Marketing your business can be a complex undertaking.
There are so many strategies and pieces of advice out there, and a lot of it is good advice. It’s just not perfect for every business.
But how do you figure out which marketing tactics are best for your business? How do you sort the solid advice from the bits good for some but might be more of a waste of time for you?
The fact is that you can’t do it all when marketing your business. It just doesn’t work. There is never enough bandwidth, time, budget, or creativity to try and do it all, even with marketing support from an internal team or external marketing agency.
This guide should help you find out which digital marketing tactics are not for you!
Determine Your Audience and Target Customer
Before you get started on your marketing strategy, sit down, think about your intended audience. If you’re trying to have an expansive reach, you might be ready to jump up and say, “everyone!” but hold on.
Even if you’re trying to target as many people as possible, it’s good to have an idea of your general customer. Are you unique conflict-free diamond engagement rings to millennial couples?
Then you’re not going to market yourself in the same way as you would if you were talking to a Gen Z young woman just entering the workforce. And vice versa.
If you already have a social media presence, use social media analytics tools to see your followers’ average age and gender makeup. It can help give you an idea of who is regularly interacting with your content.
Don’t have a social media account? Try using Google Analytics to see who is visiting your website.
Are you attracting the wrong customer right now and want to change that? Sketch out your ideal customer, dig in on who they are, what they like, and why they buy.
After you’ve defined your target customer, start working on marketing to them.
What Channels Does Your Audience Use?
Next, identify which channel and platforms your intended audience uses.
Let’s be honest; the age of your target customer comes into play. Young people’s websites and social media platforms are different from those used by older people.
A young person may like connecting with a brand on Instagram or Twitter, but an older person might prefer email campaigns.
Many people use search engines, and many companies like to focus on search engine optimization (SEO).
Create a Budget
Worthwhile marketing tactics cost time or money. Often both.
As such, you should determine how much you can afford to allot to marketing and how much time you have to devote to your marketing efforts. If you’re on a super tight budget, you might want to chisel it down to the basics or set aside more time for organic marketing tactics. If you have a bigger budget, you’ll have more of a leeway.
Test Your Ideas for Marketing Tactics
Want to know which of your tactics are going to work best? Test them out! Which ideas get the best results?
Use focus groups and test out different marketing tactics if you can. You can also change your tactic if you find that it doesn’t work. When I worked at Whole Foods Market, I held regular focus groups to ensure that my messaging, branding, and event marketing were landing and resonating with our customers.
With digital marketing, you can also focus on A/B testing – putting out multiple ads with different images, headlines, or calls to action (CTAs) to figure out what works best.
Use the 7 P’s
Did you know marketers have 7 P’s they use to guide their strategy?
They are product, price, promotion, place, packaging, positioning, and people.
Product refers to the quality of what you are offering and its likelihood to meet modern consumers’ needs. Continually re-evaluating your pricing will help you stay competitive in your market.
Promotion takes into consideration how you are getting the news about the product out. Place concerns where the product is sold, while packaging deals with how attractively it is packaged. Remember – promotion, place, and packaging applies to digital products and services, not just goods.
When you consider positioning, try to think of how you stand in the public’s opinion. The last P, people, refers to those both inside and out of your company. How are you relating to the rest of the world?
I would argue that the most important piece is the last P, people. Showcasing your brand’s story, the people behind it, and the people who are purchasing and loving it are critical to any marketing strategy.
Looking for Help with Your Digital Marketing Tactics?
If you’ve embarked on the journey of using marketing tactics to propel your company, we applaud you. It’s a bold but necessary step. And it can be a little scary putting yourself out there. Determining which tactics to adopt and which to leave at home can be tricky.
That’s why we want to help. At Elle Marketing & Events, we provide top-notch strategic marketing services to help you hone down your marketing mix. Contact us today.