Consider Product Life Cycle and Customer Buying Habits

By: Jon Sinish

When you create advertising for small businesses, consider both the life cycle of your product or service along with customer buying habits.

Today, both sellers and buyers alike want fast results. You should recognize that the actual process of turning your prospects into customers still takes time. Buying cycle times may be shorter today, but the process still exists. People often buy according to their past purchasing habits and patterns. These habits can be hard to change.

Classic marketing theory details the life cycle of a product or service as (1) introduction, (2) growth, (3) maturity, (4) decline, and (5) phase-out. In other words: when it's (1) New, (2) Rapidly Accepted, (3) The Industry Standard, (4) Fading, and (5) Hard to Find.

Furthermore, the people who buy those products/services can be profiled in different stages as (a) innovative adapters, (b) majority adapters, or (c) stragglers.

Profiles of these three buyer categories (a) (b) (c) are helpful in creating advertising tailored to each phase of the five life cycles of the product or service. Judge accordingly.

For example, when you introduce a new product or service, one of your prime target markets should be the early adapters, the innovators. It has been estimated somewhere around 10 to 20 percent of people do their own research and experimentation about their purchases. (An ever-increasing number do their research on the web - before they contact anyone.)

The other 80 percent or so are followers (b) (c). They read, listen to, or watch ads; try recommendations from their friends, neighbors or co-workers; or use coupons, etc.

It is advertising that educates and entices prospects at these different purchasing stages to try something new for them. Most importantly, it happens person-by-person. Over time, good advertising can remind, motivate and change buying habits for those in each type of profile.

So it is important to let each group know your product or service is there and ready for them when they want to buy. Plan to have your advertising message repeated often enough where it will be available to them when they are ready to explore and make a buying decision.

It only takes money and time. Be patient. Keep chipping away at it. Soon, your targeted advertising message will be part of your product life cycle and customer buying habits.

2006 Jon Sinish

This article may be reprinted and distributed as long as the resource information remains intact.

Jon Sinish is a 30-year champion of advertising for small businesses, whose clients range from international corporations to private professional practices.

Now, at his web site, you can discover more exciting articles that reveal practical tips, tactics and strategies to help the small businessperson manage and improve their advertising and marketing programs. Please visit www.advertising-for-small-businesses.com

>> Click Here if you need Pay Per Click Marketing!

Industry research shows that up to 75 percent of shoppers abandon their online shopping carts before completing the checkout process. To help address this issue, some of the most successful advertisers have shared their ideas.
FREE REPORT!	12 techniques to reduce shopping cart abandonment!
	Your Name :
	Your E-Mail :

 

# Web design Market analysis Information architecture Creative visual design Web standards compliant XHTML markup Usability and accessibility tests Consulting and support Hosting # Web development Custom e-commerce solutions Content management systems Database programming User authentication and site personalization Payment systems integration RSS feeds, forums, votings and mailing lists Portals and catalogs Local search engines Affiliate programs

# Search engine optimization (SEO) Content and style separation and neat markup Search engine friendly navigation Keyword research (competitiveness and popularity) Keyword frequency and positioning Search engines and directories submission Increasing link popularity Statistics reports and analysis Pay-per-click campaigns # Graphic design Logo design Corporate identity Booklets, brochures

Your total web solutions provider - here to help!
Frist Name:
Email Address:
Web site URL:
Subject::	Website Design Template Tuning Search Optimization Marketing & Advertising Graphic Design Other
Question(s):