Businesses in different niches need different things to succeed. There’s no master list of what you need, and it largely depends on the nature of your business, your audience, how you work, and what you produce. But, there are a few things that all companies need if they want to do well. One of these is strong marketing campaigns.
Strong marketing campaigns are what get you noticed. Sometimes, if we look at two competing companies, it isn’t the one with the best products that makes the most money, it’s the one with the most effective marketing strategy. Even with the best products or services in the world, word of mouth is rarely enough. Long-term, it will undoubtedly help and can be crucial when it comes to building a reputation. But, you need more if you want to get noticed and you want your business to grow.
But, coming up with new campaigns and trying to better your old efforts as well as beat your competition, can be exhausting, not to mention costly. Fortunately, you don’t need something new, everytime you want to make an impression. Often, refreshing old campaigns, and getting them back out into the world is more effective, and a better way to build a recognizable brand.
Invest in SEO
Most businesses today have a website. Whether yours is the primary part of your business, a secondary way to make sales, or just a great way to communicate with your customers, its marketing value is enormous.
Using web content to reach a wider audience, and to offer extra value to both new and existing customers is a fantastic way to convert sales and drive traffic to your business. It’s also an excellent way to build email campaigns, and it should complement your other digital marketing channels well.
But, only if you use it well. A website that is never updated and doesn’t have a seo focus can be a total waste of time and money. Unfortunately, even sites which were once exceptionally useful can be left behind if they fail to utilize new techniques or update regularly. Things move fast online, and you must keep up.
So, take a look at your website. Invest some time, or money, in updating content and improving SEO. A refreshed site with a new focus can boost traffic and sales immensely.
Give an Old Ad a Bold New Look
Take a look at your most successful marketing campaigns. What made them so successful? Did they carry a powerful message? Sometimes, it’s a combination of factors, and often, we find that some advertisements simply hit the spot, capture the public’s imagination, and work better than others.
If you’ve had a particularly successful campaign, whether on a single channel or across different types of media, don’t just leave it languishing in your archives. Get it out and give it a fresh look. Change your branding and color scheme. If you’ve used music, find a new track, update an old campaign for 2020 and relaunch.
Change The Message
Alternatively, you may have an old campaign that still looks fantastic, that hasn’t aged and doesn’t look dated, is still fashionable and fits your brand. But, the message might not be relevant. Your offers may have changed; you might want to highlight a different area of your business or explain changes that you have made to your services.
In situations like this, using an old campaign, and keeping the look the same increases recognizability, and helps you to communicate your fresh message without confusion.
Get Personal
In 2020, personal touches are crucial. We expect personal communication from the businesses that we love. We’ve come to expect emails that use our first name, and social media updates. It’s the norm. But, it’s rarely as personal as it seems. It’s easy to add a name tag into an automated email, and millions of people are seeing the very same social media messages. It can be effective, sure, but is it personal?
Could you do more? A handwritten thank you note on a receipt or invoice can be a thoughtful bit of contact. Reaching out after a purchase to offer advice or ask if everything is going ok can set you apart, and even the small act of replying to a social media comment or review can boost loyalty and increase return custom.
Don’t Underestimate the Value of an Incentive
Incentives are a great way to boost ad campaigns. If you are just asking people to sign up for your email newsletters, ask yourself why they would? Every one of us is sick of spam. Our inboxes are filled with marketing materials, most of which never gets read, why would someone volunteer for more?
Offer them an incentive, even a small one, and they are more likely to sign up. They are also more likely to pay attention and respond to your other campaigns. Change incentives that you’ve offered before to reflect current promotions, and reuse your old campaigns.
Listen to Feedback
One of the best ways to gauge how well an ad campaign is working is by asking. Look at what people are saying about your business online, pay attention to the analytics of advertising efforts, and ask people what they like and dislike.
Keep all of this research, and when it comes to reusing old campaigns, make relevant changes, lead by real feedback and comments.
Change Your Format
If something is working well online, could you take it offline? Would the message be as compelling on TV, the radio or in print? Could you transform a successful campaign for use on another platform?
Show Your Existing Customers Some Love
Targeting new customers is crucial for growing any business, but you shouldn’t neglect the existing ones. Offer them new incentives, make sure you communicate new services with them first and offer updated loyalty deals and schemes to keep them coming back.
Make Sure Your Marketing is Relevant
Advertising will only ever work if it is relevant. You certainly wouldn’t do well-advertising luxury holidays at a time when no one can travel, and those Christmas adverts are unlikely to fare well in May. When updating campaigns, try to remove anything that’s no longer relevant or would obviously date your efforts.
