Focus is the key to a successful marketing campaign, the Courier Business Conference will hear next month.
Jacqueline Watson, director of marketing and business development at MHA Henderson Loggie, will share her views as part of a marketing and PR panel at the June 18 conference.
She has more than 18 years of experience in marketing, advising small and medium sized businesses how to get the most from their marketing budgets.
Ms Watson said: “Data is the currency of a digital economy but sometimes too much data can be a challenge for small businesses.
“They might feel that they want to target everybody but they end up targeting no one.
“It’s important they have a focus and are not frightened to do some niche marketing to get under the skin of a particular target audience. That can allow them to build trust quickly with a small group.”
She said that firms should look to “add value” with their marketing content as a way of making an impact.
“People look at their iPhone, an average of 80 times a day – they are bombarded with messages and notifications,” she continued.
“How do you cut through that noise to get your message in front of an audience?
“One way businesses can do that is by adding value with their marketing content — provide the user with something they can learn from.
“We need to stop bombarding people with intrusive adverts.
“Customers will open their wallets willingly for businesses that produce marketing which adds value to their lives.”
She said that although marketing can bring benefits such as building brand awareness, ultimately its purpose is to increase sales for businesses.
“Often people want to increase their profile but you need to think about marketing in terms of how it’s going to help your business to grow,” she added.
“Also, for small businesses, brand advocates are their greatest assets. Advocates could be customers, suppliers or others who come into contact with the business.
“Look after your existing customers and work closely with them.”
Ms Watson will be joined by Tricia Fox, managing director of Perth-based PR firm Volpa, Zoe Ogilvie from The BIG Partnership and Jaume Ferras, global marketing director for The Macallan on the panel.
The Courier Business Conference, held in association with MHA Henderson Loggie, will take place at the Space on Dundee and Angus College’s Kingsway Campus.
The full-day conference has the theme of inspiring success.
It will also feature a session from motivation speaker Nigel Risner, a session on digital transformation from Dundee-based tech entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl and an overview of the business landscape from Scottish Enterprise chief executive Steve Dunlop.
Several local firms with a growth mindset will also be highlighted at the conference.
Tickets are available from thecourierbusinessconference.com