end of the school year Bob can market easy-to-give teacher gifts for Jane 

These ideas just scratch the surface of how knowing that Jane is the store's ideal customer can inform and support the store's marketing efforts.