Feb 16, 2022
Marketing as a discipline is dynamic and constantly evolving. Your brand story can no longer only be about your product or service offerings. Now it’s about what resonates with your customers: How will engaging with your product or service make the customer feel like the hero? To win, brands must take a transformational approach by telling a simple story, creating a clear and compelling strategy, and aligning their systems (i.e. people, process and technology platforms) to execute flawlessly.
Here are 12 expert tips that can help you excel with your story, strategy, and systems to transform your marketing efforts.
Gary Goh
Moneylender in Singapore at Icredit
“When marketing your product or service, it’s important to know your target audience and what appeals to them.”
You need to customize your approach online based on the demographics that are most likely to become new customers for you.
You can determine some of this information by looking at a geographic location, age group, gender, income level, education attainment, ethnicity/race, language preferences and interests via social media profiles, Google Analytics data or even the type of mobile device they use. Even though everyone might be able to access your website or read about your business online somehow or another, if you only market towards a specific demographic, you will have more success since they are more likely to become customers than another demographic.
When creating your marketing strategy it needs to be realistic for what you are trying to accomplish in order for it to work. Your industry secrets should include determining where you want your business or company to go in the future, which will help determine if the methods, strategies and tactics that you choose are compatible with where you want your business or brand to be in 5 years.
Also when choosing strategy options like online advertising, social media platforms, email campaigns etc. Look at each one individually and note where they are most effective at reaching your target audience. It’s important to not only always measure results, but be willing to change tactics when you are not getting the type of response that you expected or want. You may need to increase or decrease the budget for certain online advertising channels depending on how successful it is, and there are times when different types of marketing will work better than others
Justin Herring
SEO specialist at YEAH! Local
“Set up tracking and monitoring of all the critical indicators you can to see where your marketing performance stands and where it needs to improve.”
It’s critical to establish a baseline understanding of these critical key performance indicators (such as clicks, traffic, calls, and leads) so you know where you are and whether or not a campaign is effective.
For example, we may set up monitoring targets for crucial conversion triggers (user activities) including contact forms, phone calls, and online appointment bookings using Google Analytics and other tracking tools. These indicate your website was effective in persuading a visitor to continue their contact with your company. This conversion data provides you with a wealth of information about what’s working, what isn’t, and where you need to improve your website/ads experience to generate more leads.
Once you understand where your best leads come from (Facebook, Google) and if they are from your SEO or Ads you can adjust everything you are doing to focus your budget on those efforts.
Without tracking your data you may be spending your marketing budget in the wrong place. Figure out your data and you can scale as much as you want.
Dan Kobler
Partner at Campfire Digital
“Great digital marketing starts with a solid foundation.”
Before you start any kind of marketing campaign, especially digital, make sure your online presence is ready. Be sure your website is built to Google standards, loads fast, is easy to navigate, and is optimized for mobile and SEO. Make sure your NAP (Name / Address / Phone) profile is updated and consistent across all of your online profiles.
Your online branding should also be consistent. Anywhere your logo exists online should have the same version, should be high resolution where possible and tailored specifically for each profile (square vs rectangle vs vertical).
Similarly, any cover images or other branding elements should be consistent and match your brand and color palette. A professional graphic designer can help with each of these items and are well worth a little spend.
There is no cutting corners when it comes to setting a solid digital foundation and a little extra time building it strong will pay off in the long term no matter what your goals are in the short term.
Many marketing companies, including Campfire Digital, offer a free digital audit that can help you identify where your digital presence could be improved and what steps need to be taken. Find out what needs work, get it cleaned up, and you’ll be ready for marketing success!
Kiran Fisher
CEO at Orbital Marketing
“You need to have a ton of patience”
When working with smaller local clients, one of the things I’ve found that has made a huge difference in my working relationship with these people is having a ton of patience. What I mean by this is that when you are providing the service, YOU are the professional and expert and so the burden of explaining everything about your service to these clients falls directly onto you.
How you approach this task makes a big difference in whether someone will sign a contract, renew a contract with you, or spend more on your service. What we as marketers need to realize is that these smaller clients are usually heavily focused on their own profession and how to make it the best they can. So when we start telling them about the CTR’s, Bounce Rates, and organic vs paid traffic it often doesn’t mean anything to them because they are not a part of our world.
I’ve seen several SEOs talking to clients in this manner, and when the client starts asking what we would consider to be basic questions, they get visibly frustrated as they quickly answer the question and move on with their pitch. Taking the time to put yourself in the shoes of the person you’re pitching can make all the difference here. It allows you to frame the way you speak to and pitch this person. Which then allows them to relate to you much better and have a comprehensive understanding of what you’re telling them and how it can help their business.
Getting this right can make all the difference in turning a lead into a customer.
Austin Mullins
“Think very carefully about the stage your prospective customers are at before deciding what your call to action will be.”
So many people always try to go for a hard sell regardless of the context – even when it’s completely inappropriate. For instance, if you produce a piece of introductory content that introduces a complex topic – most of the people reading it will have just discovered the topic. It’s fairly unlikely they’re ready to invest in a product or service to solve the issues that come along with it.
However, they might be open to a CTA that meets them where they’re at now, such as a downloadable guide that explores the topic in greater depth, or a free tool. You can gate these, get their email address, and gain permission to market to them further. Then you can educate them further, and stand a better chance of converting them to a paying customer later on.
Andreea C Tucan
“There is nothing more rewarding than building relationships with your customers and industry leaders.”
What I found incredibly fulfilling when it comes to marketing is actually bringing people together and generating stimulating conversations that inspire and empower.
For example, at TutorCruncher, we focus on building industry expertise and brand authority that not only helps our business grow but also establishes a solid foundation for our marketing. We’re bringing industry leaders and experts, CEO’s, authors and clients together to talk about their experiences and share valuable insights.
When we put together events like this, we do it by designing them with a focus on opportunities for industry progression, not just sales pitches. We’re particular about providing value to the industry as a whole and that doesn’t only benefit us, but also benefits old players, new joiners and enthusiasts.
Being part of a rather niche industry, we try as much as we can to create memorable connections. Sometimes under the form of panels and roundtables or even talks at breakfast, our events act as a hub for essential industry networking and fruitful communication.
Investing time and effort into building relationships with industry experts is one of our greatest marketing secrets.
Patrick Garde
“Invest Early in Search Engine Optimization”
As a marketer, you might be tempted to get quick wins which you can achieve via Social Media Ads and/or Pay-Per-Click via Google Ads. In our experience, however, we invested early in SEO, and we don’t have to rely on Social Media Ads or Pay-Per-Click in the long run to get quality leads.
Currently, the cost-per-click (CPC) for one of our targeted keywords can go as high as $60. Fortunately, we are already on the 1st page for the said targeted keyword and we get inquiries daily. Just imagine the amount of marketing spend we need to shell out had we not been ranking on the 1st page.
Once you understand that SEO is long-term, you may see the results in four (4) months up to a year (depending on the difficulty of the keyword, industry, niche, etc.) and you will reap the benefits of ranking on the 1st page in the future.
Jordan Slover
“Pinpointing the right advertising and social platforms for your business is crucial. Attracting qualified leads means your business needs to be found in the right places.”
Social media is an undeniably effective tool for promoting your business, but you have to do it well to avoid appearing like thousands of others who simply aren’t making the most of the platform.
Rather than immediately choosing Facebook and Twitter as your go-to platforms for social media marketing, consider the other options out there for your business. More and more organizations are having success working with influencers on TikTok, and long-form content on LinkedIn is also proving effective for more corporate and service based businesses.
Remember, your business does not need to be everywhere at once. If you try too hard you’ll end up both wasting money and generating little return. Be specific about your goals and tailor your marketing strategy to the places your target audience can be found.
Amanda Thomas
“Your customer ultimately defines your funnel.“
My not-so-secret insider marketing tip is to clearly understand your audience and how their journey maps to your marketing funnel. Top of funnel is different to an industrial B2B company vs a lifestyle brand for example. Understanding what your funnel and channel options are specific to your business will help provide clarity and focus to your marketing activities.
Do you have any gaps in your funnel? Is there anything that could be simplified or expanded upon? If you’re just getting started, this exercise will help you pick channels that have the most full-funnel coverage for your business and get you the most bang-for-your-buck. If you’re a veteran, identifying funnel leaks can be transformational for improving your conversion rate.
Nestor Vazquez
“Go back and read the classics”
There are many benefits to be gained from re-reading old marketing books. The first and most obvious benefit is that you will gain more knowledge by reading the same book multiple times. You will remember more of the information from the book, and you will be able to understand it and apply it better to your challenges.
Furthermore, re-reading old books can help you avoid getting lost in the maze of new fads and bright shiny objects. With so much information available today, it is easy to become overwhelmed and distracted. Sometimes the classics help you to remember the most important building blocks for successful marketing (like the 4Ps!)
Most people only retain around 10% of the information from a book on the first reading, so re-reading a book allows you to remember more of what you read. Additionally, if you know a book is amazing, then it’s worth revisiting it multiple times! You will obtain new knowledge every time you read it.
Kas Andz
“One of the most vital things in marketing that not many marketers put emphasis on is product integrity.”
Remember that no matter how great your SEO, CRO, ads, PR outreach and email campaigns are, everything will backfire if your customers find your product terrible. So before even considering selling anything, ensure that your product is what you claim it to be. And ensure that it passes essential quality testing. An excellent product can often market itself.
Let’s say you try a product, are satisfied with it and continue buying it. When someone else sees or hears that you like it, they may copy you and try the product for themselves. This can cause a domino effect. The more people try your product and like it, the more people may talk about it and spread the word – customers creating future customers.
Of course, promotion can help you get your first customers. But promotion will not keep them purchasing a bad product. So for marketers looking for brand clients, it would be wise to choose those brands which provide products that are not only exciting but truly satisfying to customers as well. But if you are starting your own business ensure that your products are truly helpful.
Dave Sutton
“Story without Strategy is Art.
Story with Strategy is Marketing.”
Transforming how your customers experience you, understand you, and interact with you has always been at our core. Since we founded TopRight in 2007, we have always known that if you want to reach the top right quadrant of market performance you need to have:
- A simple story
- A clear strategy
- Your people, processes and communication platforms in alignment to execute your strategy and deliver remarkable customer experiences
If you want more advice on creating your brand story, strategy and systems to activate in your marketplace, let’s have a conversation. As always, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, follow me @toprightpartner, or if you want to go deep on transformational marketing, order a copy of my new book, Marketing, Interrupted.