PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
How you market your business is a vital aspect of attracting new customers, but I feel too much emphasis is being placed on social media.
Sure, sites like Facebook and Twitter are significant avenues to consider, but they’re not the be all and end all of a company’s marketing plan.
In PCR’s latest dealer survey, we asked respondents for their marketing avenues, with the most popular being their website and magazine/newspaper ads. Social media was fourth, with 35 per cent of dealers saying it was an important form of marketing to consider.
This goes to show that while social media is growing, businesses shouldn’t get bogged down putting too much focus into that area.
Sometimes it’s as simple as promoting your full range of products and services to the customers that come into your shop. If they come in as a one-off to buy a new keyboard or get their laptop repaired, chances are they won’t know your full offering, and you could offer something that one of their friends will be interested in.
Selling products you wouldn’t expect to find in a PC shop, like coffee machines, can also open new business.
Facebook is fine in moderation, but like your personal profile, it works best as an extension of your social life, rather than your core focus. I think the same can be said of business – focus on getting your core business and traditional marketing methods right first, then supplement that with social media.
TOP 10 MARKETING AVENUES
More than 100 retailers and resellers took part in PCR’s most comprehensive dealer survey to date.
Looking specifically at how dealers market their businesses, top of the list is their own website (71 per cent), with social media (35 per cent), email marketing (38 per cent) and online advertising (29 per cent) presumably driving customers to those sites, and then into their stores.
Traditional marketing techniques are also favoured, with 45 per cent placing magazine or newspaper ads, inserts or advertorials, some 13 per cent using direct mail techniques and 32 per cent targeting customers with flyers or leaflets. A possibly under-utilised marketing tool in this sector is in-store events, with only 21 per cent of retailers saying they had engaged with their customers in this way.
Here are the most popular marketing methods PC dealers focus on, according to our data:
Website – 71%
Magazine/newspaper ads – 45%
Email marketing – 38%
Social media – 35%
Flyers – 32%
Online advertising – 29%
In-store events – 21%
Direct mail – 13%
TV advertising – 3%
Radio advertising – 1%
