St. Patrick's Day is upon us, and as you whip out your green jacket and funny hat for Happy Hour, it's worth noting that "being green" isn't always a good thing. Take marketing, for example. Sure, there are some tried-and-true concepts that will never really go away, but with the emergence of social media, mobile technology, and content marketing, marketers can be forgiven for feeling a bit, well, green when it comes to keeping up with new trends and developments.
So with that in mind, we'd like to provide some practical tips that will help you generate more leads and sales. In other words, outcomes that will transform you into a more successful and experienced marketer:
Vigilantly revisit your brand. The tendency to get complacent, in any facet of business, can be quite strong. Especially when it comes to managing your brand. After all, you'd like to think your brand is relatively unchanging, with your buyer personas and demographics etched in stone. But as the market changes, so do these crucial elements of your brand strategy. Revisit this strategy with your sales team, modify buyer personas as needed and talk to your customers to find out how they perceive your brand. These steps are the key foundational components to becoming a better marketer.
Blog regularly. Now we know what you're thinking: "How is blogging related to marketing?" Well, for starters, blogging provides the content you need to effectively market to leads and prospects. It keeps you up to date on industry trends, which will prove helpful in sales calls. And it provides a gateway to social media marketing. In fact, according to Hubspot, companies that blog 6-8 times per month generate over 2x more leads than companies that blog just twice a month. Of course, if you don't want to personally blog, delegate this role or hire a third-party provider.
Experiment with video. Much like blogging, you may be saying, "What does video have to do with marketing?" It has a lot to do with marketing as video is emerging as the preeminent media option of choice, both for marketers and customers who love clicking on videos. If you feel uncomfortable being the star of the show, that's ok: profile satisfied customers or find that one colleague who can't resist showing off in front of the camera.
Coordinate your social media messaging. Effectively marketing your content on social media channels takes discipline and structure. That's because each social channel is different. As a result, messages need to get modified, images may need to trump text and content tweaked to reach target demographics. You already know that successful marketing is predicated on customization and personalization, so build these principles into your social media messaging. Start by rolling out a social media publishing schedule. Select days for publication, blog lengths and subjects, urls of third-party content and suggested modifications based on social media channel.
Optimize your landing page. Landing pages provide customers and leads with their first impression of a brand. Is your current one working? Can it be improved upon? Experiment with tweaks like shorter, crisper text, more engaging images and clear calls-to-action. A few minor changes can result in a boost in conversions and click-throughs.
Ultimately, the way to become a marketing expert has less to do with platitudes like "knowing what your customers want." You already know what your customers want and you certainly don't need us to tell you. Rather, it's more about taking your existing marketing pitch and customizing it across new marketing channels, embracing emerging media formats and creating compelling content to generate more leads.
Looking for more ways to become a marketing rock star? Contact us for a free consultation.
