Most traditional marketing strategies just don’t work anymore. The power has shifted in the buyers favour. People can now get all the information they want at the click of a button, when they want it. Interruption advertising is severely diluted when the mindset of the buyer is one of: ‘Well, when I need something like that I will just Google it’.
So what do most companies do? They end up competing on price and driving their margins into the ground. With the rate of changes in technology, there is so much to keep up with that you probably find yourself on a bit of a hamster wheel trying to implement many different tactics - because you have been told that you should – most of which are not getting you anywhere.
But wait - there is another way! With this change comes a new opportunity. An opportunity to put your stake in the ground. You have a chance to cement yourselves as the ‘go-to business in your niche’. You have the chance to attract exactly the right type of enquiries that you are looking for. Digital marketing, or online marketing as it is otherwise referred to, has evened the playing field. Done correctly, you will be back in the driving seat achieving more from your marketing efforts with less resources.
The exact marketing practice I am referring to is Inbound Marketing. The ability to get customers coming to you, qualified and ready to buy. Yes, you did read that correctly!
Think about it…
In the old world:
- Your website is considered to be an online ‘brochure’.
- You try and get to ‘the top of Google’.
- Website visitors are encouraged to ‘Contact Us’.
In the new world:
- Your website should be full of interesting content (including video and other visual content)
- There should be an element of engagement and interaction – allowing comments and feedback, and social sharing for example.
- Your website should be designed around lead generation and conversion.
- You should develop multiple traffic tactics to attract high numbers of visitors to the site.
- Your website should use Personalisation (showing different content to different users) and Automation (where there are automated marketing events – for example a pre-programmed email series which gets sent when someone fills a form in).
Your customers expect this now at the very least, and if you are providing them with what they want when they want it – they are more likely to do business with you.
It is important to make the right first impression and from there you build the relationship.
How to improve your marketing strategy:
Step 1: Your website needs to be of the ‘new world’.
Step 2: You need an audience, and by audience I don’t mean just anybody! You need to define your exact target audience. Think about what your ideal customer looks like. Now think about how much happier you would be if all your customers fit this profile.
When you are targeting new customers it is always better to target your best type of customers, as these are the ones you enjoy working with most. So, start by defining what they look like! This is more than just defining your target market, you should define the individual within that market. Find out exactly how to do this here: Why Defining Your Buyer Persona Is Fundamental To Your Inbound Marketing Campaign.
Step 3: Get your message right.
Not everybody doing a Google search is sitting there, wallet in hand, ready to buy your product or service. If that is the only course of action you are offering, you will be loosing out on at least 99% of your web traffic. Your customer’s buying journey starts when they become aware of a need. From there they will research more, looking for comparisons between you and your competitors, and from there they will be ready to make a buying decision.
This is a process, if taken into consideration in your marketing strategy, where there is huge opportunity to influence buyers to choose you above your competitors. More on the buyers journey can be found here: The Buyer Journey Why Your Website Doesn't Work As Well As It Could
One thing is clear now, in order to improve your marketing online you need to improve the way you communicate and educate your potential customers. With the world of information at their finger tips, it is even more important that they begin to know, like and trust you early on in their buying cycle, in order to put you ahead when it comes to decision time.
Article by Leanne Mordue
