Guest post by Janelle Yu:
A good marketing strategy is everything. Every SEO Company knows very well that without effective marketing strategies, it is impossible for them to achieve the desired sales target. And no matter how great your product is, the sales of your business are influenced by how strategic you are when marketing your products. But it is not easy to come up with a marketing plan, considering the rapid increase of businesses competing in the marketing industry.
It is your duty as a marketer to ensure an effective plan is in place before launching a new product. However, there are still some areas most marketers struggle with. And when it comes down to business, committing mistakes can have a great impact on your sales and can also damage your business’s reputation.
Coming up with effective tactics is crucial and a challenge for most marketers. The wrong tactics can make or break a business. But marketing tactics should not be chosen in isolation -they need to be closely aligned with the overall business goals and strategy. That means careful and strategic planning is a must. There are many facets to a great strategic marketing plan, but before anything else, every marketer should also know the top five don’ts when it comes to creating a marketing strategy.
1. DON’T think it’s all about you
Basically, your customers don’t need to know about your lengthy background and self-congratulatory information about your business. And telling your customers how good you are as a marketer; or how great your services are is definitely a lousy strategy to promote your business. “So what?” your customers don’t care about how great you are. What’s important is how you approach and deliver the services to them – as your customer.
Yes, you have an impressive product. But talking about the size of your team, long history and how you deliver services is not enough – it’s results that make the difference. You have to remember that it is not just about what you are selling or promoting, it is also about how you value your customers, even customers who are cost conscious, have challenging propositions and whose staff are not that cooperative.
2. DON’T forget about social media
Forgetting to integrate social media into your business is a no-no. It is one of the main factors that contribute to the success of your marketing strategy today. Since social media is known to be an integral part of the modern online landscape, it is easier for us to connect with our potential customers. The more customer engagement, the greater the impact on your sales.
But there’s a caveat: the success of your business online would also depend on which social media platform you used. Yes, there are platforms that are not trustworthy enough to help increase the traffic of your business promotions. If that particular platform is not known to potential customers, then you will definitely have a decreased possibility to strengthen the engagement with your audience. Of course, if you are not careful enough, promoting it online may be a waste of your time, money and effort. And I’m sure you don’t want to take that risk, right? Make sure you are using the same social media channels as your target group to avoid wasting precious time in the process.
3. DON’T limit yourself to one marketing strategy
Again, business is worth the risk. But you also have to make sure that you are not risking your business for nothing. As a marketer, it is a must for you to think about what other marketing strategies you can use to increase your sales. Yes, sticking with one effective strategy is a good thing. But it doesn’t mean this strategy is always going to be as effective as it was before. Review your marketing metrics regularly. If your metrics go down, coming up with new and strategic ways to boost your business growth is a must.
Furthermore, why not take the initiative to test that particular strategy before deciding to use it for marketing your business. With some time invested into testing, you will know if it is worth taking the risk or not. If you think that there are still a lot of holes and unknowns in that strategy, then find another one that is better than what you currently have.
4. DON’T stray off target
It is definitely a temptation to market everyone. Agree? However, it’s not really a marketing strategy at all. As a marketer, you should find your niche and learn how to connect with the different segments in your target market. Yes, gaining a clear view of the buyer personas in your target audience is a daunting task that requires painstaking research. But your effort will definitely pay off when you effectively and successfully get your audience engaged with your business.
Moreover, when you have a clear focus on what your objectives or goals are, you will also have a clearer view on what you want to do with your business. You will know what else you can do to make it more progressive and competitive in your industry.
5. DON’T lose your human touch
The moment you lose the sense of the human touch, you are also losing the most important thing – trust. Yes, running a business should be taken seriously. You have to project authority and express your expertise. However, you also have to be mindful of your audience: Even in the business to business sector, you are selling to people. That’s why your b2b marketing strategy should still have a human touch in all its communications.
Although you might be giving them the simplest form of respect, it would definitely mean a lot to them. For them, you are valuing them not as just a potential customer, but also as an individual.
About the Author:
Janelle has great passion in writing various content topics especially about web design, digital marketing, SEO and social media. She is currently working at Optimind SEO as content writer. She also loves to travel and taking photos.