Tag: correlation

How to be one step ahead of your competition.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could understand what consumers do that leads to them making a purchase decision before your competitor does? Well the good news is you can,

consumer trends and correlations offer valuable insights for small business, and if used correctly can put you one step ahead of your competition.

Let’s say I sell accommodation in Merimbula NSW, if I take the traditional marketing strategy I might use an email list and target past guests, spend money on a google AdWords campaign or list on accommodation review and booking sites etc. This traditional marketing strategy is fine however it puts you in the same space as your competitors, and ultimately everybody is competing for the same customer at the same time.

Instead try putting yourself in your customer’s mind. Think like your customer and understand what they do in the weeks leading up to booking accommodation and how you can use these actions in your favor. To start, use what you know about the demographics of your typical guest.

Here’s an example:  

Our data suggests most visitors to Merimbula live in the ACT or Victoria and they enjoy visiting for the beaches, water activates sun and fun. Most visitors to the region drive their own vehicle to Merimbula and have young families. So, once we know this basic information the key is to put your offering into the pre-decision marketing channels of potential guests.

Here’s some pre-decision marketing ideas:  

• Advertise in primary school newsletters, select from the most popular regions of your guests and offer exclusive deals.
• Send offers on accommodation for auto dealers to distribute. Reach out to dealers in the popular regions of your guests. Most people will look to have a car service prior to holiday travel.
• Use the keywords “Roof Racks” in your AdWords campaign or in your blog, many of your guests will be searching for roof racks prior to a holiday.
• Post positive weather forecasts, fishing reports etc to social media or blogs. Most guests are keeping an eye on the weather or things to do before a holiday.

• Reach out to personal trainers or weight loss programs, it’s a proven fact that people will attempt to lose weight prior to a holiday.

These are just a few insights of the process and thinking patterns potential guests go through before booking accommodation. The key here is to develop a strategy of thinking like your customer and how to reach out to them before the traditional marketing attempts of your competitors.

Thanks for reading

Leigh.