Want to steal some of Apple’s highly successful marketing strategies? I don’t blame you. Even during the recession, they broke sales records with consumers paying far more for Apple products, even when the competitor equivalents were better and cheaper. The key to their success is in their marketing strategies more than the products. The thing is, the products are the marketing strategies. Each new update includes a USP that was carefully excluded from the previous one. Having become frustrated with the previous product’s shortcomings, Apple lovers will dutifully pay through the nose for an upgrade.
Previous Macbooks were renowned for having short battery life, so the latest Macbook Air came with a 12-hour battery life. All those Apple lovers who had lost work from a dead battery or have had to frantically dash to a charger were already preconditioned for the next model’s USP. That is a shrewd marketing strategy.
Apple fans aren’t always the computer geek types or coding obsessives, more often than not they are concerned with appearing up-to-date and fashionable. Young women are more likely to use Apple products than PCs. That means Apple consumers behave like fans, and their brand has value over and above the products themselves.
How can you make these marketing strategies work for your business? Always make sure your latest product is a marked improvement on any shortcomings that were present in previous versions (whether your own or competitors). Branding must be suitable for the preferred aesthetics of your target demographics. Give reasons for the consumer to recommend your products and even become emotionally invested in the brand.
Try releasing a new higher priced, premium version of your current product. Increase the value and you are justified in charging more. People will pay a lot more for a higher value. Launch a sleek and modern marketing strategy to communicate this value to those who need it most.
