Within every profession, there are moments of needing motivation and a little push to make sure you’re on track and hitting the mark. At OffLeash, there are certain quotes that can really get our wheels spinning and creative juices flowing. We want to share some of our favorites:
Focus on the core problem your business solves and put out lots of content and enthusiasm, and ideas about how to solve that problem." -- Laura Fitton
“Don’t scour away the colors of your personality to become a professional gray.” - Tyler Clendenin
We all face distraction in today’s digital world so this quote reminds us to pay attention to the core problem we are continuously trying to solve for our customers. Do you know the core problem your business solves for its customers? If you don’t, I’d say that’s a good place to start.
If you do know, make sure the content you’re putting out there connects to that solution on a continuous basis and doesn’t rely on the cute, furry-faced marketing tactics we all see on 90% of pet industry advertising and social media accounts.This solutions-based approach will help your brand stand out and communicate who you are as a company. It can be a powerful differentiator so you aren’t falling the gray zone.
"Word-of-mouth marketing has always been important. Today, it’s more important than ever because of the power of the Internet." - Joe Pulizzi & Newt Barrett
The power of social media in today’s marketing world shows no signs of slowing down, but do you use it to your advantage? The average person spends an hour and 40 minutes on social media every day and according to recent research, you really only have about 7 seconds of that time to grab each users’ attention, get your message across to them and explain why they should buy your product or service for their pet. So how do you ensure that your brand name is even seen, let alone make sure your message is communicated? The power of today’s internet includes influencer marketing. According to Google, influencer marketing is now searched for 4,400 times on average each month vs. the less than 50 average monthly searches at the start of 2013 (source). This statistic alone should tell you that if you haven’t looked into how pet industry influencers can boost your reach, then it’s time to take advantage of the power of influencer marketing and blogger relations.
“A brand is no longer what we tell consumers it is -- it’s what consumers tell each other it is.” – Scott Cook&“A brand is a story that is always being told.” - Scott Bedbury
THIS. IS. POWERFUL. If we could walk around with each of our customers to make sure they relay exactly what they are supposed to about our brands, then it would make our jobs as marketers A LOT easier, but that just isn't reality. Our responsibility as marketers is to create a brand whose values and story are so clearly told that consumers can relate to it and help not only tell, but expand the story of who we are. This is an opportunity to communicate who we are as a brand and what we can do for pets which is not an easy task, but when done properly, we wouldn't want to or have to walk around with these customers.
“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” - Peter Drucker
Who is your customer? What age bracket do they fall into? What type of lifestyle do they provide for their dog? What would interest them about your product or service enough to make a purchase? These are all questions any company should have a quick and simple answer to within seconds. Even if you did know at one time, how long has it been since you revisited your customer’s persona and how your brand appeals to them?
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory, tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” - Sun Tzu
Without knowing where we want to go, there is no way to understand the best way to get there, which is where strategies come into play. This famous quote by Sun Tzu is the best way we can remind ourselves to not just create a strategy for our clients’ marketing, but also provide the tactics, timelines and accountability structures that ensure they will reach their goals.
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