At SALIDO, we have a a bookcase filled with copies of some inspirational and educational gems. All new employees are offered a digital or hard copy of these books our leadership team has found truly foundational in what we value and our mission.
As a digital creative and marketer of fifteen years, I was skeptical of what value I could gather from the 1986 written title Marketing High Technology by William H. Davidow. I mean, the internet didn’t even exist back then, so what could still possibly be relevant, right? I was pleasantly schooled and learned some great values and best practices that can last through the ages no matter how technology evolves. Read on below for some of by favorite learnings.
Choose your position wisely.
A company, brand or product can not be perceived as both premium and luxurious and at the same time cheap and a bargain. For example, if you have a watch company, you can’t sell your latest design at Saks Fifth Avenue and then also be available at Walmart. Positioning must be chosen with extreme care. Your position must be based off of fact before it can be made to exist in a consumer’s mind. Marketing’s job is to make sure this happens.
Good advertising and PR are afterthoughts.
Everyone wants to do fun creative promotional work — but that’s the wrong place to begin. The great promotional campaigns are always outgrowths of what already exists. You need to have your market segments being served, your position planned, and have your strategy and focus nailed down.
Know and serve your defined market segment.
Having a “complete” product is the key to your company’s success. The “completeness” of your product is determined by who your target market segment you can best serve. Too often companies spend far too much time focusing on the demands and requests of every customer they encounter vs focusing on the specific needs and desires of their specific market segment they can truly give value to. In short, you can’t be awesome at everything for everyone so pinpoint your strengths and rock them.
Plans are not enough without action.
The purpose of planning is to make success more probable and provide direction for the work to be done. Sometimes people forget planning is a means to an end, and not the end itself. A good plan enables companies to focus their energies and achieve their goals. The best ones target commanding positions and form the basis for achieving that result.
Great products need soul.
Marketing technology requires a personal commitment to the product’s success that is consistent with the company’s philosophy, a dogged pursuit of customers, and an untiring commitment to service. That’s what puts the soul into your product. With that a great product lives and grows, and even a weak product can endure against all odds.
