What actually is an effective marketing strategy? Wiki says A “Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.“
Well, if you are like me and despise the word ‘strategy’ but realise its’ importance within most long term goals, you will understand that there are several steps in which to take to make sure you reach those goals or get as near as dammit! Ahem.
Before you ever consider running with an idea for a Facebook post, a competition, even phone call…make sure you have thought about a consistent marketing strategy and if you are working with a team, make sure you are all on the same page. Most online marketing campaigns are useless without strategies in place, unfortunately and these steps will get you going…quicksmart.
Define what you do. In Detail. Write down what you provide, what the user experience is, how your customers feel when they experience your service, brand or company and keep it up to date.
Know your target market. Who is your typical customer? These are the people you should be spending your time approaching. If it helps, get some photos of your ideal customers and stick them up on the wall so you are constantly reminded who you need to relate to.
Who da competition? Come on, you aren’t the only ones right? Who are your rivals? The opposition? Your nemesis? If you don’t know, get researching.
What are you doing that they aren’t?: This is called a niche. If you are offering something extra, then use this in your marketing strategy and you will dominate that overall market. If you are not – find it.
Promote: This goes without saying right? You have to create awareness of your brand for people to know that you are there. Your PR Campaign should be written alongside the marketing strategy for complete effectiveness.
Build Trust, Loyalty, Consistency: People have got to know that you can deliver. So if you are starting out, its tough. Reviews, recommendations and awards are now more important than ever. They also need to know you can be trusted and they need to be able to rely upon your services. You just can’t fake this so look at every engagement/ customer with the bigger picture in mind. How can you get them to shout about your brand?
If you have any tips on successful marketing strategies you wish to share – I would love to hear them!
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