Radical Marketing is a term used to describe firms that take a unique, innovative approach to the way they market their products or services. They break the rules of conventional marketing and often use creative public relations, forming buyers clubs and working closely with their customers to develop products that meet their needs in ways that traditional marketing methods cannot achieve.
These companies stretch their limited resources, live close to their customers and use a combination of unconventional marketing techniques. Their success is based on a commitment to providing the highest quality products, developing strong relationships with their customer base, and delivering satisfaction and loyalty in return for long-term investment.
Unlike’mainstream’ marketing, senior people in radical marketing companies don’t see their customers as target market segments defined by demographic or psychographic characteristics; rather they view them as individuals who are passionate about their product and want to be associated with it in a meaningful way. The result is a loyal, dedicated community of customers who will go to extreme lengths to become part of the company.
The CEO must own the marketing function Radical Marketing requires that the top individual in the organization be intimately involved in the marketing function and in fact, drive the marketing approach of the organization. This ensures that everyone in the organization has a strong focus on the interaction with the market because the CEO demands and expects it.
Make sure the marketing department starts small and flat and stays small and flat The key point here is that the marketing function must not get so large that it starts to become bloated with bureaucracy and protocol, but rather is small and flexible enough to respond to new trends to stay in touch with the market, and to try out ‘outrageous’ new approaches (see rules #8 and #9)
Rethink the marketing mix
Business customers are wired exactly like consumers, which means that they have a strong bias toward simplicity. If you are trying to communicate something complex or complicated, the brain will simply ignore what you’re saying. That’s why it is important for B2B marketers to understand and apply the simple rule of thumb: if you’re not getting the results you want, simplify the message until it’s easy for your audience to comprehend.
Create a community of customers
The authors also highlight some striking aspects of the successful ‘radical’ marketing companies that they discuss, such as Harley-Davidson and the Grateful Dead. Their success is based on creating an extremely dedicated and loyal community of customers who will go to extreme lengths, such as having their bodies tattooed with the brand they identify with.
Love and respect your customers
Unlike’mainstream’ companies, senior people in radical marketing companies don’t view their customers as target market segments defined by demographic and psychographic characteristics; rather they view them as individual who are passionate about their product and want to become part of it in a meaningful way. The result, they say, is a loyal, dedicated community of customers.
There are several ways to implement digital marketing strategies for your business, including the following:
Contentmarketing – Create content that will help people solve their problems and make them more confident about making a purchase from you. This content can be found on your website, through a blog, or via email newsletters and social media posts.
This type of content is often accompanied by a call-to-action, such as clicking on a link or filling out a form. This allows you to follow customers down the sales funnel right from the beginning, converting them into leads that eventually become sales.
Creating and delivering this content on the right channel is crucial for success, since a huge percentage of customers start their buying journeys online. You want to ensure that your content is relevant to the audience and delivers a message that’s consistent with your brand’s voice.
The next step in this process is to analyze the results of your efforts to determine what’s working and what’s not. This data is then used to refine your digital marketing strategies and increase your ROI.