Nailing your marketing and communication strategy (and materials) every single time is easier said than done. However, its importance can’t be overlooked. Effective, spot-on marketing can truly make or break a brand – but how do you get it right?
Well, to begin with, by trying not to do some specific things wrong. Which things? Keep reading, and all will be revealed!
In business, everything starts with a plan – yes, that includes your marketing strategy. Jumping head-first into a campaign without a strategy is literally like visiting a new city without a map. Yes, you might eventually get to where you wanted to go – but you’ll probably get there late, exhausted, and having forked out much more money than you had planned to.
So, sit down with your team and draw up a plan. At a minimum, your plan should include:
We live in the era of personalization, so that’s exactly what your customers are expecting from you. If you keep your marketing and communications neutral and use a “one-size-fits-all” approach, your potential customers will soon start looking elsewhere.
Think about it: showing people that you value their individual tastes, needs, desires, and challenges essentially tells them that you are the brand that can make their dreams come true!
Do you still think of social media as a fun and non-committal way to stay in touch with your old college mates and those people you met during your gap year? Think again. Today, social media is an absolute goldmine of opportunities for businesses.
On social media, people no longer simply scroll – they research, compare, and buy. So, get out there into the big social media world by creating an account on one – or more – of the social networks that fit best with your brand’s personality, whether it be Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, or others.
How do you know if your audience liked your latest marketing campaign? Through data. And how can you guess what your customers will likely be interested in this coming Christmas season? Again, data. What about finding out who loves your email newsletters and who loathes them? You guessed it – data.
In marketing, data is an absolute must – an essential element that can literally open your eyes to crucial insights that you otherwise would fully ignore.
How can you communicate your brand’s value to your customers, if you don’t know what type of customers you are talking to? Take this example. Your business sells ethically made, premium quality skincare, mostly to Gen Z women.
However, if you ignore this paramount fact, you may end up putting out marketing content that doesn’t resonate with them. Gen Zs are highly tech-savvy, use specific jargon words, and love personalization and authenticity. Speaking to them as you would to a business audience of 50-somethings just won’t cut it.
On the topic of customers – because it’s one of the most important ones – it’s worth mentioning segmentation. The example above said that your business primarily sells to Gen Z women – but, digging into your marketing and sales data, you find out that Millennials represent another sizeable portion of your audience.
This means you should segment your customers and provide each group with specifically tailored marketing and communications materials. If Gen Zs are all about UGC content, for example, target them with it on social media by expanding your TikTok presence. If Millennials prefer to receive weekly newsletters, then do that.
Email marketing remains one of the most powerful marketing tools, with incredible sales potential. So, one of the worst mistakes you could ever make is not to take advantage of it!
Whether you use email marketing to keep your audience updated on your company’s news, or if you send regular deals, promotions, and giveaways via email, just make sure this tool is not missing from your marketing arsenal.
A marketing strategy is not a one-and-done kind of effort. Things change at lightning-fast speed, these days, and so do your customers’ needs and the success of your products or services. In order for you to always be on top of what’s happening – and be proactive in case you spot some potential issues – you need to keep your marketing strategy fresh by reviewing it frequently.
The customer journey is one of those aspects of the brand-customer relationship that you must never overlook. It includes a range of touch points, such as your website, your social media pages, and your online store, as well as your contact and support center, your email newsletter, and more.
Ensure that you focus on making each of these touch points as smooth, effective, and pleasant as possible for each customer who passes through them by crafting marketing materials that are informative, engaging, and relevant to the specific touch point.
Marketing and sales should never be seen as two separate areas – they are, in all effects, two sides of the same coin, and they should always work in tandem. Therefore, make sure your sales activities make sense to and are aligned with your marketing strategy, and encourage your sales team and marketing pros to always communicate and exchange views, opinions, and perspectives.
Admittedly, there are dozens more marketing mistakes that you should never make – but the above list includes the most crucial ones that you want to be on the lookout for. Don’t worry, though – you don’t have to embark on this marketing journey alone.
With a partner like us, you can develop and implement a successful marketing strategy that delivers exactly what you want, how you want it. Intrigued? Get in touch with us now!
