A good marketing strategy is a combination of different types of relationships. There’s the relationship between you and your audience. There are relationships between you and your competitors.
And, of course, there’s the relationship between you and Google (or whichever search engine you prefer).
All these relationships are critical to success in business, so learning how to improve them should be a priority for every business owner! Read on to find out some tips for getting better at marketing by improving those important relationships!
Takeaways |
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1. Effectively seize opportunities for business growth. |
2. Implement strategies to increase revenue. |
3. Optimize time management within marketing efforts. |
4. Prioritize strategies that yield high returns. |
5. Leverage marketing for efficient resource utilization. |
Create A Stable Marketing Budget
The first step to crafting a sustainable and successful marketing strategy is setting up a stable budget. A good rule of thumb for the size of your marketing budget is 1-3% of your business revenue.
This may seem like an arbitrary number, but keep in mind that this money isn’t going to disappear if you don’t spend it. Your marketing partners will remain loyal and continue to serve you, so there’s no reason not to be generous with their services.
To make sure you’re spending wisely on these services, consider these guidelines:
Make sure that the service provider has experience working with similar businesses before signing on with them. If they’ve worked with other companies like yours before, then they can help provide the best advice based on what works best for companies like yours!
Find out if they have any special deals or discounts available before committing yourself into anything concretely (if applicable). You might even get lucky enough – like I did – where one of our RFPs already had all these things listed out already!
Maximizing your budget is essential in business. Discover how to efficiently allocate your resources with insights from our guide on saving money through social media management services.
Give Your Site A Face Lift
Once you have a website, it’s time to make sure it is on the right track. Some basic things can be done to ensure your site is easy for users and search engines alike to find and use.
Make sure your site is mobile-friendly: Responsive design means that the same content will be served across different devices.
So no matter what device people use (phone, tablet, or computer) they’ll still see the same product/service information as someone using a larger screen.
Make sure your site is easy to navigate: If you’re going through several pages just to get one piece of information, you’re probably losing customers along the way!
A good rule of thumb here is if someone visits 50 pages on Amazon before finding what they want then there’s something wrong with how Amazon has organized its site or maybe how they’ve worded their titles etc…
Making them hard for customers who don’t know exactly what they’re looking for but know roughly what type product category it falls under (e.g., “I’m looking for jeans – which ones should I buy?”).
Measure ROI
Now that you know how to optimize your marketing strategy, it’s time to measure the results of your efforts.
Measuring ROI, or return on investment, is an incredibly important part of any business. It allows you to see how much money was made as a result of your marketing campaigns and helps guide future decisions about what direction or directions to take next.
Define what ROI means for your business: Return on investment is based on the amount of money invested in a project vs. how much revenue it generates over time (usually in terms of profit).
Typically, this figure is tracked as an annualized percentage for one year, for example, if you spend $10 million on advertising over two years and generate $20 million in revenue during those two years combined (a 200% increase), you would say that advertising increased profits by 100%.
Calculate ROI metrics: Once you know which metrics best reflect success for your business model (e.g., sales volume per campaign).
Determine whether there are additional factors that need to be factored into calculations like discounts given during sales periods and discount codes used by customers; these can skew results appreciably if not accounted for properly!
In the modern business landscape, social media is a goldmine for growth. Learn why you should explore this opportunity through our article on investing in social media for sustainable success.
Find Out Where Your Competitors Are Spending Money
You can’t compete with your competition if you don’t know where they are spending money. To find out where your competitors are spending money, use tools such as SEMRush to see what keywords they are bidding on.
Then look at Google Adwords to see what ads they have running and how much traffic those ads are getting. You can also check out their website’s analytics to get an idea of how many visitors are visiting their site each month.
Give Away The Farm… Or At Least Some Free Stuff
Giving stuff away for free is one of the best ways to build your audience.
We’re talking products, services, and content here: giving away your product can be a great way to get people to try it. We do this with our product (The Ultimate Marketing Strategy) where we offer a free chapter of the book in exchange for an email address.
This way people can read our material before deciding if they want to buy it or not; and most importantly, once they’ve given us their email address we start sending them emails about other things that are relevant to their interests.
Giving away your services is another awesome way you can get in front of new customers (or clients). If you have an area of expertise then go ahead and volunteer some time helping out other people who need help with what you know how to do!
Giving away your content is another great way to build up your audience by getting exposure on websites like ours here at Ecommerce-Marketing-Strategies!
Update Your Email Strategy
Email marketing is still one of the most effective tools for marketers to reach their target audience. It’s a great way to get people to take action (and therefore, save time) and build relationships with your audience.
If you want to make money from email marketing, there are two main ways: create an engaging experience for subscribers so they continue interacting with your emails and track conversions on your website or app.
Show Customers You Care
As a marketer, there are many ways that you can show customers you care. One of the most important things to do is collect customer feedback. You can gather information in several ways:
Customer surveys: Ask customers for their thoughts on your product or service by sending them an email survey. You can also set up an online survey form to make it easier for people to complete and submit their answers when they’re done with the survey.
Customer feedback on social media: Post a message on Facebook or Twitter asking people what they think about your company and its products/services;
Then, read through the responses and take note of any recurring themes or issues that come up frequently (or not at all).
Customer reviews: Reviewing other companies’ websites has become something of a hobby for many people these days and if yours gets good reviews from happy customers.
Then make sure you include those reviews somewhere prominent within your website (such as on individual pages) so that potential buyers know upfront how well others have liked working with you before making any decision themselves!
Navigating the world of social media management firms can be challenging. Gain insights into making the right choice with our guide on hiring a caring social media management firm that aligns with your business goals.
Know What’s Going On In Your Industry
One of the most important things to do is know what’s going on in your industry.
You can do this in several ways:
- Read relevant blogs and articles.
- Listen to podcasts about your industry or from experts in it.
- Join an online forum where people discuss topics related to yours, read their posts, and join the discussion yourself!
You could also start posting yourself if you have something new or interesting to say!
In addition, it’s helpful to know what your competitors are doing too as well as customers – so keep an eye out for opportunities that may crop up because someone else has acted (or not acted) appropriately with regards to how they’re operating their business(es).
Join Twitter!
Twitter is a great way to advertise your business and grow your brand. If you’re not already on Twitter, it’s time to get started!
Use hashtags in your tweets
Hashtags help people find you when they are searching certain topics or keywords. When people search for hashtags, they see all the tweets that have been tagged with them (e.g., #marketing).
This makes it easier for users to find the information they’re interested in and connects you with people who may become customers or clients if they like what they see.
Use as many hashtags as makes sense for each tweet; three or four is usually plenty more than that can work against you because it will look spammy if everyone uses too many hashtags at once!
Be sure not only to use relevant keywords but also specific ones from within the context of each tweet: if someone searches “how do I start my own business?”
Chances are good that adding “#startup” after every word won’t be helpful since Google doesn’t know whether those words need to be together yet might still consider them relevant enough individually (and thus miss out on finding all sorts of useful information).
Instead try something like: “#startups are great!”–which would show up in the first result regardless of what order its components appear within due to how close their proximity together (and yes this example exists somewhere out there).
Building a brand that stands out requires a winning marketing strategy. Discover the key elements in our discussion about transforming any company into a successful brand that captures your target audience’s attention.
Set Up A Facebook Page For Your Business
Facebook is the largest social networking site in the world, with almost one billion active users. Having a Facebook page is important for your business, and it can help you to reach more people and connect with them. Here’s how to set up your page:
Go to the Facebook Pages section of your account, and click on Create Page. You will be prompted to enter some basic information about your business (e.g., name).
And then you’ll see an empty “Create Your Page” form where you can add additional details about yourself or your company such as an address, phone number, etc., along with some photos if desired (you can always upload more later).
Click “Continue” below this form after finishing filling everything out all of these fields; now comes choosing what type of page this will be for us – either Personal Profile or Company Profile!
For example, ours will be called “Marketing Strategy Blog“ so perhaps choose that option instead 🙂
Now comes creating a cover photo! This picture should represent who we are so choose something meaningful like a logo maybe?
Just make sure it’s not copyrighted or anything not allowed by law because otherwise our account could get deleted right away without even knowing why 🙁 So yeah..good luck with finding something nice 🙂 haha
Make Connections With Linkedin Groups
LinkedIn groups are another way to connect with other professionals in your industry. It’s a great way to find out what people are talking about, and it can also help you build relationships with people who have similar interests.
To get started, search for keywords related to your business or industry for example, “marketing strategy” or “content marketing strategy.”
You can also use the search bar at the top of any LinkedIn page to find relevant groups (you just need to make sure you choose “Groups” as a filter).
Once you see some promising results, click on one of them and then see if they’re accepting new members by looking under “Join Group.” If not, send an email asking if there’s anything else they can do so that they’ll add you as a member!
Host An Industry Event (In-Person Or Virtual)
If you’re thinking of hosting an industry event, make sure it’s relevant to your business.
You can’t go wrong if you invite a speaker who knows their audience inside and out someone with a deep knowledge of the subject matter, who is well-versed in presenting information and stories that are interesting and engaging.
It’s also helpful if they’re able to impart their knowledge through visual aids (slideshows, videos) as well as verbal communication methods (speaking in public).
In addition to having a good speaker, you’ll need:
A venue that’s big enough for your audience but small enough to allow for informal networking opportunities among attendees throughout the day or evening.
If possible, choose a location where there is ample outdoor space so participants can enjoy the fresh air while remaining within easy walking distance of food vendors and restrooms.
Food options that are healthy yet delicious; drinks options that appeal to both taste buds AND budgets!
Music at just the right volume level so conversation isn’t drowned out by booming bass lines or tinny chimes;
Lighting is bright enough for people to recognize faces but not so bright as to cause eye strain or headaches later on in life due to prolonged exposure over periods longer than six hours total over multiple days’ worth of events held annually throughout entire year cycle months
Balancing social media management internally has its advantages. Learn why an in-house social media coordinator can be a valuable asset to your team and contribute to a more efficient marketing approach.
Google Yourself. A Lot!
Google yourself, your business, and other related topics.
Do this daily for at least two weeks.
I’m not saying that you need to do this for the rest of your life (that would be weird).
But you must start doing this regularly so that you can quickly learn about any new opportunities and threats in your industry, or if there are any issues with how people perceive you and/or your brand.
Plan Your Marketing Strategy
Planning your marketing strategy will help you focus on the most important things and identify opportunities that can make a big difference to your business.
It’s also an essential part of ensuring that you don’t end up wasting time or money on projects that won’t be as effective or successful as they should be.
Planning is key for any business owner, especially when it comes to marketing strategies. With so many different ideas out there, it can be difficult to know where to start and what areas are going to give you the biggest return on investment (ROI).
Identify The Right Platforms & Audience
First, you need to identify your target audience. Ask yourself what type of person would be interested in your product or service?
Now that you’ve identified your audience, it’s time to find them. We recommend using social media channels like Facebook and LinkedIn as well as online communities like Reddit and Quora.
If you’re looking for a more targeted approach, Google Adwords or Bing Ads can help narrow down your search even further by targeting people who have expressed interest in related topics via search queries on those sites (i.e., someone searching “how to grow tomatoes” is likely not going to be interested in cat videos).
Once you’ve found the right platforms for reaching out to potential customers, start creating content tailored specifically toward them!
Use Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to categorize your posts, and they’re also an excellent way to get your content in front of new audiences. Hashtags can be incredibly helpful when you need to collaborate with other businesses and bloggers.
You can work together on content that will appeal to each other’s audience, build relationships that benefit both parties, and even spread the word about new services or products.
But before you start tagging away, it’s important to remember that not all hashtags are created equal. Make sure any hashtag used in your post is relevant so people can easily find it when they search for it on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter (and don’t forget Instagram!).
Work Collaboratively With Other Businesses And Bloggers
It’s never a bad idea to think outside the box in terms of marketing, and this is especially true when you’re trying to promote your business. You’ll have better luck if you network with other businesses that have similar goals as yours or offer similar products or services.
For example, if your company sells shoes and another sells bags, work together on a promotional piece that showcases both of your businesses’ offerings.
Similarly, seek out blogs that cover topics related to yours (such as fashion blogs) and see if they’d be interested in partnering up for a giveaway or promotion of some kind.
Keep On Top Of The Social Media Algorithm Changes
Keeping up-to-date with algorithm changes is important because they can affect your business. They also mean you need to adapt your strategy and content accordingly!
Facebook, for example, has changed its algorithm multiple times over the past few years. In 2018 they announced they were changing their news feed algorithm again so that it prioritized posts from friends and family rather than brands or publishers.
This means that if you post a lot of content about yourself or your brand (rather than interacting with others), you’re likely to see less interaction on each post.
It also means that people who are sharing personal stories will have more visibility in the newsfeed than those who promote products or services every day.
Facebook has since tweaked this rule slightly again in 2019, but it’s still worth bearing in mind when planning out your social media strategy for 2019!
The same rule applies across all platforms – take time to learn about how each platform works individually before creating content for it!
Conclusion
So, there you have it! A few simple steps that will help get your marketing strategy started. If you’re already up and running with the basics, don’t forget to take advantage of some of the new features available to keep your business ahead of the curve.
When in doubt, remember that it’s better to start small than not at all, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it! Good luck out there!
Further Reading
Explore more insights on effective marketing strategies and business growth:
Making Money Through Marketing: Discover how strategic marketing can lead to increased profits in this Harvard Business Review article.
10 Effective Marketing Strategies for Business Growth: Learn about ten actionable marketing strategies that can drive your business towards growth on the Hurree blog.
Free and Low-Budget Marketing Ideas: Explore a variety of budget-friendly marketing ideas to boost your brand’s visibility and engagement, as shared on WordStream’s blog.
FAQs
How can marketing strategies contribute to business growth?
Effective marketing strategies play a crucial role in business growth by increasing brand visibility, attracting new customers, and retaining existing ones. These strategies help businesses differentiate themselves in the market, optimize their reach, and ultimately drive revenue.
What are some low-budget marketing ideas for startups?
Startups can leverage cost-effective marketing tactics such as social media engagement, content marketing, email campaigns, and influencer collaborations to promote their products or services without straining their budget.
How do marketing strategies impact customer engagement?
Marketing strategies directly influence customer engagement by creating targeted and relevant content, fostering brand loyalty, and initiating meaningful interactions. A well-crafted marketing strategy encourages customers to engage with the brand’s offerings.
Can marketing strategies be adapted for different industries?
Yes, marketing strategies can be tailored to suit various industries. While the core principles remain consistent, customization is necessary to address the unique needs, preferences, and challenges of different industries.
What role does data analysis play in refining marketing strategies?
Data analysis plays a pivotal role in refining marketing strategies. By analyzing consumer behavior, market trends, and campaign performance metrics, businesses can identify what works best, make informed decisions, and continuously optimize their marketing approaches for better results.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.