Do you sometimes feel like your business is missing
something? That your marketing strategy
is little strategy and a lot of guessing? Maybe sales leads just aren’t
closing, even though you have a great product. Or perhaps your top-of-funnel
efforts simply aren’t generating enough leads in the first place.
You aren’t alone. Most businesses — a
full 78% — are dissatisfied with their sales conversion rates.
Regardless of what you’re selling or where your problem
lies, there are six key elements of any effective marketing strategy. Marketing
strategy doesn’t need to be difficult. Take a look at the following advice on
how to make yours effective.
1. Start with a compelling story. Effective
marketing contains all of the elements of an irresistible story. These
include characters (target audience); their challenges (pain points) and
motivations (desired outcomes); a setting (connecting the dots); obstacles (to
the desired outcome); the climax (the value your solution provides); and a
conclusion (the delivery of that value).
Once you have these elements in place, you can begin to
build the central message that demonstrates how your product or service takes
audiences from where they are now to an ideal scenario in which their lives are
improved.
Not sure where to begin? Consider tales that captivate you
and provide your greater mission in life. Don’t worry if your answer seems
silly or overly complex. Get your creative juices flowing, then write.
2. Develop technical expertise. As the number of
messaging distribution channels continues to grow, the number of systems
required to integrate these channels grows with it. You have to have much more
than a passing understanding of the underlying technologies involved in the
entire process to successfully establish metrics that enable you to manage a
marketing program.
As your marketing efforts mature, be sure to invest in the
technology, education, and personnel required to keep them effective over the
long term.
3. Coordinate your messaging. All of your
marketing efforts should be based on a unified strategy, meaning you should be
telling a consistent story across all channels and customer touchpoints.
Disjointed messaging is one of the biggest obstacles to
achieving meaningful ROI, but also one of the most common.
People refer to content marketing, social media marketing,
and search engine optimization as three different things — as if each is a
tactic that can get you there alone.
But, each of these tactics, and any others you use, should be part of a holistic
strategy that centers around compelling content.
And speaking of content....
4. Content marketing leads the charge. Content should
be the foundation of any modern marketing strategy. AND your content should be authentic — it
should stem from your unique brand story. Unfortunately, many companies still
seem to produce content for its own sake, which ultimately gets them nowhere.
Great content is relevant to your customers and your brand,
adding value for consumers in a way that aligns with your company’s larger
mission.
5. Incorporate employee voices. Authentic
content relies on your brand’s unique voice, and your employees are a part of
that voice. Empower your employees to become brand advocates. Have them share their story of why they work
for you….and the products or services you offer. Many organizations are
reluctant to let go of control in fear of what, or how, the employees will
alter the marketing message. Stop it!
Rather than fear what they might say, business leaders and
marketers should encourage employees to talk about the services and value their
organization provides. If you trust your employees, they’ll typically reward
that trust.
6. Focus on branding, not selling. Your
marketing messaging should always center on telling your story, not selling
your products or services.
Instead of trying to reach everyone, your story will
resonate with the customers who share your values and draw them to you. Have you ever received an advertisement from
Apple telling you to BUY their product?
No, because Apple focuses on building relationships.
Apple’s marketing draws potential customers into its brand
story, showing them what life is like when they live that story (by using Apple
products). The results speak for themselves.
Marketing is both an art and a science, and if you’re
struggling to do it right, take your cue from the experts. If you’re not sure
where to start or how to implement the above strategies, contact SK Consulting
today! From Concept. To Creation.
To Implementation. We’re there
with you every step of the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment