Marketing is an essential part of business. As a business owner, you likely have developed (or still need to develop) a marketing strategy. But because marketing is ever-changing, keeping up with trends can be difficult.
As marketing becomes more innovative, shouldn’t you spice up your marketing strategy?
How To Spice Up Your Marketing Strategy
You might be asking yourself, Why is my marketing strategy so important? Using the same concepts and ideas time and time again will leave you with an obsolete marketing plan. Adding life to your marketing strategy and reevaluating it on a regular basis will help you stand out from competitors.
Your basic marketing strategies may work now, but will they differentiate you enough so your business can continue to grow? Where will your business be in five years? How about 20 years? Will your business have the best marketing strategy to survive?
It’s never too late to evolve and revise your marketing strategies. Check out the methods to spice up your strategy listed below, so your startup doesn’t sink!
Keep Up With Trends
As times change, so do trends. As a serial entrepreneur, I know this all too well. Consumers want convenient and unique business experiences that stand out. Keeping up with the latest marketing trends can help your brand stick out to potential and current customers.
Find out what people are searching in your industry. Consider using search engine optimization (SEO) to find search patterns and keywords. Utilizing SEO information can improve website traffic and rankings.
Subscribe to blogs, journals, and other network-related reports to keep up with trends. Reading posts from others may help trigger new marketing ideas for your business.
Don’t Be Afraid To Automate
As a busy business owner, you don’t have room in your schedule to waste time manually sending emails or posting online. Don’t be afraid to automate your tasks to cut down on lost time and expand your marketing strategies.
Get ahead of the game by automating your day-to-day marketing responsibilities. Consider using marketing tools to help automate social media posting and email marketing. For example, you can utilize a social media management system to schedule your posts ahead of time.
Add life to your marketing strategy by tailoring marketing to customers’ buying preferences. Consider using automated email marketing to send offers based on the customers’ purchasing history.
Utilize Social Media
You probably know about the huge role social media plays in marketing—it’s everywhere. And, it’s not something you can ignore.
Luckily, most social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, are free marketing tools with low-cost advertising options. Platforms allow you to convey your message and engage with customers without costing an arm and a leg like other marketing outlets.
Having social media accounts for your business is not sufficient enough. You need consistent platforms that represent your business as a whole. Update information on your accounts on a regular basis. Make sure information like your hours, pictures, and address are accurate. You wouldn’t want a customer going to the wrong address, would you?
In addition to making sure social media information is accurate, you also want to regularly post fresh content. Posting frequently about new products, sales, or events shows your followers what your business is up to. You can create posts that are engaging by posing questions to customers, uploading images of your product or service, and linking to your blog articles.
Get Out More
Whether you have a storefront or operate a home-based business, it’s crucial that you let potential customers know who you are. However, customers do not always come directly to you. The more people who see you, the better off your business will be. It’s time to get out more!
Consider participating in local community events. Select the events you attend based on your product or service. For example, if you make handmade jewelry, you might participate in a craft show. Attending events around your community exposes you to a variety of potential customers, allows you to showcase your product or service, and lets people get to know who you are.
Bring items to sell and information about your business wherever you go, such as brochures or business cards. Even if a potential customer doesn’t purchase from you, providing information will get your business on their radar.
Another way to remind leads about your business is to follow up with emails. During events, offer email signups and give out rewards to potential customers who give you their emails.
You should not limit marketing your business to just face-to-face interactions. Take it a step further and establish a web presence for your business. Create an interactive business website or blog to connect with potential customers and get the word out about your business. Along with your website, being active on networking or social media sites, like LinkedIn or Twitter, can help build brand awareness. The more interaction, the better.
Prioritize Customers
Without loyal customers, your business does not exist. According to one source, 65% of a company’s business comes from existing customers. Retaining customers is just as important, if not more, than attracting them. Your marketing strategy should prioritize customers.
Spice up your marketing strategy by making customers your number one priority. Set yourself apart from your competitors by how you treat your customers. What makes you different? How do you handle customer concerns? Pinpoint ways to go above and beyond for your loyal customers. Change up your normal strategies and hone in on ways to improve customer experiences.
The key to retaining customers is putting customers first. Provide efficient customer service by listening to customers’ needs, responding to positive (and negative) reviews, and employing friendly workers.
Prioritizing customers and building a solid returning customer base can lower your customer acquisition cost and improve your customer lifetime value. Because of their loyalty to your business, repeat customers can help increase sales and grow your small business.