Content Marketing Today

3 Small Business Marketing Lessons You Can Learn from Wal-Mart

Posted: 19 Nov 2008 10:59 AM CST

Even if you don’t love Wal-Mart, you can learn a lot from them, just as conservative Republicans should learn a lot from Barack Obama’s election victory.

Small business marketers especially should pay attention to what this Arkansas giant can teach us about marketing.

Part of the brilliance of Wal-Mart is their ability to manage a highly complex global supply chain that enables them to deliver an incredible range of inexpensive products to their customers in-store and online.

Equally important, however, is Wal-Mart’s understanding of and responsiveness to their customer base. You may not be able to replicate their supply chain expertise, but you can come very close to replicating the essence of their marketing.

How small business marketers can emulate Wal-Mart successfully

You can market effectively to your customers only if you have an in-depth understanding of who they are and what is important to them. To paraphrase how Wal-Mart’s CEO described their customers some years ago: “Our customers are folks who live paycheck to paycheck.” In today’s tough economic climate, this fundamental understanding couldn’t be more relevant to providing what their customers need. And, it explains why their stock price has held up well virtually every other retailer has watched theirs head into the dumper.
Be crystal clear in describing your mission so that it informs all that your company does to serve its customers. As they put it on their corporate website: “In everything we do, we are driven by a common mission: Saving people money so they can live better.”
Be certain that your marketing messages are consistent with your customer understanding, your mission–and that they show a clear customer benefit. Wal-Mart’s current holiday ad message reflects their understanding of their customers, their mission, and the simple, obvious benefit of shopping there: “Christmas costs less at Wal-Mart.” All of your marketing messages should be equally clear and should communicate an equally obvious benefit.

As with most elements of content marketing, none of these elements are intrinsically expensive. Emulating Wal-Mart’s marketing approach may involve a major change in mindset. But, that new marketing mindset is something that even a one person organization can achieve.

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