Marketing is an essential factor across every industry. Without a reliable consumer base, a business is likely to fail. Giant companies invest hugely in marketing but only on strategies that guarantee a higher return on investment. By evaluating the market, you should be able to know what strategies to capitalize on. This puts you in a better position to outdo your competitors. Some of the methods businesses use to reach their clients include direct mail, social media, signage, charity, being active in the community, among others. You should know which method brings value to your brand.
Leverage your social media.
Social media has changed the way people interact in modern society. It has brought people closer together. Its involvement in marketing has changed the industry. The major social media platforms at the moment include Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, Reddit, Google Plus LinkedIn, among others. They have provided a platform for ventures to connect with their audience to drive website traffic, boosts sales, and grow their brands. Each of these platforms presents a different approach to interacting with your audience. Rather than trying to master all of them, it would be best if you chose a few that work best for you.
Social media marketing involves engaging your target audience by posting attractive content and running advertisements. This will allow you to evaluate the results. There are also several social media tools that improve the relationship between brands and consumers. Some of the examples include Buffer, Canva, Unsplash, BuzzSumo, Edgar, Animoto, Google trends, Feedly, among others.
Creating valuable content is an integral part of making social media marketing a success. Not only does your audience love great content, but so does search engines. You can use a variety of ways to share information such as articles, designing infographics, hosting podcasts, creating videos, blogging etc. This allows you to gain free traffic and establish authority as an expert. Content creation is not always a task that you must do yourself. There are several freelance assistants, graphic designers and writers who can do that for you.
Send thoughtful postcards
Postcards and other forms of paper mail may have lost their grip as the best marketing strategy, especially in the fast-paced 21st century that has witnessed profound technological changes. However, its use in marketing is still significant and has been embraced by many giant firms in their marketing strategies. Postcards as a marketing tool assist you in giving your message a tangible appeal when delivering promotional messages such as offers, announcements, coupons etc. Reaching out is essential especially in ensuring people remember your brand.
Direct mail is still relevant in modern business marketing and has been embraced by many successful companies. One of the advantages of paper mail is the fact that a significant number of people take time to go through their mail. This gives your brand a chance to stand out from others. Study shows that direct mail contributes to over 10 percent of new customers than email.
Some of the benefits of direct mail include, it is effective and efficient, offers a high return on capital employed, it is tangible, and It is flexible – can be used to meet different objectives. An example is its use by startup firms to introduce themselves to a new customer base. It can be used as an invitation or as a voucher to promote a product. Companies like Wise Pelican have invested significantly in offering the best thoughtful postcards and other marketing materials.
Invest in marketing tech tools
Every industry in the 21st century is dependent on technology. This said, the marketing sector has also accommodated various tools that are essential in achieving set targets. Technology has enabled the creation of several ways of interacting with your customers. You can use tech tools to create impressive websites with engaging content.
Marketing through websites is essential in the modern business industry. Every business nowadays creates an online presence to capitalize on every marketing opportunity. Websites are one of the most reliable means of advertisement since they can be easily accessible on mobile devices. Mobile phones have become the primary medium to interact with customers. A lot of traffic comes from mobile gadgets. When creating your website, you should ensure that it is easy to access via any device. It should include information about the brand, the products and services offered, and contact information. It would be best if it had a visible share button for people to consult.
In addition to investing in a website, you should ensure that it incorporates automated customer tools like chatbots that can interact with customers. Concerning the hectic modern lifestyles, most people may not be able to handle every complaint, question or enquiry. For this reason, using tech to do this for you makes everything easier. Additionally, you are able to reach a wider audience.
Other customer automated service tools include Interactive Voice Response system (IVR) which uses AI to help your customers get the relevant responses. By having virtual assistance, few issues will be passed to you. This will save time and will speed the rate at which your clients get the services they need. This consequently improves customer relations. Additionally, you can also incorporate the use of customer relationship management applications (CRMs). They are essential in assessing hundreds of leads online to provide you with specific clients to focus on. This helps y close sales faster.
Get involved in community events.
Businesses need to create a long-lasting relationship with their customers. To achieve this, you need to interact with the target market personally through participating actively in community events. To build a good reputation, you should make the community perceive your business as a valuable addition in the society. It is essential to have in-depth knowledge of the geographical region targeted. This makes your interaction easier, and the more they will be convinced that your brand is a good fit for them.
Another significant importance of being involved in the community is that you are able to grow internal relationships. The 21st century has become a man-eat-man society where businesses run for the money. For this reason, it has become hard to establish trust with customers. A successful business is propelled by trust. By strategizing on how to interact with the public, your employees will also form more valuable relationships outside the work environment. This boosts their overall morale.
Start/join a charity or charitable event.
Starting or joining a charity is partly related to getting involved in community activities. However, it creates a long-lasting impact in the community. Whether it is donating funds to a local charity, assisting an animal shelter or taking care of the elderly, helping the community goes a long way in presenting your business as a socially responsible brand. Every deed that makes keeps the community healthier, and happier is an advantage to your brand.
Being philanthropic is also essential in establishing a connection with the community. By attending charity events, you are able to interact with several potential customers. This is an easy way to introduce your brand to a new consumer base. Additionally, your brand will be able to reach people outside professional settings. This allows you to establish stronger connections with people that you wouldn’t have met.
Use of affiliate programs
Affiliate marketing involves the use of other people or businesses (affiliates) to promote your brand. Affiliate programs are known to fuel the growth of a company, especially when discouraged after a few setbacks. However, finding the right partner can be challenging. You have to have good negotiation skills to be taken seriously.