What are the simplest things your business can do to start generating more work?
“If I only have the time and money to do one thing for my marketing, what should it be?”
It’s a question Antelope Media is often asked.
Here are five things you could be doing to turn around your marketing in 2015:
1. Work out what sets you apart
In a competitive marketplace you need to know your real points of difference, or you’ll just be competing on price.
So ask yourself, how do you help your clients or customers in a way that no one else can?
You can’t really answer this question without working out what your purpose is, or why your business exists.
We guide our clients through a lot of soul searching to find the answers to these questions. But your marketing will become a whole lot easier if you can answer them.
2. Come up with a flexible plan
A lot of businesses don’t invest the time upfront in drawing up a proper marketing strategy that matches their business goals. Instead they rely on scattergun marketing, launching campaigns or putting out content without really giving too much thought to how it fits into the overall picture.
On the flipside some spend so much time nailing down the “perfect” plan, then insist on sticking to it to the letter – even when something is patently not working.
A decent marketing plan is vital. But it’s got to be flexible. If something’s not working try to find out why. And then try something else.
3. Segment your audiences
Digital marketing means it has never been easier to find people with common interests or desires, and it has never been easier to put your message in front of them. So stop using a one-size fits all approach to your marketing.
Nothing makes people switch off more quickly than irrelevant advertising, stories or articles. If you’re pushing out the same messages en masse – through just one newsletter or one ad campaign – your marketing could even be doing you more harm than good. People will switch off, even when you have a message they’re interested in.
Segment your audiences and hit people with what they’re genuinely interested in. Start with your mailing lists.
4. Get your website in order
It’s impossible to overestimate how important your web presence is.
If people don’t find you through your website sort out your SEO, content marketing and social media so that they do.
Make sure your contact details are easy to find, that your website is up to date, and that your content focuses on the client/customer journey.
If your site isn’t mobile friendly, make getting a responsive website number one on your to do list. More than half of web traffic is now mobile and that figure is growing fast.
5. Measure everything
Online marketing means pretty much everything is measurable. So if you’re not analysing your marketing efforts, start now.
How are people finding you? How do they get to your site? How many people are opening your emails? And when they do, what do they click on?
When you can see exactly what attracts people to your site and your content, effective marketing suddenly becomes so much easier.
And of course, if you need any help executing these quick marketing wins please get in touch.
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Related services: Content marketing, Websites and digital marketing, Copywriting
