Top of Mind Awareness

Top-of-Mind Awareness (TOMA) simply means that your business is at the top of a potential customer's mind when they think of the goods or services you have to offer. Your TOMA objective is to make sure that customers think of you first and foremost when they are ready to buy.

So how can you stand out more than others who offer similar goods or services? Here are five sure-fire ways to create the TOMA your business needs.

Use repetition to breed familiarity
Use unique, unusual ways to market and to serve your customers
Use the best practices in your industry each and every time you work with a customer
Get the point that familiarity with you breeds confidence in your business
Follow up

Repetition. Repetition means presenting yourself consistently to those you network with. You are dead wrong if you fall into the trap of thinking that because you know everyone in a group and they know you, there is nothing left to say to them and no reason to attend the next event. There is always something new to say and always something new to ask. Show up, be present, focus on meeting and listening well, don't come late and leave early, make it your goal to talk to someone you haven't had time to speak with before. Every single week the people you know have changing needs, and one day what they need will be what you have to offer. Repetition puts you in the right place at the right time.

Unique marketing and service. How can you introduce your business in a way that will stick in a person's mind? How can you provide your product or service in such a way that your customer is completely delighted? Your goal after the purchase is to have your customer think you are absolutely tops. Here's what Sleep America, a seller of mattresses, does. They gained a reputation early on for sending their customers a "Breakfast in Bed" basket after the sale. How fun and unique! You can bet their customers mention that to family and friends.

Know and follow your industry's best practices. Join the associations that exist to serve your industry, and take advantage of their credentialing programs. Displaying your industry's symbols of credibility will help your business stand out. Industry associations often offer packaged training for you and your staff, too. Take advantage of this benefit and make sure you advertise that your staff meets the standard of training for your type of business.

Familiarity breeds confidence. Customers like to see and know the "face" of your business. If you are not the face they see, make sure that a very trustworthy staff person is standing in your place. Customers don't feel confident if there is a new face at the helm every time they contact you or walk into your brick and mortar store. Make sure the voice on the phone is familiar and that you don't have a revolving door receptionist. Physicians and dentists often don't get that their receptionist IS the face of their business. Pay what you need to get someone with great interpersonal skills who will not leave after 6 months on the job.

Follow up. This is where 90% of businesses fall down on the job. For the past decade or so, research has consistently shown that a potential customer has to hear from you about 12 times before they will buy. That's 12 individual incidents of calling, mailing, visiting or being seen in advertisements by prospects before they're ready to do business with you. 90% of businesses quit following up after the fourth contact. Success comes from being the 10% who follow up more than 4 times. Amazing, isn't it?

Think about what you can do to build Top-of-Mind Awareness for your business. It is fun to play with, and gives you a chance to be very creative in your business.

Sue Painter

Sue Painter, the Confident Marketer, works with small business owners in marketing, visioning, and extraordinary customer service. Her website is http://www.confidentmarketer.com