A successful marketing strategy is important no matter how big your company may be, and it’s all the more important for the smaller business. Creating a marketing strategy that works can take a little work and some trial and error. You’ll have to tinker with the way you advertise to make sure you’re getting the best return on your investment. However, once you’ve the strategy perfected, you’ll soon start to see the benefits.
So, how can you get this strategy working the right way for you?
Define Your Target Audience
Before you can start advertising and promoting, you need to know who you want to attract. Take a look at your products and see what types of people will be buying them. For example, if you sell building materials, then you can say that builders, DIY enthusiasts, and tradespeople will be the most likely customers. It will give you a list of possible places that your advertising will have the most impact. You might not think that being so restrictive is a good idea, however, if you begin with the most likely customers, the others will soon follow.
Set Yourself a Budget
It can be easy to try and do all of the marketing strategies in one go, however, you need to stick to a budget, or you’ll be losing money. Also, by trying a few ideas at first, you can gauge how well it’s working out as a strategy. It then makes it easier to change things rather than having to wait for more capital. When you’re creating your strategy, it could be a good time to set aside separate limits on your spending for each area. Then you’ll know how much you can spend on areas like Google AdWords and Facebook.
Social Media Marketing
One of the most rewarding types of marketing is the social media marketing. Because almost everyone with a computer or mobile phone uses a form of social media, the potential customer base is huge. It multiplies if you decide on having more than one platform, though it can be a good tactic to treat each platform differently. For example, if you decide to set up a Twitter account, then you can use that to let people know about new products or competitions. However, if you also have an Instagram account, then you should post more pictures of products as it lends itself better to images.
An increasing number of big companies are also using YouTube to promote their videos. There is good research that indicates customers are more likely to engage with a video or a photo than just text. It’s because of this that it’s important that you always try to incorporate some visual content with your social media posts.
Mobile Marketing
The use of mobile marketing strategies has taken off in a big way in recent years. One of the good things about it is that many people use their mobile phones for everything from texting to shopping. It means that there is a lot of scope for advertising to reach its target audience. Advertising on mobiles is mainly centered on the applications as they can pop up ads at any time. Some of the ads are even locked so the user has to watch the whole presentation before they can proceed. By having the right type of advertising aimed at the right type of person, mobile advertising can be a huge benefit to your strategy.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is still one of the best ways to get your message to people. Especially those who are returning customers. It can be easy get people to sign up to a mailing list, and some websites have a pop-up asking for you to sign up. Once you have a list of customers, you can start to produce regular briefings and send them out by email. Ideally, they need to be eye-catching and hold the attention of the reader long enough for them to see all the elements. Your choices when it comes to content are dependent on what you’re looking to sell or promote at that time, although having a voucher or coupon code on the email may entice customers to click through to your site.
Your Website
You might not think so, but your website is one of the most important parts of your marketing campaign. When you’ve attracted a potential customer to your company, they will be going to your website to look at your products and find out more. If your site isn’t up to standard, then they may decide to click away. However, if you make sure that your website has all the elements you need, then it could be the thing that clinches the sale. You need to make your site easy to navigate and even easier to buy something. Have special offers and giveaways on the front page where people can see them straight away.
It’s a good idea to have an online store attached to your site, since your customers might not be able to get to one of your outlets. Having an online store makes it easier for them by allowing them to buy online.
Television Marketing
The world of television has changed a lot over recent years. There is now more choice than ever for the viewer, and this means there is more opportunity for your company. As well as targeting the main television channels, you can also think about the online streaming services such as Netflix. If you’re looking to move globally, you can even start advertising on channels in other countries to maximize the reach.
By targeting just a small area of the internet, you can place your company in front of millions of potential customers. If you can make your advertising stand out and catch people’s eyes, you can quickly start to see a return on your investment. You can then start to use word of mouth to make more of an impression.