BizEBunch

Questions to ask when Targeting Markets. ekn links can help.

2010-10-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Target Marketing

Ready…Aim…Fire!

This is not a firearms exercise. It is an exercise in target marketing. Are you practicing the aim of a superior marksman or are you using a shotgun effect to see what you hit? I find it amazing that in today's competitive world marketers still throw spaghetti up against a wall to see what sticks.

In this economy can you afford to miss you target? Can you afford to use a shotgun affect and hope that you hit some target that generates sales for you? Can you afford to keep throwing spaghetti? You would probably be better off eating it then throwing it. Selecting the rig

ht target market is critical for your business since all marketing activities will be directed toward satisfying the needs of your targeted customers. ekn links helps you to target your customers. we can help with making sure your investment in the product and the channel deliver results. Visit us at www.eknlinks.com to learn more.

One approach that some marketers use when targeting a market is to target a very broad market of qualified prospects with a basic need in mind that could be satisfied with their product or service. This is known simply as "the mass" approach but keep in mind that there are very little products that is one size fits all. This "mass" approach is sometimes effective and often costly. This approach can take months to deliver results with a positive ROI. A continuous "mass" effort with smartly produced tools will yield results over time.

All consumers within any markets are different with different needs therefore marketers must also understand the key elem

ents to market segmentation. This strategy divides broad mass markets into customers with similar characteristics and needs for your product or service.

A standard market segmentation approach should include the following three-step process:

Identify segments within the mass market.
Choose the segment(s) that fits best with the product features, benefits and value proposition.
Develop strategy that appeals to that specific target market(s).

ekn links has helped to target over $100MM worth of products and services for ou partnered companies. We are experts in developing marketing segmentation and marketing strategy. View our website www.eknlinks.com for FREE marketing tools and more information.

Targeting your market - this video illustrates a targeted on line video for kids.

ekn links has developed some basic questions to ask your management team when creating your target market segmentation strategy:

Is the market worthy of being a target market?
Is this a large enough market segment to support the revenue objectives?
Is the segment targeted growing?
Is your company prepared with the skills, team, knowledge and expertise to deliver the needs of the segment?
Does the segment meet the overall plans, goals and strategy of the company?
What is the most attractive option(s) for your marketing efforts?

ekn links provides a complete range of expert sales and marketing services to the globalizing firm. ekn helps to create new business, generate sales, build brand recognition, and establish a strong market presence with key marketing strategies helping to build the future. we can help. www.eknlinks.com

International Business- Your product story.

2010-10-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

When you come up with a business idea or make a new product you have to be able to explain to people who buy your product what it is all about. Your products tell a story and that story will help your product sell.

Success of any product and business relies on planning, creating goals and developing a unique selling proposition. You must have a special product that is different than other products that are already on the market place. We often see clients from many parts of the world that do not have these questions answered. I am often asked to look at new products from clients in Brazil, South Africa, China, Argentina, Mexico and France who have great ambition, resources and ideas but lack the strategy. I am often impressed as a marketing expert by the ideas and the products that they want to bring into the U.S. Marketplace but as a U.S. consumer, I do not understand what they are trying to sell. Their products are not talking to me. Make sure you know what your business wants to do.

Many products fail due to lack of planning from the manufacturer and limited buy-in from the market. Estimates have product failures at between 75% to 90%, while nearly 80% of all grocery, drug and mass-market items fail within one year of introduction. These ugly stats hold true with U.S. based products and products coming in from other countries into the U.S. market. This post discusses this concept and strategy a bit and hopefully helps an international marketer to understand a bit better. After all, “When in Rome – Do as the Romans Do”. When selling into the U.S. market, do as the U.S. marketers do.

ekn links helps your management team with your sales, marketing and product development to increase your odds of success. Our business connections to several industries and world markets allowing us to help clients on a wide variety of projects. We created a series of programs to help most companies go global.

Globalization should be a strategy! Globalization must be a strategic imperative for corporations of any size. The Internet allows the global economy to be fused together and creates a marketplace that never sleeps. Consumers globally are searching your products. A consumer will always research a new product entering into the U.S. market. Most new consumers will get their opinion from some one who has used the new product before. U.S. consumers liked to know that they will buy a reliable product and that the new product meets their needs. Treat the U.S. consumer like a U.S. consumer. They will buy your product once but they will not buy your product twice if they are fooled. Deliver what you promise and make it count.

Globalization also means that your competitor will enter your local market and take away your domestic market share. Are you doing the same? Don't wait until your market changes to enter into the U.S. market. The time is always now regardless of the economic situations. Selling globally will help create unrecognized business for your company - new revenue! Globalization allows you to enter the realm of working with large international buyers for your products and opening the U.S. market validates your product even further.

ekn links will help you create a strategy for global trade and focus on building market share in external markets that you currently do not provide products to. ekn links can be your U.S. market expert.

ekn will help you capture that new international customer, increase your volume, lower your cost and remain as competitive as you can! We have learned from past clients that they would like to explore the possibilities of entering into a new market or launch a new product but lack a solid marketing strategy plan to be successful. Your products tell a story and this story will help your products sell int the U.S.. Success of any product relies on planning, creating goals and developing a unique selling proposition. ekn links designed a detailed tailored Market Easy™ plan to help our client's accomplish their sales goals. ekn links believes that a well thought out marketing plan is the first tool you will need to be successful.

Our plan includes a structure for the management team to evaluate the company, the industry, the products, as well as the real opportunity. During this discovery period your management team, key stakeholders, vendors and customers must participate to help the marketer understand the global opportunity better. At the end of this discovery period your company will need to complete a set of action deliverables that your management team can use to plan your next steps.

Here are some key questions to keep in mind as you go through this process. How many do you have answered?

1. Do you understand the U.S. market, the U.S. customer, the product potential in the U.S. Market?
2. Do you understand the USP and product characteristics that differentiate your product from those that succeed and from those that were failures?
3. Are your resources properly allocated?
4. Does your sales team know how to sell your product in the U.S.?
5. Are your sales targets realistic?
6. Have you set realistic expectations for channel distribution and price?
7. Are you getting enough feedback on your product from U.S. consumers, buyers and experts?
8. Is your management team fully engaged to enter the U.S. market?
9. Do you review and update your plan to get into the U.S. market?
10. Do you have a quarterly review and annual goals from revenue in the new market?

ekn links will be with you all the way during this market due diligence process and if you decide to continue to work with us to launch your product into the U.S. market we will be there from the beginning. If you have a great product than give it a great strategy.

Visit us at www.eknlinks.com and www.eknsales.com to learn more.

“Rusty’s Lemonade Stand” by ekn links a Best Book Finalist

2010-09-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

The first published book “Rusty’s Lemonade Stand” by Ken Ninomiya, from ekn links finishes among the finalist of THE 2010 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS (IBA) announced by JPX Media this past spring.

Over 300 winners and finalists were announced in over 140 categories covering print and audio books. Awards were presented for titles published in 2008, 2009 and 2010. “Rusty’s Lemonade Stand” by Ken Ninomiya was among the finalist for Best Children’s Picture Book (Softcover).

Jeff Keen, President and CEO of JPX Media, said this year’s contest yielded a large number of entries, which were then narrowed down to over 300 winners and finalists. Ken Ninomiya sai

d “ I am proud to be chosen among so many great children’s books for my first published book. The book’s character, Rusty, is a young child who learns about entrepreneurship, family and life during his first start-up business - a traditional lemonade stand.”

Rusty’s Lemonade Stand helps young readers learn about owning their own business and discusses the importance of family, ethics, and responsibility. Rusty’s Lemonade Stand, which is now available from Amazon.com and at RustysBook.com, is part of a series of books from BizEBunch.com a website where children ages 6 to 17 can Read, Learn and Do activities, learn lessons and play games about family, life and business.

The BizEBunch.com website is still in its early stages, but expects to offer a complete series of fun-filled and education-based information that will help kids “Read, Learn and Do.” BizEBunch.com is offering new members an opportunity to download a free copy of the site’s newly published book - “Sukis Short Summer” - for a limited time.

BizEbunch.com is expected to lead the way in helping young minds develop a sense of accomplishment, personal pride, determination, family understanding, ethical behavior and business drive. There will be loads of activities that children can conduct offline, too, while learning about business, life and family.

To visit BizeBunch.com and download “Suki’s Short Summer, visit www.bizebunch.com.