Marketing has always been a key element in running your own successful business, and in today’s climate of incredible new technology and social media, it’s more important than ever.
Marketing brings in new customers, keeps in touch with old customers, helps shape the business and even the products it creates; its importance cannot really be overestimated.
If your business is starting to expand and you’re starting to feel like you’ve missed out on growth opportunities, or perhaps your business already exists and you’re looking enter new markets; then you have probably already learned new and more effective marketing strategies.
After a quick research search on the web, you may have stumbled across a bunch of statistics and jargon like ROI, SEO, and B2B that can confuse anyone.
So how can an ordinary person become a marketing genius?
Well, there are a few things you can do to make your life so much easier – more important now than ever before. 80% marketers say their industry has changed more in the last 3 years than it has in the last 50 years!
Let’s take a look at what you need to know to optimize your marketing performance and stay on top of your business success.
Marketing in simple words
Marketing, in essence, exists for the sole purpose of reaching as many people as possible in a way that turns them into customers with the least amount of effort and cost.
Marketing is not selling, but when done right, selling is much easier.
It’s a simple goal, but it has a lot of steps and complexities at every turn, and it’s one that many small businesses fail to take full advantage of.
So what can be done?
Well, there are many books that can offer help in developing your marketing prowess, and even marketing process improvement firms that will take control of your strategy and improve it in every way.
But there are things you can do yourself that will improve too.
Have a good strategy
Having a solid marketing strategy is critical, and without a working strategy, it’s easy to get lost or get bogged down very quickly.
A good strategy, in essence, will allow you to simplify the interaction with the client as much as possible, and this means increasing sales.
Remember the dreaded ROI acronym? It actually stands for “return on investment” and helps you justify the money you can spend on marketing strategies and methods, depending on the monetary return.
Companies that offer the simplest experience possible to their customers seem to do better, and how easy it can be for the customer if the strategy is confusing and confusing from a business standpoint.
Break down your strategy into steps and write down your goals and steps so you don’t lose track.
Software is your best friend
A big part of marketing is data analysis – thousands of data points taken from customers, surveys, trends, shopping habits and other places make up the logic of marketing strategies.
It is then inevitable that technology will play a huge role in marketing – what else can assemble thousands of pieces of data into quantifiable and useful pieces of information.
You will also find mobile apps and customer management systems that allow you to identify and track customer habits and purchases. You can keep them up to date with the click of a button and even follow the progress of your business. “Make sure the hundreds of hours you put into developing your app will be rewarded make sure it reaches your target audience”, explains KAU Media Group.
If you feel like it’s too much work to keep track of your strategy, then it probably is. Technology can make your life easier – and isn’t that the end goal?
Be specific to your audience
If things seem scattered and crazy to you, then simplifying your target audience can be a great start to optimization.
Perhaps instead of trying to reach as wide an audience as possible and capture the attention of the masses, repeated engagement with your core audience could be the key to success.
Focus on a returning customer who brought you into the business in the past. Identify them, and then focus your energy on them. After all, there is no better client than the one you already have.
Geotargeting is critical
During the pandemic, millions of people clearly became hard.
Among other things, marketing trends have changed and the importance of geo-targeting has decreased – mainly because everyone is stuck at home.
But now that we’re back to normal, stores are filling up and location-based marketing is making a comeback.
Targeting people in certain areas that may be relevant to your business will keep you in their mind and when they are looking for services you can provide; there you will be.
good old email
Email marketing has been around since the very first emails were sent in the early 70s. It has remained the most successful and useful form of marketing since its inception.
Actually, 2019 study suggested that the ROI on email marketing is $42 for every $1 spent. This is a staggering statistic, especially when you consider all the new and technologically sophisticated ways to bring products to market.
Email marketing is easy to produce, maintain and track; and it allows you to reach an incredible number of people who are particularly interested in interacting with your product.
It just proves that sometimes the old ways are better.
It’s easier than you think
It’s nearly impossible to succeed in today’s business without some kind of marketing strategy, but you don’t have to have a gigantic budget to do so.
Sometimes simplicity and efficiency will be your most desirable goals, and optimizing your processes and methods will bring you the highest reward.
Make sure you do simple things well before looking for extensions. Keep attracting your core market and loyal customers, and don’t be afraid to increase your budget and let the pros give you a foundation to stand on.
