Research completed by Pinnicle Management Associates indicates that the majority of businesses today do not fully understand the key elements necessary for successful
marketing of their product and/or service offerings.
These key elements include knowing the answer to these questions:
Who is the target customer or market segment for your offerings?
What are the requirements (wants, needs, etc.) indicated by the target segment, and what problems are they living with today that they would pay to have eliminated?
What is the Promise-of-value (POV) that must be conveyed to prospective buyers relative to your offerings? How does this meet market requirements for your
offerings? Are you answering the unspoken questions?
Who are your most direct competitors, from the customer’s perspective? What are their claimed benefits, and how do they map against market requirements?
How will you create, sustain and communicate your competitive advantage?
How can you most effectively reach the target segment with your POV?
What opportunities exist to build a multi-dimensional brand, based on rational, emotional and sensory elements of your offerings?
What components can be used to create a unique, powerful brand that customers and prospects will associate with your company and offerings over time?
How can the Internet be used to facilitate a superior experience for your customers -- from initial interaction through purchase to service and support?
How can you measure the results of all marketing investments and fine-tune future programs to rapidly optimize ROI?
How can you extend your brand and leverage it in new categories without impacting the image and success you enjoy in existing categories?
Understanding the answers to all of these questions is just the starting point. The most important part is the successful execution of a marketing plan that addresses these
issues -- and to do so better than the competition.
