Not particularly a catchy title but there are some lovely little marketing wins that can help you maximise your marketing. Remember it’s not the size of your budget, it’s what you do with it that counts.
1. Know your target audience
Do your homework and draft out the personas of your potential customers. Global companies have been using Mosaic Profiling for years. The practice gets you more in to the mindset of the potential customer, everything from their lifestyle and financial position to the typical TV shows they might watch.
2. Set measurable goals
Know what you want to achieve in sales for that period. What key performance indicators (KPIs) are you putting in place to achieve this?
Do you have a unique sales point (USP)? If so, that’s great but just being good at what you do is enough. There is a tendency to focus on USPs too much so don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.
3. Spend your budget wisely
Content marketing and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) are some of the most cost effective ways to promote your business. Plan your campaigns around what you can afford. Don’t be afraid to abandon what doesn’t work. What may have worked in the past might not work again.
To save costs make multi-purpose materials. Social media and blog posts can be distributed across different platforms with only minor alterations.
4. Be a brand
Size doesn’t matter. Your brand mission will be no different than the likes of Apple.
Know who you are and if you are true to your beliefs in what and how you want to achieve it, the biggest hurdle has been jumped. Your marketing mission will fall into place easier.
5. Mind your SEO
Search marketing is key to getting you noticed by the right audience and narrowing your sales funnel. Don’t underestimate the power of SEO and the justification of the price. You wouldn’t drive a car around without an MOT. Your website is no different.
6. Start a blog or news page
Search Engines like to see refreshed content on your website and will reward you with higher visibility. DO NOT COPY AND PASTE content from other pages on the internet, this is a big no as it is classed as plagiarism. Google wants to see your post in your words, not others.
7. Go local for Google
Remember that Google is predominantly a local search engine and ticking the local boxes increases your search visibility. Make sure your website and business is on Google Maps and Google Places. Customer reviews with high ratings really get you noticed and gives trust to your brand and its services. Geo-specific content on news and blog posts also increases traffic and search visibility.
8. Utilise Social Media
Facebook and LinkedIn work great for businesses, Twitter for business individuals and Instagram for lifestyle services and products. So choose your platforms wisely. Be good at a couple and not average at all of them. Be emotive in content and appeal to your audience’s thoughts and feelings rather than just your sales pitch. People will remember how you made them feel more than what you said. This has to be reflected in your social media.
9. Email marketing – GDPR
Even social media promotion will not do all the work by itself. Offer subscriptions to those of your readers who want to stay informed about updates, sales, special offers or discounts. But remember to get a positive opt-in for the new GDPR regulations.
10. Try Pay-per-Click
PPC is a fantastic sales tool that has really seen an overhaul the last few years. Allowing more cost effective promotion for local companies in their area. Google champions the local company against the might of the national and global companies. You really can narrow the sales funnel down to specific products and services. When PPC is done correctly you can maximise your marketing spend and track the results very closely.
