So your business has just finished producing the most modernized, elevated, jaw-dropping product line. Fantastic! Now you need to go out and actually market it. Instead of waiting for people to flood into your business, you need to be proactive through your marketing strategy. Nobody is going to know about your amazing product if you don’t advertise yourself.
Marketing is a bit like bragging. You have a limited time to get your message across, and show that you are the absolute best. Of course, you have to balance boasting about yourself without sounding too pretentious. It’s a real art, and it takes some fine tuning and craft to get a solid marketing strategy in place.
And even if you have marketing in place, there are always ways to improve it. Customers don’t want to be bombarded with the same canned messaging. They want to be captured by fresh, innovative advertising that is relevant to them and their specific needs. If you’re a business leader who is looking to amplify your marketing strategy, keep reading. Below are tactics that you can start implementing today to get your business noticed and attract more eager consumers.
1. Prioritize Digital Marketing
It goes without saying that digital marketing reigns supreme. This is opposed to traditional media, which includes television, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, and radio. With digital media, you can simply reach more eyeballs with less work. Think about the time it takes to create a billboard, for instance. Even if it’s placed on a busy highway, only a limited number of people will see your ad.
But what if digital marketing is completely outside of your wheelhouse? Then you may want to consider tapping into the expertise of a digital marketing agency. An agency can work with you and your business in a variety of tailored ways — everything from strategy to paid search and social to SEO. Bringing in the experts ensures your company is not only reacting to current marketing trends but is at the forefront of them. It can save you the time and hassle of learning marketing 101 and instead focusing on where you and your team excel.
2. Define Your Target Audience
When you were developing your business plan, you likely had a persona in mind. This was your “ideal customer,” or rather who would most likely be a returning customer time after time. To boost your marketing strategy, it can be beneficial to go back to your target audience and really dig into this persona. Refine your persona by asking yourself questions such as where they live, what they do for a living, who they spend time with, and more.
With a defined target audience, you can learn tactical marketing strategies. For social ads, for instance, you can pick your audience based on location, age, gender, interests, and other affinities. This means your marketing dollars are going toward ads that your target audience is going to see. This, in turn, will improve your brand awareness amongst your core audience as well as increase leads. Knowing your target well also helps you know what type of product to create next that will resonate most for them.
3. Invest in Content Marketing
In addition to selling your product, your website should provide valuable resources and information for your consumers. This is where content marketing comes to play. At its core, content marketing entails creating specific content that promotes a product or service without promoting it outright. For example, an article on “How to Make Your Home into a Sanctuary” may link to an essential oil brand that specializes in stress-relieving scents. The essential oil brand is listed and linked, but it is not outright claimed as being “the best” or “the only” essential oil brand.
That said, content marketing doesn’t need to always be promoting or selling a product or service. A diaper brand that sends free newsletters with relevant information for new moms is also an example of content marketing. The brand is providing content that will in turn make its audiences more loyal consumers. Investing in content marketing means creating various types of content — editorial, video, newsletters, social posts — that will engage your audiences.
4. Engage With Your Consumers
Lastly, another way to boost your marketing strategy is to create a personal relationship with your consumers. If you have a brick and mortar store, this can look like greeting your consumers and assisting them with their purchases. If you don’t have an IRL location, this can look like retargeting your consumers via strategic ad placements or sending newsletters regularly. The more you engage with your consumers, the more you are in the front of their minds.
Engaging with your consumers also means listening to them and responding on social media. It can be frustrating to consumers when a brand has a social platform but doesn’t respond to their direct messages. As a brand, you also want to monitor and comment on others’ reactions to your social posts. It’s a sure way to make your brand more personal, and a way to show that you care about your audience.
Takeaways
Amplifying your marketing strategy isn’t a one-and-done practice. It takes dedication and lots of trial and error to know what works best and what doesn’t. However, these tips will help steer you and your business into the right direction. While you might not find a perfect strategy immediately, you can make headway by focusing on your audience.