Tips For Developing A Relevant Marketing Strategy

No matter how good your product or service is, it will not be successful without a good marketing strategy: it is an essential element for any business that is in a long-term approach. However, today, marketing strategies are changing rapidly and constantly, especially thanks to technology which creates new opportunities. So there is so much information on marketing that there is not really a best practice and it all depends on you, your brand and your market. But let’s look at some basic tips and principles for a relevant marketing strategy.

10 Tips For Developing A Relevant Marketing Strategy

Determine The Target Audience

One of the most important tips in a marketing strategy is determining who the target audience is. This is one of the basic principles for a marketer to shape a long-term marketing strategy. By determining your target audience, you determine their expectations for any new marketing strategy.

Asking questions about strategy is essential. The decision to invest a certain budget via social media, to reach its target in a certain area, must be aligned with the objectives set. For example, is increasing 1,000 Twitter followers a priority for the business? Is a key goal of content marketing to increase leads? There are a myriad of strategies to consider that speak to a target audience.

Create And Document Your Strategy

Marketing departments are constantly reviewing or evaluating marketing techniques or strategies. Having a clearly defined plan in place can help mitigate any communication issues with providers or employees.

By sharing the marketing plan, employees know their role and what they are expected to bring to the company. It may seem simple, but in the end, you will save time and money. Using a common marketing calendar divided by month with relevant categories is a simple technique. For example, for a startup, the list of categories might include product launches, audience acquisition, public relations, social media, and advertising.

Personalized Marketing

Marketing must be personalized. However, nowadays with automation, one-to-one marketing has become more of a challenge. In order to acquire and retain loyal customers, personalized marketing is no longer an option, but a must.

Millennials in particular are looking for an emotional connection to a brand, word of mouth recommendations and online reviews. For example, a waiter at a local pub might know a customer’s favorite seat or bring them their favorite scotch to the table. It’s human nature and despite massive technological changes and advancements, the human touch still matters a lot in marketing and communications.

Remember: Content Is King

Content marketing is marketing. However, good writing and the development of quality content should become the rule, regardless of the industry. Content marketing has emerged in marketing strategies to become one of the core strategies. However, it can take a long time when done in-house. Moreover, when it is outsourced, it can cost between €2,000 and €20,000 per month.

It is therefore important to determine what the team can handle and when to hire a specialist. Do you have a team member with graphic design experience? Keep that in-house. Need someone to write an ad copy? Hire a copywriter.

Whenever possible, try to use time-saving strategies. If the sources of information are limited, do not try to create everything from scratch. Good content marketing takes time to produce. On the other hand, there are some strategy tips that can speed up the process. For example, delegating writing or research to knowledgeable team members, writing articles that have the same basic format for different mediums, and creating new content that reinforces existing marketing content can save you time.

Develop Partnerships

In marketing, partnerships have many advantages for stimulating a marketing campaign and strengthening alliances. When collaborating, companies tend to provide better content. Additionally, partnerships in marketing are cheaper to create, see success faster, and expose the brand to a new audience.

For example, before being acquired by eBay, Half.com worked in partnership with the town of Halfway, Oregon to change its name to Half.com in exchange for stock, internet access and other benefits. The tactic has attracted a lot of attention for the textbook rental company. Another example was when Converse teamed up with Guitar Center to record music called “Rubber Tracks.” The content was then used to create a series of musician-focused YouTube videos.

Collaborate With Influencers

Another way to get in front of a new audience and expand brand awareness is to collaborate with top influencers in your industry. As an example, home improvement store Lowe’s allowed “top designers and mom bloggers” to use its Instagram account for a few days. By allowing influencers to share inspiring content, Lowe’s was able to reach a new audience.

Be The Solution – Start Helping Customers Solve A Problem

A great way to build customer loyalty to your brand by creating a lasting impression is to provide them with solutions. According to HubSpot, “you exist because you provide solutions.” Creating practical content, offering relevant exclusives to customers, making their lives easier, answering and listening to their questions via apps, social networks, or newsletters are all key techniques.

Create A Forum – Let Customers Interact

No matter what product or service you offer, your customers want to interact with your business or at least with other customers. For example, American Express connects small business owners with each other and provides helpful resources through its OPEN forum.

Consulting For A Marketing Strategy

Mobilize and involve employees – other than those in the marketing department

Let employees be your biggest brand ambassadors and advocates. Sponsorship and brand awareness help introduce a business to activities or events that affect the entire business.

For example, sponsoring a car race that raises money for cancer research will motivate employees to share the event or photos of it with friends and family.

Use Big Data To Target Customers

Big Data now helps merchants target specific customers and it can also be used to predict buying trends. For example, Red Roof Inn uses information from canceled flights to send messages to stranded travelers. A pizza chain uses data to send coupons to customers who experience bad weather or power outages. In short, big data can be used to predict buying trends. With this information, you can connect with consumers before they start looking for your products or services.

Tips For Developing A Relevant Marketing Strategy

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