Magic To Marketing

Let the Show Begin...

The stage is set, the lights drawn low, the atmosphere heavy with anticipation, a hush falls across the crowd as the audience waits with baited breath, poised for the magic to happen…

18 Proven Marketing Strategies
How many times have we witnessed the perfect, almost magical execution of a marketing campaign? A campaign that ties in every idea and brand concept, that not only reaches its target audience but grabs the attention of the multitudes, grows, goes viral and becomes synonymous with the very product itself. This seemingly seamless waltz of idea and ideals of performance and perfection brought together with an effortless wave of the wand?
 
Unfortunately, there is no magical spell or wizard’s incantation for a successful marketing strategy that works in the real world.
Yet, there are formulas, keys, recipes if you will that can put you on the path to successful marketing and make your success seem almost magical.
The single key concept of marketing is connecting your business’ value, (what you have) to the right customer base (those who want what you have). In itself a simple concept, black and white, right?
 Well, not exactly, just as there are literally hundreds of shades of grey between black and white, so too are there a multitude of shades between having what you got and your customers getting what you have. We begin by setting the stage.
There are five basic questions to begin laying the groundwork;

1. What are the demographic profiles of your customer base?
2. Where do your customers work, reside and relax?
3. Where do they go and how do your customers use their internet?
4. How do they search for and find the products in your niche?
5. Who do they turn to and who do they trust when forming connections with your product or brand?

Depending on how you can answer these questions will determine which marketing strategies will work for you and those that will not.
You will find that over half of the following options may prove to provide a viable return on your investment of time and talent. Indeed, three or four may have enough initial merit to justify a trial run of a month or so. At least one may have the potential to skyrocket your growth over the next four quarters!
Yet, your unique business demands a unique marketing approach, what you will find is that no one single option alone will make the magic happen. Despite what you may have heard, not everyone uses Facebook!
While there is no easy solution or magic wand that will revolutionize your business overnight, there are steps to take. What are they? How do you implement them? I literally have no clue what will work for you and your unique ideas, because I do not know you, I do not know your business, I do not know your customers and I haven’t heard your dreams…YET!
Success is earned, it is hard work well done and while there may be no magic to achieve this success there are methods, key concepts or ‘ingredients’ that you can use and combine to reinvent and reinvigorate your marketing strategies. To grow your business. To grow your brand. To Succeed.
So Let's Begin…
1: Advertise on Facebook: Two million small to medium-sized businesses advertise on Facebook; it’s an inexpensive and effective way to market to virtually any audience that uses Facebook.
 
2: Instagram post: With over 90 million photos and videos being shared by 28% adult internet users makes this a valuable marketing venue. There are a variety of ways to make the post work for you.
 
3: Claim your Google Business listing: Ranking your Google My Business (GMB) listing is one of the most powerful things you can do for your business. In fact, if you run a local business targeting local clients, I might just say it is THE most powerful strategy available to you.
 
4: Invest In content marketing: 18% of marketers say that content marketing has the greatest commercial impact on their business of any channel in 2016.
Content marketing is not easy, however, and requires every element to be done right:
Quality content
Relevant topics
Optimized for SEO
Optimized for readers
Consistent content creation & promotion
 
5: Grow your organic social reach: Using social media for business is really a non-negotiable. 67% of consumers use social media for customer support, and 33% prefer using social media instead of the telephone. If people can’t find your business via social media, they will look for your competitors who ARE present on preferred social channels. The real question isn’t whether you should have active social media accounts, its how much time and resources you should be investing in growing your social audiences. For some businesses, it makes sense to invest heavily in organic social media growth.
 
6: Build an email marketing funnel: Email marketing is the cornerstone of digital marketing. Most of the people who visit your site will not buy from you immediately. Capturing contact info for additional marketing and “lead nurturing” is the best way to sell in 2016, and email remains the highest converting channel for interacting with leads.
Benefits of email marketing include:
Low cost
Global Reach
Easy to automate
Easy to segment
Immediate communication
Easy to set up and run
Easy to track and optimize

7: Post On YouTube: YouTube marketing comes down to picking a few key areas where you feel you can deliver true thought leadership, entertainment, or some kind of value, and then mass producing content that falls within those areas. As soon as you start thinking this way, you’ll find it much easier to come up with good content that falls in line with your larger strategy.
 
7: Host a webinar: A webinar is essentially a seminar that takes place online. It can be in the form of a presentation, demonstration or discussion. Webinars are often used as lead magnets for email marketing and the right topic can drive a large batch of new subscribers to your list. It can also be used to build credibility with your current subscribers.
 
8: Offer a free consultation: When it comes to professional services, people want access to expertise. If you have done a good job of positioning yourself as an expert or authority in your niche, promoting a free consultation is a great way to generate new leads. If you have a good interpersonal sales process in place, it also sets you up to close a large percentage of leads.
 
9:  Incentivize employees to refer new clients: Referrals are one of the best ways to find new customers, and who better suited to obtain referrals than your current staff? Your employees know your product or service. They know your customer base. Some of them will take initiative without financial motivation, but most won’t, and those you bring in new business should be encouraged to repeat the process with financial or otherwise meaningful reward. Offer incentives to your staff members who refer new clients. It doesn’t necessarily have to be monetary.
A sleep-in day: staff gets to sleep in late for a certain period of time.
Membership to publications (of their choice).
Vouchers for massages, movie nights, restaurants.
 
10: Advertise in trade magazines or niche print media: While much of the world has moved online, print media still exists, and in some niches, it still thrives. As recently as 2014, retail consumers cited printed materials as the chief sources of information behind their purchasing decisions. Print media is rarely effective as a solo marketing strategy. It is best used in conjunction with online marketing strategies, with the two channels arranged to complement each other and create an engaging experience for potential buyers.
 
11: Write a column: If you are a decent writer, sharing your expertise in the form of weekly or monthly write-ups can do wonders for your brand. This isn’t usually a situation where you get paid, but it’s also not a situation where you have to pay. These columns give you the opportunity to make consistent contact with an audience, building an actual relationship with the publication’s readers. That audience then begins to think of you when they think of experts in your field.
 
 
12: Join a local business Chamber or group: Joining local business groups will give you the opportunity to meet up with other like-minded people who already share some common ground with you: owning a business. While a lot of more general entrepreneur groups exist, there might also be some niche-specific groups and meetups in your area. These groups are a great opportunity to bounce ideas off other smart people, share referrals, find talent, and identify new opportunities. They are also a major catalyst in expanding your network around the city in which you live. Connections tend to multiply, and if your group takes networking seriously, you can leverage your seemingly minor connections into many significant ones.
 
My personal ones are GOA Regional Business Association, Gone 3, Freedom I, One More Customer and MasterMind Business Networking. Want more information give me a call.
 
13: Partner with other businesses: Teamwork is always more effective than singular effort, and combining resources with another business can help you do things you could never accomplish on your own. It’s typically best to target companies in your local area, even if your clientele isn’t local. Your goal is to work out a complementary arrangement that provides mutual benefit for both businesses.
 
14: Launch a direct mail campaign: Like print media, direct mail marketing is not dead. As online channels become more and more saturated with content, fewer companies look to direct mail, and that means opportunity for you. Like with any marketing strategy, success comes down to targeted creativity. You can’t just spam people and expect a return on your investment. Just like you need to compel people to click your blog post headline, you need to compel mail recipients to open your letter or read your postcard.
 
15: Speak at events: In terms of branding and establishing yourself as an authority, few things are more impactful than being a speaker at popular events in your niche. While invitations to speak at larger events are often extended as a result of accomplishments or visible influence, you can also work your way into these opportunities by becoming a talented speaker and delivering great talks at smaller events. Or you can simply use it as another marketing channel, by speaking at some of these types of events:
Local clubs – think Rotary, Lion’s, Kiwanis’s
Chamber of Commerce.
Business networking groups.
Specific interest clubs (photography, hiking, sewing, etc.)
Browse local events on Eventbrite.com and Meetup.com.
Schools.
Churches.
Check events in your local newspaper and magazines.
Big companies and their employees.
Be prepared, and treat every event like a big deal.
 
I am not very fond of 15 & 16 but they are ways to market yourself that work for some companies. I would use them at your own risk and discretion.
 
16: Use Google Ad words: There are more than 40,000 search queries on Google every second. No other advertising method has the potential to get your business before that many pairs of eyes. Costly but an idea.
 
17: Run a coupon deal: Whether you sell a product or offer a service, you can use coupon deal sites like Group on to quickly promote your business. But be careful you might only pick up bargain hunting customers and not repeat business.
 
18: Teleprospecting: You need to follow up or have someone (like Larson & Associates) make a follow-up phone call. If you don't do a follow up don't do the marketing. It more times than not will be a waste of time and a waste of money.