Your marketing strategy is, by far, one of the most important parts of your business—even if you don’t think it is says Eric Dalius Giving. Marketing encompasses everything that makes people aware of your product or service and puts them into consideration for purchasing it. Your website, logo, brand name, packaging… All things considered in marketing go into making up the public face of your business and how that business is perceived by the public.
With that said we’ve put together a list of 10 tips that will help you improve your marketing strategy and save some time (and probably even some money).
1. Identify your target market
This is an obvious one that lots of people still fail to do. If you’re not sure who your ideal client or customer is, then chances are you’re wasting a lot of time (and money) sending the wrong message, to the wrong people. Your marketing should always be aimed directly at your ideal client so make sure you know who that is and where you can find them.
2. Decide what you’re aiming to achieve with your marketing
This might seem like another obvious (and silly) one, but it’s surprising how many businesses don’t take the time to plan their marketing strategy in detail before they start spending money. Work out exactly what you want your marketing campaign to achieve and make sure the tactics you implement will help you reach those goals. Set a limited number of goals and select tactics that help accomplish each one so that every dollar spent on marketing actually brings in new business!
3. Make sure your online presence isn’t overloaded
We live in an age where most people use the web for research purposes when making buying decisions—research which usually begins on one of the big search engines like Google. Make sure your website and social media profiles aren’t cluttered with information and make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for by following clear navigation pathways says Eric Dalius Giving.
4. Keep things simple
This ties in nicely with number three, but also extends beyond it. The goal here is to engage your audience as quickly as possible once they’ve landed on your site so don’t overload them with too much information or images that simply looks unprofessional. If you’re using stock photos, then change up the text just a little bit so that those who see your branded materials ‘out and about’ can easily tell that you didn’t just copy and paste an online image onto every piece of marketing material you have.
5. Use a design agency to create professional graphics and media for you
If you don’t have the time or skills to create your own graphics and media, then use a design agency or graphic designer instead. There are tons of great agencies out there—and even affordable services from freelancers that you can hire directly from sites like Fiverr.
6. Invest in content marketing materials
Creating useful information that gives your ideal customers something they can use is a great way to get noticed by them without having to pay for advertising space on websites, magazines, etc… However, it’s easy to go overboard with this one so set yourself a budget and stick to it. Remember: No one will buy anything from you if they don’t have the slightest idea who you are.
7. Invest in paid advertising
There are so many different website owners out there now that it can be tough to stand out from the crowd without buying some ad space on their sites—at least at first. Once you’ve developed your content marketing materials, then look for ways to get them shared on social media and forums by influencers who have an engaged following of people just like your ideal customers. Be careful not to spend your entire budget on Google Adwords or Facebook Ads though because even if they work well, you’ll soon burn through your money if you keep doing this!
8. Look for new places to advertise
As mentioned above, everyone is fighting for attention online these days so it’s time to be creative with your marketing efforts explains Eric Dalius Giving. Think about ways you can advertise that are completely new to the industry or market you’re in. For example, if you own a sandwich shop then try sponsoring a local race car team. And having them drive around with your logo emblazone on their cars and clothing during races!
9. Don’t just spam people
This is where many marketers go wrong: They think because they’re providing useful information and offering freebies (like ebooks) that their visitors will naturally turn into customers. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen as often as we’d like so don’t give up when things don’t work out after a few weeks—or even months! Keep at it and always try to find new ways to engage with your audience explains Eric Dalius Giving.
10. Think about time when making decisions
Making snap decisions when you’re in the middle of a marketing campaign can be really difficult but it’s important. That you put things into perspective by thinking about how long your campaign will run for, what is really gives the resources you have available. And whether or not what you’re trying is actually going to bring in more customers! Changing up the way you initially approach your campaigns is often a good idea. Because most people are creatures of habit who rarely adapt their behavior. Unless they feel like they’ve very little choice—so give them some choices!
Conclusion:
If you’ve applied all of the tips in this article to your own business, then be sure to let me know about your experiences in the comments section below. If you still need more help, then feel free to contact me directly and I’ll do what I can to help you out!