We’ve been at the aviation marketing game for a long time now, so it’s no surprise when people try to pick our brains once in a while.
We’ll get questions like …
What tips do you have?
What are the best tools to use?
What’s the key to success?
And though I’d love to say we have some amazing, magical secret sauce that helps all our clients win, the truth is, it all comes down to something pretty simple …
Good research.
It’s true. Research drives every campaign, strategy and effort we embark on with our clients, and it gives us the fodder we need to deliver noticeable revenue-boosting results.
Specifically, there are three types of research we focus on:
Audience Research
The purpose of audience research is twofold:
- to determine who to best market a brand’s products and services to
- to understand the unique demographics and differentiators about those audiences
I say “audiences” because rarely does a brand have just ONE audience. They have a large group of potential customers, sure, but that group can be broken down into three, four, maybe even 10 subsets – smaller groups with attributes unique to just them. Knowing these unique attributes is crucial to better marketing to them and resonating with them.
Audience research can be done in many ways, from surveys and interviews with past customers to paid focus groups or questionnaires. In the end, the goal needs to be have this information about your audiences:
- Demographic and geographic data
- Income and job level
- Homeownership and marital status
- Current job or personal challenges as they relate to your products/services
Knowing this information about your potential customers will help you frame your products and services in the best light for their income, location and job position, as well as their unique personal and professional circumstances.
Market Research
With market research, you’re looking to see what’s already out there. Are there products or services out there that serve the same purpose as yours? The same audiences? If so, what’s different about them? How does your product solve the problem better or add additional value for a customer?
You want to get a feel for the marketplace your products and services exist in. What are customers willing to pay in your space? What needs are and aren’t being met? Where are the holes in the market where your products could step in and fill a demand? The answers to these questions should frame your entire aviation marketing campaign.
Competitive Research
Finally, you want to research the competition – those other brands vying for your customers, sales and revenues. Make an exhaustive list of all those competing in your space, even the only semi-related ones. Then, look at each brand’s:
- Marketing efforts – What publications are they advertising in? Are they investing in search ads, TV commercials, trade shows or other venues? Are you seeing their name splattered across billboards? Take stock of where and how each competitor is getting their name out there.
- Product and service lines – What products and services does each competitor offer? How are those similar or different to yours? What needs/demands are they meeting with their products/services?
- Branding – What is their branding like? Do they seem like more of a high-priced, luxury brand or a more affordable, budget-friendly one? What colors, logos, mottos and other signatures do they use?
- Digital presence – What is their website like? Is it up to date, high tech and appealing? How about their social media accounts? Are they regularly updated and used to communicate with customers?
Using all this competitive research, you can create an effective strategy that positions your company as a unique standout in the marketplace – one whose products solve a problem/challenge that today’s consumers are actively struggling with.
Ready for Some Research?
Research is at the heart of any successful aviation marketing, advertising or branding campaign. Want help conducting the research your brand needs to take off in 2018? Haley Aerospace is here to help.
