First of all, what is marketing? How would you define it?
Marketing is not only about getting your business or product name out into the world, but it is also about assigning a certain value to your product and creating a demand for it within your customer’s eyes.
In my opinion, the most important aspect of marketing is to understand the psyche of your targeted customers. If one is able to understand their potential clients (i.e. What clients need, want, how they think, their dollar value for your good/service) then one will be able to target these customers in the most optimal manner.
Let’s take a look at Apple. They must have an amazing marketing strategy if they can convince their users to buy another iPhone every time a new generation is released. Yes, Apple has great products, no denying that, but everyone has something amazing to offer. The Samsung Galaxy s3 is also an amazing phone [lets be real, who doesn’t want a phone that unlocks by reading your face?], but one would of course prefer the iphone. Why? Because they have heard so much more about the “new iphone” than a Samsung Galaxy s3.
Apple’s greatest marketing technique is actually how they let their customers physically interact with their products. They understand that customers want to get a feel of the actual product before they buy it. Statistical data has actually shown that if a person is physically able to use or try out a product, they are more likely to buy it, and Apple uses this to their advantage.
We have all walked into our local Apple store with eyes as wide as a small child in a candy store. Table after table is lined with different Apple products to touch, to use, to play around with. Growing up, everyone was always told by their parents not to touch something when they entered a store, but it is the exact opposite here. Every individual is actually encouraged to touch these products, to play around with these products, to familiarize yourself so much with these products that you have no choice but to buy them. This way such a strong attachment is developed, that we have no choice but to buy the newest ipad.
- Have you ever noticed when you walk into an apple store, all the macbook screens are titled at the exact same angle? This is so when you walk up to a macbook to play around with it, you are forced to adjust the screen to your desired angle. This very small, but sure technique to hook you in. When you can personalize something to your exact needs, the value you have for it goes up (as we can see by Apple’s price tags)
So whoever you are, whatever your product is, do what apple does. No, don’t let every little kid play with your product, but understand what your potential clients think. Understand their needs and wants, then take this understanding and turn it into a product. The demand for your product will give it value.
