The 3 E's of Marketing Replace the 4 P's
By RDBA Executive Director, Annette Maggi, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
For years, the mantra of marketing has been the four P's – price, product, promotion and place. Today, however, these long held beliefs about the right approach to marketing products and services is being replaced by the three E's -- Engage, Equip, and Empower.
Engage
Brand engagement, including your personal brand as a retail dietitian, is what today's consumers crave. Understand the target audience for your services and listen to them. Identify their key issues and questions. Have a conversation with them. Be a presence in their lives. By listening and understanding them, you can more effectively provide content, programs and services that are valuable, targeted and engaging to your target audience.
Equip
To provide value to your customer and to deepen their relationship with your brand, you need to equip them with valuable content and information they can connect with as well as amazing products and great service. Create methods that elevate them in social spaces by engaging with you or provide them with insider knowledge, unbelievable facts or funny disclosures. The goals are to continue the connection and give them reasons to talk about you and your brand.
Empower
In today's buying and selling clients, most individuals trust recommendations from family and friends. You must give your customer different ways to talk and share, especially about your brand, products and services. Ensure shoppers know they are important to you and that sharing their opinions is important to you. Help them find ways to share within their circles and find ways to help move their conversations around.
According to Buffer, more than 400 million tweets are sent each day and 4.75 million daily updates shared on Facebook. An average consumer encounters over 10,000 marketing messages each day. Leveraging the three E's of marketing can help you, your brand, and your products and services stand out amidst the clutter.
