Billboards and Branding

Billboards and branding go together like peanut butter and jelly.

For starters what is branding? Branding is a way to identify your business. It is a name that customers are going to be able to tell the difference between you and your competition. Branding is more than just a logo, it is everything about the company. It  is displayed on staff shirts, attire, business cards, anything that you try to sell or advertise. Branding is the face of your company and what makes a great first impression to your potential clients. Remember that clients love and trust brands that hold true to their name. Customers will pay 50% higher rates, even during bad economy, if they know the brand is trustworthy. Also your employees will have a great pride for working for a company where the brand stands out and hold true to their name. People love to tell everyone about a brand that they have had great experiences with.

With that being said, one of the best mediums for branding/brand awareness is out of home advertising. Even the biggest brands use outdoor to keep their name out there (Coke, McDonalds, Apple, Chic-Fil-A, Netfilix, etc.).

Does Your Brand Stand Out?

How to make your brand stick out from the competition is to provide good products at fair prices. Great Customer service is at the top of the list too. All customers have a high expectations when it comes to customer service. Always make the customers happy and satisfied with whatever service you offer. Own up to your mistakes and remember that the customer is always right, even when they are wrong. Keep your services fresh and up-to-date. Everyone loves something new that stands out.

Marketing and Strategies:

Here is a great example of a marketing and strategy plan for a medical supply company.

Sunshine Medical Supply | Marketing Plan & Overview

Products and Services Currently Offered:

All-around medical supplier. Includes apparel, wound care, education, equipment and furniture, exam room supplies, personal protective equipment, personal care, surgical supplies, needles and syringes and disposal, select pharmaceuticals

Marketing Advantages

What puts you ahead in the marketing department? Do you have a coveted product, a loyal customer base, or a high knowledge curve?

Been around for a long time, lots of long-standing customers that provide repeat business. There are lots of health care institutions around and they need supplies on a regular basis. We have a wide range of inventory and great customer service.

Marketing Challenges

What sets you back? A lack of time, a limited target market, or an expensive product?  

Losing customers to the internet.  Some customers are also retiring or moving on, no new customers to replace them or new people in office go elsewhere. We don’t really understand Facebook and internet marketing. We have a website and Facebook page but it doesn’t seem like anyone sees anything we post.

Competitive Analysis

In this section, include names and a few details of competitors and the advantages and disadvantages each may have in your industry

There are a few medical supply providers in the same city as us, but only a few major competitors. Brighton Medical Supply has been around for a long time but people leave them and come to us because they have horrible customer service.

The Medical Supply People is a new company in town. They have a young staff and a really nice website for people to order from. It looks like they do things on social media. We’ve lost some customers to them, but not too many to be alarmed yet.

The internet and out-of-town companies are our biggest competitor. People say they want to buy local but it seems like they just want to log-on, not talk to a real person, and buy from the cheapest vendor.

Target Market

Create a simple list or description that describes characteristics of your ideal customer. Don’t think you have one? Yes, you do!

Small to medium sized medical offices. We like larger clinics, hospitals are too big. Home health care, nursing homes, private practice, and urgent care clinics are all good.

We need to cater to the office managers and administrative assistants. Sometimes nurses in smaller offices. They are the ones doing the purchasing and influencing the doctor on decisions.

Goals (with vision & mission statement)

List goals you hope to achieve with your marketing efforts – think recruiting, customer retention, attracting new customers, etc.  If you have a vision and mission statement, list it in this section. If not, it may be time to think about creating one!

• Make our business internet-friendly so people can find us and buy online
• Win back previous customers
• Retain our current customer base
• Grow customer base by 15% this year
• We need to create a vision and mission statement

Strategies and Methods

What are the practical steps you will take to achieve your marketing goals? This should be the most detailed part of your plan. Based on the information above, create your long and short-term strategy and list the methods you will use to carry them out.

• Make our business internet-friendly so people can find us and buy online
  • Hire someone to update our website and work on SEO
  • Seek help on setting up and maintaining social media presence and advertising
  • Create a user-friendly shopping cart system
    • Work on budgeting in free shipping for orders over a certain amount
  • Win back previous customers
    • Send emails/letters with special deals to woo them back
    • Let them know we have a new online ordering system
  • Retain our current customer base
    • Create a loyalty program
    • Send out discounts and even freebies regularly to repeat and top customers
    • Invite them to customer appreciation events like lunch, BBQ, seminars and classes
  • Grow customer base by 15%
    • Do local sales marketing and call on new offices with goodies in tow – small kits of medical supplies and useful samples
      • Use a CRM software to track leads and interactions
    • Give/host classes on topics required for continuing education
    • Purchase billboard space (digital and static) and work with outdoor advertising company to build campaigns that will attract new business.
      • Can also use billboard for other marketing goals

Budget and Tracking

Assign part of your company budget to marketing. Determine the cost of your strategy and its execution. Remember to track ROI and other key performance indicators of your efforts.   

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