It seems that every day something new is popping up in terms of marketing strategies. And this is not limited to how to market, but where to market, and who to market to, is also seemingly in constant evolution. In fact, if you are not new to the game, there may be buzz words and phrases that have emerged on the scene as of late that did not even exist when you first started your career.
However, the good news is, that with this modernity comes a wealth of knowledge. And thinks mainly to the internet and advancements in technology, you can learn and implement new strategies into your existing process, or start an entirely new one from scratch, with some element of ease. Think about pairing your original goals with the latest trends, and moves that propel you forward, this can help you better understand the need to elevate and help to identify which trends match the integrity of your business.
Update Your Education
If you are someone who has been away from formal education for a period of time, think about going back to school to learn about the latest innovations in your industry. Now, this can have a couple different angles of optics. Maybe you want to earn another bachelor’s degree, or work on the MBA you always hoped to. Or perhaps you want to go more of the personal enrichment route and look for certifications that you can add on to your existing academic resume.
No matter how you decide to update your education, you will need to think about how to pay for it. If this is not something that can come directly from your pocket, do not abandon the idea, because you definitely have options. Of course, student loans are one of the more obvious options, but before you look to borrowing money, what about scholarships? You can find college scholarships faster and start applying for scholarships quickly by using a free scholarship search and application platform. The best part of scholarships is that even the ones that on their own are not sizeable, can be combined to total out to significant savings in terms of your personal costs of updating your education.
Start a Podcast
Podcasts can be incredible marketing tools, especially with their recent rise in popularity. And using a podcast to improve marketing is definitely a new age strategy. Even if you are not terribly tech savvy, starting a podcast of your very own is not terribly difficult. In fact, often times it is reported that it is more difficult to generate content that makes sense for the brand and target market than it is to actually record each episode.
The idea here is that you will be sharing your expertise on a specific subject (your business most likely) with your audience in a way that keeps them not just returning to your podcast, but branching out and visiting your website, using your services, etc. If you are finding yourself getting stale in terms of content, invite special guests on, by collaborating with other professionals in your industry you are sharing even more information with your audience. You can also consider a more interactive approach, like having a portion of each episode be dedicated to answering questions that listeners have sent in. This is a great way to engage with your intended audience and also absorb some time in the episode with content that is relevant as opposed to stagnating or shortening each podcast.
Master Social Media
Love it or hate it, social media is a force to be reckoned with. You simply cannot afford to ignore the power of these platforms in terms of your marketing efforts. What you can do, however, is create a social media presence that is authentic to your brand and offers your followers an opportunity to see a different side of your business without it being too kitschy or unrecognizable.
This is a great opportunity to expand your team as well. Since social media is still considered to be relatively new, some of the more veteran members of your staff might not know all the ins and out’s of how to optimize each platform. Social media managers make a great addition to marketing teams because not only are they knowledgeable in the most modern ways to create a presence, but they will also be the ones to manage it as well. So instead of throwing together a strategy and crossing your fingers, you can employ one person or a small team of people to guide you in the direction that makes the most sense in terms of your goals, branding, and hopes for increased outreach.
Email Marketing
Email marketing can definitely generate more sales, but you have to be sure that you are doing it in a way that leads people to engage instead of archiving your emails before they are even opened. Here, you are going to be able to promote multiple angles of your business, including products, promotions, personnel, and even client appreciation. One of the best facets of email marketing is that it is completely customizable.
Some elements of effective email marketing strategies include short but impactful subject lines, personalization, visuals that add value, and mobile friendly features. That last one is a big one, too. Since in today’s world many people are checking the bulk of, it not all, of their emails on their smartphone, you have to pay attention to how your emails translate to mobile viewing. And taking that a step further, you also need to ensure that any further activity you hope your customers to take from your emails, is something that can easily be done from their phone.
Improve Customer Service
Even if your business has an incredibly effective customer service strategy, and a great reputation for executing it, you cannot afford to ever rest on your laurels. Customer and client demands are only getting stronger as time goes on, and you must be able to rise up and meet each new need as it arises. One way that many modern businesses are tackling this is introducing artificial intelligence into their strategy.
Even one change, such as using chatbots for 24/7 customer service can boost your business up significantly. By creating an environment for your customers where they know that they have access to answers that extend past traditional business hours, you’re showing them that you understand that these needs can often arise at odd times. They will be able to get the ball rolling on a resolution in a manner that is quick and convenient.
Also Read: How To Design An AI Marketing Strategy
