by Marketing Manager | Analytics, How To's & Info you can use, Marketing, Marketing Tips, tools, Trends
One of the things that modern consumers want from digital marketing is personalization, as long as it’s done right (see the title above for an example of how NOT to do it). This can be overwhelming at times, especially for small business owners who believe they don’t have the resources needed to personalize. In reality, technology has made it easy for businesses of all sizes and types to personalize their marketing strategy. The following are some of the simplest and most effective methods that small businesses can use to personalize their digital marketing: 1. Gather Data The first step to personalizing your digital marketing is to gather as much data about your customers as you can. You will use this to segment your audience and help with the personalization. The more data you have, the better. While getting clients to fill out a survey is a convenient way to gather data, your clients likely won’t want to. You can offer them an incentive to do so or ask for bits and pieces of information over time. 2. Use Buyer Personas Once you have enough data, take some time to create buyer personas. These are representations of your typical target audience. They should include information like gender, age, other demographics, goals, and why they want your product. Create as many buyer personas as you need to fully represent your audience. For example, if you are a small business selling jewelry, two buyer personas maybe someone who buys the jewelry for themselves and someone who buys it for someone else. As you create your...
by Marketing Manager | How To's & Info you can use, Marketing, Marketing Tips
As a small business, you always want to find effective and innovative ways of selling your products or services. While some of this comes down to paid advertising, a large portion of it is also related to how you present your products and services. If you are still struggling to find the best way to present your services or products to boost sales, keep the following advice in mind. Make a Claim You Can Back Up Confident prospects buy. So how do you create more confidence? One simple but powerful option is to demonstrate that you aren’t afraid to back up your claims about your product. Offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee (or longer if your competitors are already doing something similar), with the promise to give your customer a full refund or the promise that you’ll keep working until they are satisfied – their choice. You’ll build trust and be recognized for your reliability – this will do wonders for your brand’s reputation and sales. Show What Makes You Unique No matter your niche, there are likely numerous other similar products and services on the market. You need to present your product in a way that makes it clear how you are different and stand out from the competition. This is your unique selling proposition. Most companies will have to think for a little while to figure out what this is. You want it to be different from your competitors’, so it shouldn’t be “great customer service” unless your industry is notorious for absolutely horrible customer service. Once you have that...
by Marketing Manager | How To's & Info you can use, Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Social Media, Video Marketing, Videos
Small businesses are always looking for ways to use their marketing budget as efficiently as possible. One of the many strategies is to incorporate TikTok, the fast-growing social media platform. But how can you use TikTok in your marketing? Should you pay for ads? Should you create content? We’ll outline just some of the ways to use this platform in your marketing. What Is TikTok? TikTok is a social media platform that lets people share short videos. Videos can use music in the background or just use the voice. There are also numerous memes and challenges on TikTok contributing to its popularity. Experts estimate that as of February 2021, there were more than 1.1 billion monthly active users. In other words, a sizable proportion of your target audience is on TikTok. With that in mind, here are some of the best ways to use TikTok in your marketing. #1 Pay for Ads The most obvious option is to pay for ads on TikTok. The ads will appear before and after videos on the application. You can choose from several ad formats. You also get to choose the audience that you want to target. This prevents you from wasting your marketing budget. Common Advertising Formats The ad formats you can choose from on TikTok include: In-feed videos on the “For You” page of your audience. Hashtag challenges that show up on the discovery page. Sponsored AR content, such as stickers, lenses, and filters for your audience to feature in their videos. Brand takeovers that show full-screen video ads when your audience opens the...
by Marketing Manager | How To's & Info you can use, Marketing, Marketing Tips, Trends
After the year we’ve all had, seeing a much brighter economic forecast for the year ahead is music to our ears. Now is the time to make sure you’re ready to take advantage of it! Here are 8 things you can do today to make the most of your opportunities in the year ahead. Target Trigger Events in Your Marketing In just about every sales process, there are trigger events that drive prospects to consider your products and services. In B2B businesses, an example would be the opening of a new location. In the case of B2C, an example could be if most conversions come from people who just bought a new house. Identify the trigger events that drive sales opportunities and target your marketing message, channels, and timing to ensure that your company is top of mind as these trigger events happen. Follow Up Faster (and More!) The stats don’t lie: we aren’t following up fast enough or nearly as much as we should! Check out these stats from a blog post by CRM developer Pipedrive: According to a survey commissioned by the Harvard Business Review, salespeople see a 400% increase in lead response when contacting a lead within the first five minutes. A study in the UK also found that only 2% of deals are concluded when the two parties meet for the first time, while 80% of sales take five follow up calls to close. But over 50% of salespeople give up after just one follow up call!. Automate as Much as Possible How do you follow up faster...
by Marketing Manager | How To's & Info you can use, Marketing, Marketing Tips, Trends
The COVID19 pandemic has had a drastic impact on every industry. The retail industry was among those hit the hardest. As venturing outside quite literally became the difference between life and death, retail outlets were forced to shut down as governments across the globe struggled to get a grip on the virus. Even businesses that had a robust online presence before the pandemic hit struggled. As millions of people lost their jobs and faced economic uncertainty, they significantly cut back on personal spending in an effort to weather the storm. Small businesses were particularly at a disadvantage. A study conducted by MIT found that small business revenue in the United States dropped by almost 40% in March 2020 compared to a year earlier. These economic considerations ultimately forced governments to try and strike a balance between the urgent need to support businesses and the public health measures required to control the spread. A year later, things are finally looking up. Multiple COVID vaccines have been approved by regulators and millions of people, particularly those extremely vulnerable, have already received the jabs. Economic experts are now of the view that rapidly vaccinating the population is key for a return to a more “normal” economy. This is echoed by health professionals including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States’ leading authority on infectious diseases who believes that the early stages of herd immunity can be achieved by late spring or the summer if the vaccination drive continues at pace. The post-COVID business environment is going to be a lot different. Businesses will need to adapt to...
by Marketing Manager | Content Creation, Content Marketing, How To's & Info you can use, Marketing, Marketing Tips, Social Media
Social media marketing isn’t the new kid on the block anymore. Things that felt fresh and exciting just a few years ago are now old hat and that means we’ve all got to find ways to take our Facebook and Instagram marketing to the next level. Fortunately, there are still lots of things you can do to “level up” your social media marketing. Here are some suggestions to help you stay ahead of the pack in 2021. Poll Your Followers Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all allow users to create polls for the followers to respond to. In most cases, we’re talking simple polls with just two or three potential responses. That said, even a simple poll can be useful as a way to collect information from your followers. Because polls are interactive, they encourage engagement. In many cases, respondents won’t even need to leave their feed. They can respond by clicking their choice. If you want to take it to the next step, you can try using a poll as a quick form of split testing. Include links to two different versions of your landing page or home page and ask people to vote on their favorite. Engage in Social Listening You’ve probably seen at least one brand make a critical mistake on social media by responding in a tone-deaf way to something in the news. Does that mean you should never respond to anything topical? No – but it does mean you need to be careful. The best way to avoid missteps is to engage in social listening. Before you post, scroll through relevant hashtags, and...
