Too many businesses neglect the most important marketing element of all.

1. Marketing... The Neglected Element
The ether is filled with companies and individuals offering marketing services of one form or another. Most
apply a “shotgun” methodology.
Every successful business initiative requires some research, forethought, and planning. This is especially true in
developing a marketing strategy. Unfortunately, far too many businesses neglect the most important element of
all ..identifying their core constituency.
Shotgun marketing may work in some circumstances, but in most cases you’re much better off identifying your
core constituency and tailoring your marketing to them. Even if your “shotgun” marketing message does cross
their paths, they will likely ignore it. People are attracted to businesses that reach out to them on a more
directed and personalized basis.You end up wasting time & money and turning off the very target group that
would do you the most good.
There’s never been a better time to address this key question. The internet is filled with resources to help you in
your search.Be creative, and take the time. It‘s worth the effort. If you already have a field sales force, are they
canvassing their territories for appropriate candidates? Have you defined your desired customers sufficiently so
that they know what to look for? If you use independent marketing reps., how well are they identifying and
penetrating the desired market segment?
Who are your core constituents? Where are they? What is their nature? What makes them unique? Who are
their key players?Which are the most important targets? What do they really want & need? Who are your
competitors, and how are they reaching out to the same market segment?
The answers to these and related questions will not only help you target the correct constituents and select the
proper media to reach them.. but will guide you in selecting the tailored message that will “ring” with them, and
will help you in determining how viable your product or service offerings really are. Sometimes you may think
you have the ideal “mousetrap”, but until you properly study your core constituency you don’t realize that some
tweaking is necessary to truly “sell” them.
Once you’ve penetrated your core market, then you can go back to the drawing board and determine other
peripheral constituencies that would be worth reaching out to.. and how to go about it.Undoubtedly the
method and message used in reaching out to these peripherals will also be customized, but the process of
identifying them is the same.
Good Luck.
Alan Walsh, Owner, Huntington Consultancy