Thought Leader Series: Simplifying Business Marketing

Susan Payton is the President of Egg Marketing & Communications, a content marketing & social media firm. She’s written three business books, and blogs about small business on sites including Forbes, AllBusiness, and The Marketing Eggspert Blog. If you haven’t been doing much in the way of marketing because you think it’s too technical or costs too much money, this post was written for you. While certainly you can delve into more complexities with your marketing, the fact is: there are a lot of simple tools and strategies you can use to get great results. Here, find 10 ways to do just that.

1. Email: Set It and Forget It

Email marketing is such a useful tool in reaching your target audience, but for many, the idea of creating professional-looking templates and updating emails seems like a lot of work. But once you create an email marketing campaign, you can automate it to send whenever someone new subscribes to your list, rather than scurrying to create one every time your list grows. Use evergreen content that won’t seem dated and keep your offers and links updated.

2. Blog: Create a Content Calendar

If you’re using a blog to provide useful information to your audience, you may get overwhelmed trying to come up with new topic ideas. That’s where a content calendar is helpful. Start by inputting all of your marketing campaigns and special events throughout the year. Then build content ideas that reflect those events so you’re tying in with what’s important to your company. Fill in the gaps with other topics, and you save a ton of time not having to think of something to write about at the last minute.

3. Marketing Offer: Match Your Offer to Your Lead Demographics

Not every sales lead that comes in is in the same stage of the buying process. One might be looking for information while she’s researching, while another may be ready to compare solutions. Create offers to match every niche of your lead database so you provide exactly what they need when they need it.

4. Social Media: Use Scheduling Tools

Rather than logging onto social sites several times a day, get smart and use a tool that lets you schedule your updates in advance across several social channels. Hootsuite is a great tool for this, and you can manage Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more from one place.

5. Online Ads: A/B Test Your Ad Campaigns

If you use pay-per-click ads to reach your audience, make sure you’re using precise language to get best results. Do that by running two similar ads with different verbiage. Compare results, then put all your efforts into the more successful one.

6. Productivity: Get Help

The fact is: you can’t do everything yourself. You’re busy running your business and handling all sorts of details. Know when it’s time to bring in an extra set of hands. That might mean working with a qualified partner, hiring a marketing firm, a freelancer, or even a full-time employee.

7. SEO: Keep Keywords in Mind

Search engine optimization is essential if you want to be found online. But rather than making it a huge effort, incorporate some thinking about using the right keywords in everything you do online, from tweaking your web copy to writing blog posts and social media updates. Less is more: use one or two keywords per page of copy to help people find you.

8. Customers: Use a System to Stay Organized

Without the right tools, it’s easy to let a lead slip through the cracks. Look at customer relationship management software to keep track of customer data and track leads. You can assign tasks to your team to follow up, connect with customers via social media, and take notes on calls you’ve had with a client.

9. Networking: Look for Opportunities

You never know where you’ll meet your next customer. Attending local business networking events is a great way to connect with other business owners and forge relationships that could, down the road, lead to new business. Focus on being an indispensable resource rather than pushing your sales agenda.

10. Overall Marketing: Find the Right Channel for the Job

The key to successful marketing is knowing your audience. You might get a better response rate via direct mail than social media. Knowing your customers and how they like to receive your marketing messages is the secret to successful marketing. Use this information to create highly targeted messages that appeal to exactly who you’re trying to reach. With these 10 tips, you’ll be on your way to making your marketing campaigns both simpler and more effective. Take the first step in simplifying your marketing. Contact us to see how we can help take your marketing to the next level.