Don Draper's 3 Tips For Successful Marketing

In the wild world of AMC's Mad Men, Don Draper rules supreme amongst advertising executives. It seems as though Draper and his team can turn any failure into a success. If you're running a business, large or small, you are probably wondering how you can increase your sales and imitate Draper's marketing savvy. It might not be as complicated as you think. Here are Don Draper's three keys for successful marketing.

1. Know Thy Customer

It doesn't matter whether you're selling goods, services, or ideas; the first step to obtaining marketing success is to know who wants what you offer. To get that information, you're going to need some statistics. If your business is new and you don't have sales statistics to analyze, it might be time to hire a third party company to provide you with consultation on demographics. If you're opening up a clothing store, for example, you will need to know the age, gender, income range, household size, and favored region of your target customer. In general, who buys the most clothing, and what motivates them to spend? Once you have answered those questions you can move on to the second tip for successful marketing.

2. Target the Appropriate Audience

Once you know what types of people comprise your most abundant customer base, it's time to move forward with targeted advertising. Many new companies make the mistake of writing ad copy that appeals to them without considering how it will be viewed by their customers.

If you're selling a service, say, housekeeping, to the public, and you have determined that your largest customer base will be retired and disabled elderly people, you'll want to steer clear of advertising that might turn them off your brand. Using modern slang words, or pop culture references they don't understand can make them feel alienated and prevent them from identifying with your company, which is the exact opposite of the effect you want. 

Additionally, you will want to publish your advertisements in a medium that is highly visible to your target audience. Don't put your ad for your new surfboard waxing service in a local newspaper because most people who surf are in their mid twenties, and this demographic rarely reads newspapers. Your advertising dollars would be better spent on social media advertising, or targeted advertising through search engines.

3. Put Service at the Heart of Your Business

No matter how you choose to advertise and to whom, word of mouth remains a powerful advertising tool. With the introduction of review sites like Yelp, which makes customer rants and raves much more visible to the public, it is perhaps more important now than ever to make serving your customers your top priority. Your general goal for every interaction with a customer should be to under-promise and over-deliver. Exceeding expectations is a surefire way to get a customer to come back, but what happens when a customer is less than satisfied?

Studies reveal that a happy customer will usually share their experience with no more than 3 others. An irate customer can share their experience with upward of 20. You can't please everyone, and you're only human. You will make mistakes, but the good news is that when you are quick to fix a customer service issue, most of those dissatisfied customers will return your effort by becoming loyal to your brand. Whether your customer leaves happy or unhappy you have an opportunity for returning sales if you seize the moment and make the most of it.

Don Draper, though fictional, has some great advice about running a business successfully. Hopefully his tips will help you, too. For more info on marketing strategies, follow the link.