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When your business sells more practical products – the kind of things we all use from day to day to make life easier, but which aren’t exactly the most exciting objects on the planet – it can be difficult to know how best t market them. You know that your product is a good and useful item for the consumer to have, but how do you convince them that they really need it in their life? In this article, you will read about the effective tips for marketing practical products.
1.Focus on fixing a problem
One of the best things you can do in terms of marketing practical products is to focus in on the problem they solve, For example, a company like Swiftdrain that sells trench drain systems should forget about trying to make their product sound sexy and focus on the fact that it very quickly and efficiently seals with standing water, which helps properties to avoid flooding sans homeowners to avoid expensive cleanup bills. Do they really need to say anymore? Customers want solutions to those everyday problems that niggle them and if you can very clearly lay out exactly how your product will help them with X, Y or Z, then you’re on to a marketing winner.
2.Focus on design
Okay, so your spaghetti spoon or screwdriver might not be the most exciting item anyone is ever likely to buy, but that does not mean that you can and should not make an effort to make it as attractive as possible, Focusing in on design, in terms of your product and its packaging, is a sure-fire way to catch the customer’s eye and attract more attention to your product over the competition’s. Even when it is a wholly practical product that people need, rather than desire, many people are naturally drawn to the more aesthetic option, so it never hurts to take a leaf out of the books of successful brands like Coca-Cola and Le Creuset who have managed to corner the market by making sure that their designs are as good as the products themselves.
3.Focus on education
If your products are practical, they almost certainly solve a problem, as mentioned above. So, one really effective way to market them is to start making educational content that tells your customers how to use your products and services to actually solve their issues. For example, if you sell house paint, you could set up a number of tutorials telling your customers how to prep the walls for painting, how to get the perfect finish, how to effectively clean their brushes, and so on. These are the kinds of questions people will Google when they are in need of paint, so you can very quickly direct them your way, show them that your business knows what it is talking about, and hopefully convert them into customers.
4.Have a sense of humor
You know your product isn’t exactly the world’s most exciting item, but instead of trying to avoid that fact, why not embrace it? Showing that you have a sense of humor and being funny about the products you are selling is one of the best ways to win over the customer and garner some much-needed attention for your business. Coming up with straplines that will make people laugh is rarely easy, but if you take the time to come up with something funny and eye-catching that shows you don’t take yourself too seriously, but you do have a pretty solid product to offer, well it won’t be the competition who’s racing ahead.
4.Create a story for your brand
Something that can really help to make practical products seem more interesting is to create a unique story around them. Think about all of the things that had to happen for your business to come to be from you having a dream of going it alone to you developing a problem-solving product and hiring lots of creative people, and weave it into an irresistible narrative that makes your product seem like more than just the practical object it is. Make it the hero of the story, in other words, and customers will not find it nearly as uninteresting as they otherwise might.
5.Get an influencer involved
These days, the bulk of your business marketing can be done online, and it’s a great way to reach as many people as possible because billions of people worldwide are logging on each day. Of course, with so many people using the internet, and so many businesses vying for their attention, it can be easy to get lost in the crowd.
One thing that can help you combat this, while also making your practical product seem more interesting, is to get an online influencer involved. Look for popular vloggers and influencers who are working within your niche, who your target audience is likely to connect with, and approach them with an offer of promoting your brand. Some influencers will give you a plug in exchange for a free product, so this need not be expensive, but obviously, if you want to get the biggest influencers onboard, it will cost you a significant amount, so just be aware of that before you dive in.
6.Team up with a less practical brand
Something else that can work if you feel like your practical products are very boring is to team up with another brand that complements your own, but which is maybe more exciting so that you can piggyback off the fun image they have and make your products seem more exciting through association.
For example, if you sell plain old black tea, you could team up with a company that sells handmade cookies. Tea and cookies are a match made in heaven, but whereas black tea can be pretty unexciting, everyone looks forward to a sugary cookie hit, which means the associated brand can bring the fun factor for you.
Obviously, you’ll need to find a company that likes what you are selling and make the case for a team-up as being mutually beneficial, but if you can swing this, it really is one of the best ways to boost the image of your business and your more practical products.
7.Donate
When you sell practical products, it is almost certainly going to be the case that there will be some charities or good causes out there who could benefit from the things you sell. So, a really good way to market them could be to give back by donating a few things to an important cause that your target audience is likely to be invested in. Customers love to buy from companies who give back in various ways, so this is a really good way to market your stuff without giving it the hard sell, while also boosting your brand image for many years to come. Just make sure that giving back is an ongoing process, rather than a one-off gesture if you really want to capitalize on this marketing technique and feel truly good about your company.
8.Run a contest
When you’re really struggling to get people interested in your practical products something that can really help to turn the tide is to run a contest or giveaway, After all, there are few people who would not like to get something for free, so you can drum up interest by offering to give away X number of products sn have a lot of people sign up to your social media where you can, hopefully, further convince them that your produced are worth investing in.
The key to running a successful contest is to make it a condition that entrants follow you on social media, share one of your posts and do various other things that will increase your exposure It may also be a good idea to offer them more than just a single product. For example, you could offer them a year’s supply of your stuff if it is something that they would otherwise need to buy regularly, or you could make the prize your product plus a luxury vacation or whatever is most likely to appeal to your target demographic – whatever it takes to get as many entrants and as much online engagement as possible.
9.Put the customers first
Last, but by no means least, whatever else you do, ensure that you put the customers and their needs first. Ensure that your products are of the highest quality and that they do the job as effectively as possible and engage with your customers as one human to another rather than as a faceless business looking to sell at all costs. Customers love to feel valued and if you can make them feel that way, you will have fsr less trouble marketing your company.
As you can see, there is actually a lot you can do to more effectively market the practical products your company sells. Some of them will be easier to implement than others, but obviously, you do not have to use them all, and you can, of course, implement them one at a time as and when you have the time and money to do so. Good luck.