What Lighting Manufacturers Need to Know Before Expanding into New Verticals
by MGB2B
When you’ve been targeting one audience for a few years, or maybe even a few decades, trying to figure out how to pursue new verticals (think architects, lighting designers, contractors, commercial facility managers) can be daunting. You need to figure out not only where to reach them, but what message(s) will resonate with them. This is not something you want to guess at.
How Lighting Manufacturers Can Expand
So how do you figure out the right message, and what’s the best way to deliver it?
The answer is: you need to do some research first. Here’s your To Do List:
- Get a list. Obtain a list of prospects and their email addresses in the most important vertical you wish to pursue. (Make a priority list – the best way to do this is pursue one vertical at a time.)
- Create an online survey. Make a list of questions you want to ask this new audience. Keep in mind – this is not necessarily about awareness of your brand, but about what your audience looks for in a brand, what their role is in the lighting decision-making process, and how they consume media.
- Pick a prize. What are you going to give as an incentive to get people to fill out your survey? A gift card? A free lunch? Make it something significant, otherwise people won’t participate.
- Run the survey and analyze results. Make sure you have a set duration for the survey. Don’t cut it off too soon, but don’t let it go on forever either. Have someone who is good with numbers on hand to interpret the quantitative data. Have someone different on hand to gather and interpret the qualitative results, which are actually even more important when it comes to getting to know the personality and preferences of your audience.
- Use the results. Take what you’ve learned and develop a lead generation program, creative campaign, and media plan that will bring this new audience to your door.
- Consider partnering with an agency or research organization. This should likely go at the top of the list because it’s something you should think about before you jump in with both feet. With limited time and people (and most likely marketing research expertise) at your organization, you should consider talking to an ad agency or a research consultant to make sure you are asking the right questions and analyzing/interpreting the data correctly. Otherwise you may end up wasting the time of your employees.
Expanding your business takes a lot of thought and hard work, but it is something that will increase your bottom line if you’ve plateaued. For a steady flow of B2B advice that will help you along the way, follow our blog.
Tags: how lighting manufacturers can expand, lighting manufacturers, marketing strategy, online surveys, pursuing new verticals, target audience research