6 Steps to Revamp Your Small Business Marketing Strategy

Transcription

1 6 Steps to Revamp Your Small Business Marketing Strategy Looking for better results? Craft a new plan. 1

2 INTRODUCTION If you re running digital marketing tactics, you have a strategy behind it, right? This assumption isn t necessarily always true in fact, it s only true half of the time. According to Smart Insights, 50 percent of marketers say they are doing digital marketing but have no defined strategy behind the efforts. While some parts of the plan may have performed steadily since implementation, it might be time for a hard look at how you can shift your approach and cause a spike in business with a few simple updates. Although revamping your marketing strategy seems like a lot of work and we won t tell you it isn t it will actually bring better quality leads over the long term. Even if a print ad you ve been running for the past eight years still performs well, it s important your business and its marketing strategies evolve with your audience. Take the time to craft a marketing strategy that is relevant to your current and growing audience because your audience s preferences change just as much as your business changes. Whether you re in a summer slump or the frenzy of the holidays, a slower season will inevitably arrive and analyzing your marketing strategy in order to rebuild from its foundation will prove incredibly beneficial. 2

3 STEP 1 Targeting Every strong marketing plan is built on a foundation of knowing your audience. Local business owners need to know who their target customers are, then examine their attributes and preferences to better connect with that audience in a more meaningful and personal way. If your audience is social-savvy, you ll need to meet them and communicate with them on social media. If they re working parents who are always on the go, you should craft messages that speak to the pain points of raising kids while holding down a full-time job. Your business may have a more general audience than some of these examples; in that case, you ll want to look at defining and separating your clientele into different categories a process called segmentation. Segmentation allows you to group different types of buyers based on their shared needs for your products and services. Even local businesses who have a very speci ic customer base should consider segmenting their message because customers expect personalized conversations based on their unique needs not a canned marketing message that you send to everyone who has a dollar to spend. Here s a few items to determine as you begin segmenting your audience: Segmentation is the process of separating your audience into groups so you can send different, more targeted messages to each sector. Which groups of people engage with your products or services. This is the simplest thing to determine who is buying what? What kinds of people are looking for the products or services you offer? What content and advertising messages resonate most with different groups of people. Who clicked on what offer? What groups of people engage with your Facebook posts and ads? What information do you have about each of those people, and how can you extrapolate that to create a segment? How different customer groups interact with your business. Is your younger demographic more interested in commenting on your Facebook page while your older demographic is more likely to call or send an ? 3

4 By using your own metrics and information, you can better understand your audience, their pain points and, ultimately, their purchase habits. This can help you market more effectively toward them and move them along in your sales cycle. ENDING EXERCISE Segment Your Audience STEP 2 Structure Structure starts with goals. Ask yourself which actions you want to occur as a result of your marketing strategy: More website traffic? More phone calls? More leads? More in-store sales? More positive reviews? More direct dialogue on social media? Your goals are incredibly important to your overall marketing strategy. Knowing what results you re looking for will drive your strategy, creative assets and distribution channels. Next, you need to determine what messages align with your goals and will resonate with your audience. This is the foundation of your marketing campaign the concepts and creative pieces that drive your strategy. You'll determine and test what content will bring your audience closer to an actual purchase. Just as you speak differently to coworkers than you do to friends, you wouldn t want to send the same message to new parents as you would to college students. Craft what these messages will say and how they will align or differ across both platforms and intended recipients. You should consider having different copy and photos depending on what segment is receiving your message. Just as you speak differently to coworkers than you do to friends, you wouldn t want to send the same message to new parents as you would to college students. 4

5 Some things to consider about your audience as you craft your messages: What does this person (or group of people) look like? What are their interests? How do they speak and interact with others? How does my product or service solve their pain points? A strong marketing strategy has clear goals and content that aligns both with those goals and your intended audience. ENDING EXERCISE What Digital Marketing Services Are Right For You? STEP 3 Outline Costs Do you already have a budget in mind for your marketing efforts? Yes? Good, then you re already one step ahead, so move to step 4. For those of you who haven t decided what to spend jusr yet, read on and consider your goals: How big of an impact do you want to see from your marketing plan? Is your budget already determined by other costs you re running or do you have room to be flexible? There are a number of different goals, and they re important when outlining your costs because how much you choose to spend should be in line with your goals. As an example, if you re looking to double revenue in Q1 this year compared to last year s sales, you ll need to set aside a large amount to actually accomplish that. If you re looking to increase yearly revenue by 10 percent, knowing it could take some time for your marketing strategy to produce results, you will want a smaller budget implemented over a longer period of time. You can base your budget on past performance of other campaigns. If you ve done a search advertising campaign before, what was your average cost per click? Were you getting quality leads at that rate? If you ve done social advertising before, look at how much your ads cost. Targeting features will make the bill a bit higher if you haven t done it in the past, but it will generate more qualified leads for your business. 5

6 One of the best ways to determine your budget, and essentially execute your marketing plan, is to consult with an outside digital marketing vendor. Although there are service fees involved, you might find that the time and effort you save is well worth the extra money spent. Instead of trying to navigate Google AdWords and Facebook posting on your own, you can have a certified specialist taking care of the heavy lifting for you. You will still be a part of creative decisions, but the experts will be able to help craft your messaging so it resonates with your target audience. And the best part: you'll know that you aren t wasting energy and money each month trying to figure it all out yourself. 28% of marketers have reduced their advertising budget to fund more digital marketing. GARTNER, FEBRUARY, 2015 ENDING EXERCISE 10 Questions to Help You Choose the Right Digital Marketing Provider STEP 4 Mapping Distribution Channels Now that you ve decided who your audience is, what kind of messaging you ll send their way and your overall costs (whether you re working with a vendor or not), it s time to decide how you re going to reach your current and new customers. In today s always-online age, digital is the way to go. According to Pew Research, 87 percent of adults use the Internet, and that number grows as we look at younger demographics it s up to 97 percent for people ages Whoever is in your audience is online, and with the many capabilities digital marketing offers, you re more likely to connect with new customers who are actually looking for your services online. 6

7 You need to determine which platforms will reach your audience most efficiently. More often than not, small businesses should leverage multiple distribution channels for maximum impact. Search Ads Social Ads Search ads are great to target people who are already searching for your product or service, but might not know about your business yet. Social Posting With 74 percent of adult Internet users on Facebook, the social platform isn t just for a younger crowd. Facebook s targeting features allow you to reach customers based on their expressed interests and demographics, which is a great way to connect with new customers and customers similar to ones you already have. If your consumer base is eager to engage with your company on social media, you ll want to map out a specific posting plan that aligns with the messages you re sending your audience. Consider a posting calendar. 87 percent of adults use the Internet, and that number grows as we look at younger demographics it s up to 97 percent for people ages PEW RESEARCH CENTER, Marketing marketing is still one of the most effective advertising channels. Whether you re checking in with your current subscribers or reaching new customers, is a staple of local business marketing. ENDING EXERCISE Social Media Content Calendar 7

8 STEP 5 Implementation In order to gauge performance, you need to plan out your entire strategy with tracking in place for each channel. While this is a lot of work, it is a crucial step toward seeing real, measurable results. Putting in the work ahead of time to track and measure your marketing efforts will pay off when you easily pull reports and determine your approach for the following year based on past analytics. Consider different tracking options as you start planning your implementation: If you have a specific offer, identify the channels you ll use and develop a different code unique to each platform. When a customer redeems the offer, you ll know which platform they found you on and that will aid in audience comprehension. If you send specific blasts or have a search advertising campaign, you can direct those messages to a unique landing page with special contact information for your business. Once someone clicks through to that page and actually contacts you there, you ll know which messages caused them to click through. The great thing about digital marketing is that everything is trackable online you just need the tools to measure those actions. Organic search leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound marketing leads have a 1.7% close rate. HUBSPOT, 2012 ENDING EXERCISE Find Your Facebook ROI 8

9 STEP 6 Revisiting the Plan A marketing strategy is never set in stone and should be rooted in testing. Try different tactics, see how they work and adjust your plan moving forward. The first test is to see if you actually met your goals,then determine why or why not. If unsuccessful, you may not have chosen the right messaging for a certain audience, or maybe one channel wasn t as effective for reaching a targeted group. Based on your audience research, you might have selected the perfect messaging and channel for a group, but then you have to consider what that segment wants moving forward. This is where the specific characteristics of an audience become important. What s or Facebook posts had slightly more interaction than the others? Which photos caused your audience to click through to your site more than the others? Don t be satisfied with one successful campaign, learn from it. The best marketing programs are continually improving. Just as a home furnishings store continually offers new styles of furniture to appeal to consumers changing tastes, you need to update messaging for each campaign. 67% of consumers cited search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo as the first place they go to look for information about local businesses. G/O DIGITAL, 2015 There is a lot of trial and error with any marketing program, but true success comes from recognizing what succeeded and what failed so your business can continually adjust to your audience's changing needs. SEE METRICS IN ACTION Ken Wilson Ford Case Study 9

10 Conclusion Bringing customers into your business isn t an easy task, but for local business owners who have to compete with the prevalence of retail chains and big-box stores, it s necessary. Consumers are interested in patronizing local businesses, they just need to easily be able to find your products and services. Which means meeting them where they are most online. By following these six steps in creating a marketing plan, you re sure to activate and engage your audience with messages specific to their pain points and needs. Consumers need your products and services, and you need their business, so getting found, connecting through relevant messaging and engaging with them throughout their buying journey is critical to your success. ABOUT G/O DIGITAL At G/O Digital, we understand that marketing can no longer be limited to traditional advertising methods and that digital integration is the future. The conversation between consumers and businesses has changed and will continue to evolve, and our team of digital marketing specialists has the expertise to meet these changes head on. Boost leads, retain customers and grow your business with G/O Digital s team of digital specialists. For more information, visit godigitalmarketing.com. CONTACT US For Media Relations and Corporate Communications, contact: Andrea Parker, Senior Content Marketing Manager, G/O Digital Tel: (602) ajparker@godigitalmarketing.com 10