Perception is Reality

Years ago a friend of mine was asked to participate in a market research study. The company was going to send her product to use and provide feedback on. She was excited to participate because she loved their products. A few weeks later when the product arrived, her excitement diminished. The product was packaged in a ziploc bag! At that moment her perception of the product changed. It was no longer "special" in her mind. As a result, she declined to participate in the research study.

There are a number of things that the company could have done to minimize the negative perception created by the lack of packaging. For instance, they could have:

1. better managed customer expectations. The company could have explained what the customer was going to get and how it was going to be packaged.
2. included a note with the package. The note could have addressed the lack of packaging and reiterated the value of her feedback.
3. invested in some temporary packaging that reinforced their brand image.
4. created a better customer experience.
   

As it was, the company's attempt to gain customer feedback backfired with my friend. They lost out on her feedback and she no longer thinks of the product as "special".

Remember, perception is reality!

Katie Wacek is the President of Sandia Mountain Marketing, a marketing consultancy that provides strategic and tactical marketing expertise to small- and medium -sized companies, professional service firms, and thought leaders throughout the United States. Learn more.

Gardening and Marketing - The Connection

This year I planted my first garden. I’m talking a “real” garden, not just a tomato plant on the patio. As I was watering my garden the other day, I started thinking about the similarities between gardening and marketing.

First off, there’s the research and planning element. Because we live at 7,000 feet above sea level in an arid, dry climate with a short growing season, I needed to research what kinds of vegetables would grow in this environment. I started with grandiose plans. I wanted to build raised beds with a drip irrigation system. The water would primarily come from harvested rain. This was going to be a big garden! Then I took a realistic look at myself and my gardening abilities. Since I have never gardened before, let alone in a challenging environment, I decided the prudent thing would be to start small. Instead of the raised beds with a drip system, I purchased Garden Patch Grow Boxes™. Then I needed to determine the best location that would protect them from strong winds and wildlife.

In marketing, you go through a similar process. You conduct market research (formally or informally) to gain a better understanding of the market, target audience, competitors, etc. You analyze your strengths and weaknesses as a company or product offering. You consider the external factors (opportunities and threats) that could hinder your success. And then you plan how you’re going to strategically approach your audience to leverage your strengths, minimize your weaknesses, take advantage of opportunities, and mitigate your threats.

Once the planning is done, you execute your plan. In the case of my garden, I planted seeds, nurtured and watered them. I adapted to “market” conditions and replanted some of the vegetables two or three times. (Early on some of my plants were being eaten by something when they were about one inch tall. Not knowing what was eating them, I kept trying different approaches until I found one that worked.) Now, I’m reaping the rewards of my efforts and enjoying home grown vegetables.

Executing your strategic marketing plan is one of the keys to a successful business. Just like I did with my garden, you’ll “plant lots of seeds, nurture and develop them, be responsive to changing market conditions, and eventually reap the rewards.” Some of the things you try won’t work. Rather than be discouraged, figure out why they didn’t work and try something different. In the end, understanding your market and target audience, developing relationships with prospective buyers, and paying attention to their needs will be fruitful. Happy marketing!

Katie Wacek is the President of Sandia Mountain Marketing, a marketing consultancy that provides strategic and tactical marketing expertise to small- and medium -sized companies, professional service firms, and thought leaders throughout the United States. Learn more.

It's What the Market Wants

America voted and the winner of American Idol for Season 8 is Kris Allen. Going into the finale, Adam Lambert was clearly the judges favorite. In fact, if the decision was up to the judges, I think Adam would have been the winner. But, after 100 million votes, Kris came out the victor.

What happened? Did America get it wrong? I don’t think so. If you think about Kris and Adam as two different products, with different features that appeal to different audiences, and you can only market one of them, how are you going to decide which one to market? You’ll probably do some market research to find out which product will generate the most revenue. That’s exactly what American Idol did on a weekly basis. It conducted market research to determine the market appeal for each of the singers. Kris appeals to mainstream America and Adam appeals to a niche market. Both are extremely talented

At the end of the day, it's less about what we as business owners, product managers, and marketers want or think should sell and more about what our customers and prospects want. We have to remember that we might not be the target market. We need to understand and listen to the market and be open to changing directions based on market research, if necessary.

Market research is a powerful tool to gain insight into your market needs, wants, and desires. How well do you know your market?

Katie Wacek is the President of Sandia Mountain Marketing, a marketing consultancy that provides strategic and tactical marketing expertise to small- and medium -sized companies, professional service firms, and thought leaders throughout the United States. Learn more.