The best marketing business strategies are those that fit the company’s budget and target customers. For example, a campaign for brand awareness is different from one focused on converting visitors to sales.
The most successful companies focus on excelling at a few marketing functions, rather than being competent in all of them. To make the most of your business’s marketing budget, consider these five tactics.
1. SEO
Billions of people use search engines like Google to find products, services, and brands they want to purchase. Ranking high on search engine results pages is one of the best marketing business strategies because it drives website traffic, which in turn, leads to sales and revenue. Another popular marketing strategy is PPC, or pay-per-click advertising. Think of SEO and PPC as two sides of the same coin – SEO is the organic side, while PPC is the paid side. When done correctly, search marketing is a highly effective and cost-efficient way to grow your brand. However, it can be confusing to navigate the many aspects of digital marketing.
2. Social Media
A solid social media strategy can help a business reach and engage a broad audience that might not be reached through other marketing channels. It can also help build brand awareness, elicit actionable feedback from customers, increase website traffic, and boost online sales. But a strong social media strategy requires a lot of work and careful planning. It also needs to be flexible, as new technologies and features continue to emerge.
To succeed, a business should have a clear understanding of its target audience and how to best reach them on each platform. For instance, a B2B technology company may want to promote its software to creatives, while a B2C clothing store might focus on women who use Instagram. It is important to understand how each platform works and the limitations and constraints of each, and then develop a plan to maximize its potential.
Social media is a great way to get in touch with your customer base, whether it be through paid ads, influencers, or using geotagged campaigns to reach people in a specific location. For example, Macy’s used proximity marketing during Black Friday, encouraging people to download their app when they entered the store so they could play a game and win prizes.
Small businesses can also leverage their local communities by getting involved with community events and leveraging local social media platforms to spread the word about their offerings. One example of this is the grilled cheese truck that partnered with a local radio station to create a content series. The truck was able to generate buzz and attract crowds by creating a unique event that made it stand out from other food trucks in the area.
3. Content Marketing
Content marketing is one of the best marketing business strategies that can help you attract, engage and convert potential customers. This includes blog posts, videos, social media updates and other online content that delivers value to your audience. This is also a great strategy for building long-term relationships with your audience and can be very effective at increasing the number of leads and sales you generate.
The content you create for your audience should be consistent and aligned with the stage they are at in their buyer journey. For example, in the awareness stage, your content should be more educational and informative, such as helpful infographics. During the consideration stage, your content can begin to lean more toward selling products or services. This is when content like comparison lists and product demo videos perform well. During this stage, businesses can also use retargeted paid ads to drive traffic and encourage conversions.
Creating engaging web copy is another important piece of your content marketing strategy. This includes website copy, landing pages, social media updates and email newsletters. In fact, OptinMonster has seen its clients get 3806% more email signups using gated content on their websites.
Other forms of content marketing include hosting competitions to have your audience create video or written content for you. This can be a great way to build community, promote new products or even fill in gaps in your content calendar. For example, a recent contest hosted by the online marketing education company Authority Hacker saw participants create short videos about their top tips for using a particular tool. This type of content has the potential to drive leads and sales, but it is essential that your business can measure its success with a clear plan and set of KPIs.
4. Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies because it allows businesses to connect with customers directly. It is also a powerful way to drive traffic to other marketing channels, including social media, websites, blogs, and in-person events.
The best email marketing campaigns are personalized and targeted to specific audiences. For example, if an ecommerce clothing retailer notices that many of their customers are frustrated with not being able to try on their clothes before they buy, they can create content and emails that address this pain point by providing advice on online shopping and turning their generic size guide into a custom size finder.
Using a personalized approach to email marketing can improve conversion rates and customer loyalty. For instance, the email newsletters from beauty brand Sephora include articles on trends, products, and reviews from customers. This personalization helps keep the brand relevant in the minds of consumers and encourages them to return to the site to browse for new products.
Other types of emails to consider are product recommendations, announcements, event invitations, and nurture sequences. It is important to track metrics like open rates, click through rates, conversion rates, and spam complaints. Email marketers should also experiment with different types of list segmentation, such as by timezone and purchase history, to see what works best.
A well-planned and optimized email campaign can help a business grow its audience, generate more leads, and boost sales. Ultimately, it is a cost-effective way to reach potential customers and promote new products and services. Just make sure to stay human, speak with your subscribers as individuals, and avoid using gimmicky subject lines that could turn them off.
5. Push Notifications
When users opt in to receive push notifications from your business, they’re giving you permission to communicate with them at a more intimate level than any other messaging channel. They trust you with their device, so you should only send them valuable and relevant information.
As a general rule, push notifications are best for communicating utility-oriented content. For example, a to-do list app can send a reminder, or a banking application can share an update like “your credit was added.” Other examples of useful content include time-sensitive offers, such as providing early access to a product drop or a one-day discount for people near your storefront. Streetwear retailer PLNDR uses this strategy to boost engagement by sending specific deals that are virtually guaranteed to resonate with their customers.
Keep in mind that frequency is also important with push notification delivery. You don’t want to overwhelm users with too many messages, as this will cause them to disable your push notifications. Instead, look to user behavior trends and other data points to understand how often you should be sending notifications.
Lastly, keep in mind that your push notification content should always be on-brand. Your business’s tone of voice should be reflected in the language you use in your push messages, as this will help create a positive brand experience for your customers. A good way to do this is by using language that’s conversational and not too formal. This can make your business appear more friendly and approachable to users. Additionally, you should avoid tactics like all-caps or advertising buzzwords, as this can sound spammy and be off-putting to your customers.