Capture the Mindshare > the Market Share to get more Customers

from Hard Ware.com 3 May 15 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz

Savvy marketers know exactly how their target audience makes a buying decision. When the time comes to purchase, they know how to capture the Mind-share of their prospective buyers. In other words, they understand that people have very busy lives and they don’t wake up every morning thinking about you and your business. So, capturing and staying in the fore-front of a buyer’s mind is critical.

What is Mind-share? Quick, don’t think about it, just say out loud the first word that comes to your mind when you think of Cola – Coke, Coffee shop – Starbucks, ? Hamburgers – McDonalds, Cereal – Kellogg’s, etc. Your answers reveal the company brand that owns your Mind-share. In other words, these companies have done such a great job at getting you to remember them, that when you think of those words, their company comes first to your mind. Not 2nd or 3rd, but 1st !!!

How do you get to be the First? company (as opposed to your competitors), that your prospective buyers think of when they need a product or service like yours? Here are 8 Tips to help you grab the mindshare of your prospective customers.

1. Be Compelling. Know your target audience and understand what compels them to like you, trust you, & do business with you? What problem does your product or service solve for your customers? How does it make their life easier, save them time and/or money? When you can answer that, you are on your way to creating a compelling story that will capture the mind-share of your target audience.

2. Be Dramatic. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a Video is worth a million. Don’t under-estimate the power of connecting with your target audience by using video. Obviously the best way to connect with your customers & capture their mindshare is in person, but that is not always realistic or practical. Video is the next best way to build & cultivate that relationship. Do it on a regular basis.

3. Be Captivating. To be Captivating is to be memorable; And to be memorable you’ve got to know your UPV, Unique Proposition Value. What makes you or your company different from everyone else selling the same product or service? Whatever that is, is your UPV. When you understand your UPV, you can emphasize & promote the uniqueness of your brand. It’s what makes you different from everyone else. In other words, how do you stand out from all your competitors? Answer that question and you on your way to being memorable & captivating – capture their business

4. Be Contagious, is how you spread mind-share. If people are talking about you or your brand at the office or at a party, then you are contagious. What makes your brand, business, product or service worthy of spreading the word? Is it the user experience? What is it that makes someone have a “wow” moment with your company – where they go out and share the experience with their friends & family?

5. Be Concise. When in doubt, brevity is best, especially in the online world where people have the attention span of a new puppy. Make your point and make it quickly – especially if you are dealing with an online user. Studies show that you have about 7 seconds to capture the attention of someone online. People will quickly look elsewhere, if they have to go through too many obstacles to find what they are looking for. So be concise.

6. Be Clear. Confused buyers don’t buy. And they certainly won’t remember much of anything you said or did, if it’s too complicated. Don’t make people think too hard to figure out what it is that you are offering. Be clear in your message. Be clear in your call to action. Be clear in your everything you do. Start with a niche. Don’t try to be all things to everyone. It’s too confusing. Get really good at being great in a specific niche and expand from there. Amazon started out with selling books online. Now they sell just about everything online. So, be clear about your message, your brand, & your offering.

7. Be Credible. You can’t capture mind-share if your product or service is poor. You can’t own the mind-share of your target audience if your company is really bad at what they do. Credibility is built by being competent & trustworthy. Think back to the companies you thought of that have strong brand recognition. How did their credibility capture your mind? What have they done to own that space in your mind? Did they under promise and over deliver? Were they prompt and courteous with customer service? Did they follow through like they said they would? How did they capture your mindshare? Whatever is was, it made you remember them.

8. Be Consistent. People can’t remember you, your brand, or your products or services if you only show up only once in awhile. For example, you can release a weekly eNewsletter or video to your customers -or, a monthly event. The point is to be consistent. Failure to be consistent is a recipe for people to forget about you and your company. Out of sight out of mind.

Conclusion. Use these 8 Tips to capture the mind-share of your target audience and they will be sure to remember you when it comes time to buy.

Comments. Are there anymore that you can think of? Post on the comments below.