Marketing Plans for Niche Markets
Marketing a Wake-Up Call Service
It's becoming more and more difficult for wake-up call services to rise above the clamor of the marketplace. Innovative marketing strategies may be your best bet for out-promoting -- and outperforming -- the competition.
The marketing model for a wake-up call service has changed dramatically over the past twenty years.
In general, good business owners make good marketers. However, the most visible brands are always on the lookout for the marketing tactics competitive wake-up call services have incorporated into their marketing plans.
Competitive Awareness
Competitive awareness is the starting point for creativity in marketing. There's nothing wrong with creativity, but if it precludes your messaging from being represented alongside other wake-up call services, there's a good chance that you're missing something. At a minimum, we recommend seeking a third-party perspective before you adopt any innovations that dramatically alter your marketing model.
Loss Leaders
The majority of wake-up call services understand that more customers will walk through the door if a few products are priced at less than full retail value. Moreover, a loss leader marketing strategy can compensate for dead periods when customers tend to making purchases. But to be effective, loss leader marketing requires planning, especially in product selection and price points. When used in wake-up call services, the real benefits of loss leaders emerge through the careful marketing of other products, usually offered at a much higher margin. Whenever possible, piggyback a loss leader approach with the purchase of bulk merchandise that can be bought at a discount.
Managing Negative Publicity
Not sure how to handle negative PR? You're not alone. It's a probably faced by many wake-up call services. The worst way to handle negative buzz is to put off developing a response until reporters are pounding on your door, demanding a comment from a company spokesperson. PR savvy wake-up call services work with consultants to develop a crisis response plan that can be executed on a moment's notice. Mailing list providers can also provide quick access to accurate mailing lists, an important consideration if your crisis response plan contains a direct mail component.
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