Just about every business wants to grow. Yet, about 61% of marketers say that their biggest challenges are driving traffic and generating leads. If you can’t get more leads and traffic, you will have a hard time growing your business.
The secret to more traffic and more leads lies in creating effective marketing. You may be in a position where you feel like you tried everything, but nothing seems to work.
How can you market your business and make it work? Read on to learn the most effective marketing tips that will help you build strong campaigns.
1. Define Your Brand
It doesn’t matter where you invest your marketing dollar, if you don’t have a solid foundation to build from, your campaign will fall flat
That foundation starts with your brand. We’re not talking about your logo. We’re talking about your brand.
A brand is a promise, an emotional connection that people have with your company. It’s often the first thing that they think or feel when they hear or see your company in a logo or online.
For example, Coca-Cola’s brand is happiness. Volvo’s brand is safety. That’s what those companies promise customers.
What’s your promise to your customers? Is it excellent service? Security? Peace of mind?
That’s the one question you have to answer before you start your marketing efforts.
2. Set Goals for Marketing
Every effective marketing campaign has a set of goals to reach. You want to make sure that you set your targets in a way that can be measured. You also want them to be specific.
It’s one thing to say, “I want more traffic,” and another to say, “I want to increase traffic from social media by 15% in the next 4 months.”
You want to choose the 3-5 most impactful metrics that can easily be measured.
3. Are You a Jack of All Trades?
You know the saying “Jack of all trades, master of none?” Digital marketing is a world where this can easily apply.
The thing is that there are so many options to get your brand out there, you try them all. All of them rely on consistency in order to bring success to your business.
Instead of trying to be a jack of all trades, you’re much better off mastering a few digital marketing strategies and narrowing your focus.
It will enable you to have a stronger online presence that you can keep up with on a consistent basis. That enables you to stay sane while you’re juggling your other business activities.
4. Go Where Your Audience Is
When you narrow your digital marketing focus, you want to make sure that you choose the right marketing channels. The right place is an important piece of the marketing puzzle because you want to make sure that your intended audience will get the message.
For example, if your target audience is elderly people who may be interested in living in a retirement community, you’re not going to find them on Snapchat.
Now, if you have a travel agency or an ecommerce site that targets people in their late 20s-mid 40s, Instagram would be a great venue.
5. Always Add Value
Some marketing gurus want you to ask how you can get the attention of your audience. If you’re not careful, you look like a kid in class jumping up and down for attention.
Instead, ask yourself how you can serve your audience. When you approach marketing as a form of serving, you get to create stronger relationships with your audience.
One way to do that is through a blog. It gives you the space to address your customer’s most common questions and give helpful tips.
An auto repair shop can create content around safe driving tips and car maintenance. That’s something of value because most people don’t understand how cars operate. A blog also allows you to build trust and give you more opportunities to be found in search engines.
6. Have a Strong Visual Identity
Earlier, we talked about building a brand. This might leave you asking if a brand and visual identity are the same thing.
Not quite.
A brand is the emotional connection or association that people have with your business. Some big brands like Nike make you believe that everyone is an athlete. That’s the brand.
The swoosh is the visual representation of that brand. Humans process visuals much faster than text, so your visual identity needs to match the emotion and the meaning of the brand.
That’s done through a combination of color, typography, design, and images.
Consistency is important because it can lead to more sales. That’s because consumers aren’t confused by your brand. It also develops trust in your brand.
7. Measure Results
The great thing about any type of digital marketing is that it can be measured.
At the beginning of your campaign, you set goals. You need to measure them through tools like Google Analytics and Search Console.
You want to move beyond likes and engagement for your social media posts. Instead, look at the traffic that is driven to your site, how long people stay on your site, and whether or not they convert into leads.
When you look at results, it’s easy to want to look at analytics every hour or two and obsess over reporting. Have a set time each week to look at your analytics and notice any patterns. You can make decisions that will help you drive results.
8. Deliver an Outstanding Service
The best marketing can get people in the door to learn about you. What marketing can’t do is build the business for you. In other words, you have to deliver on your promise.
You have to follow up with leads, close sales, and deliver your product or service. It’s in your best interest to have a way to maintain contact with your customers after the sale.
When you deliver great service at every customer touchpoint, that stays in the minds of your customers. They’ll be more willing to recommend your business to their networks, which will snowball into even more business.
The Secrets of Effective Marketing
In order to have effective marketing, you need to have a solid foundation. That starts with your brand and your visual identity. These are the building blocks that will help you build great campaigns.
Do you want to know how you can supercharge your marketing? Contact us today for a free initial consultation.
