Hands up… do you get swayed by the latest marketing tool, platform or fad? We all want to try the latest shiny gadget and gismo to stand out from the crowd.
Don’t worry, you are not alone!
We are truly experiencing a fun and interesting time to be involved in marketing with lots of new tools on the market to help us promote our businesses. From lead magnets, click funnels, Facebook bots, online advertising, email automation and new social media platforms through to sales pages & lumpy mail – there are just so many ways to help us promote our businesses. But where do you start?
The simple answer is writing a Marketing Plan – get clear on what you actually want marketing to do. With the launch of our new website, we thought we would take the opportunity to re-write this article as it is still valid today – 2 years after the previous article.
We are working with a number of new of clients to help them remove the magpie syndrome – stopping them from wanting every new shiny tool going – helping them to get clarity on what they actually need. So, we thought we would put together our top 5 tips to help you stay focused:
1: Get Clear – Be You!
Look into the new tools you want to implement – look at the pro’s and con’s but ultimately it comes down to how they can be implemented into your existing Marketing Plan. If you don’t have a plan, then now is the time to start! Remember, tools are launched to help but will not suit every business. The more authentic you are and true to your beliefs, the better the success.
A couple of months ago, after hearing how other businesses had been successful with Facebook bots – I had my own magpie moment!!! I could clearly see how this could work and thought how I could implement it into my business. I spent the afternoon learning the details to make it work, setting up graphics and got it working on my account. It was only at this point that I sat back and thought – my clients (both existing and potential) are not there – there is limited scope for my business. This resulted in a wasted afternoon that I could have been concentrating on my email marketing campaign. We all want to be the best but you really do need to be clear and ensure everything you do promotes the business in the best light.
2: Know Your Audience
If you know where your clients / customers are then you can easily work out if a tool is going to help you reach them. Can you describe your ideal client by answering:
Where are they located, Where do they hang out – online, offline What is the age range / demographics What marketing do they respond to What marketing efforts speak to the customer.
If you would like help on identifying your ideal customer then we can help as our next blog post will be talking about the importance to really knowing who you are targeting.
3: Speak Up – Seek Advice
If you are looking to try new marketing tools but unsure if they are for you then it is time to ask a few questions. At Creationz Marketing we are happy to answer any questions you may have but also think to ask peers, forums, Facebook groups etc. Don’t feel you have to work on marketing on your own. Learning from others can help us save time and help you question if it is right for the business. Contact Creationz Marketing
4: Be Consistent
It is vital for marketing success that you don’t spread yourself too thinly. Concentrate on what works for the business. I have seen many businesses over the last few years who are trying to do too much and if they are honest, are not achieving what they want to achieve because their efforts are not focused.
A good example of this is not rushing in to set up profiles on every social media platform on the market – if you are clear on your business goals (No: 1) and know your audience (No: 2) and where they hang out, you can spend valuable resources on concentrating on the platforms that really matter for the business.
5: Understand Your Numbers
Before you try and launch a new marketing activity – do you know your numbers? By this I mean are you clear on what is currently working for your business, what is generating enquiries and more importantly the costs involved?
If you understand your numbers, you are better placed to see if the new tool will add value to your marketing efforts. There is nothing worse that spending time and money on marketing that does not work.
Make sure you know:
What you are spending on your marketing efforts,What level of traffic is being generated by each activity,What resources are going to be needed – time, money, equipment, software etc. If there is budget and scope to try new tools,How you are going to monitor new tools.
So, what next?
I am not saying that you must stick to what you know and not try new tools – just be clear that any new tools are aimed at your customer and will generate new business. Give yourself the time and space needed to be clear, don’t be swayed – look into all possibilities.
Remember, what works for one business, may not work for everyone.
There are plenty of new tools on the market and I am sure there are a lot more just on the horizon – embrace them but ensure they are the right fit for your business.
Marketing your business need not cost the earth if you plan and execute strategies effectively. Join us for our next training workshop on the 20th May 2019 at our offices in Beeston for hands-on training designed for you.
When: 20th May 2019 Where: Creationz Marketing, 96a High Road, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 2LF Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm
This half-day traiing will cover tips and tricks to help you market your business without breaking the bank – that will also make a difference to your business.
Simply, effective techniques are explored in detail so you can take them away and implement immediately.
Why It Is Important to Receive Testimonials for your Business!
Testimonials and reviews are extremely important to the success of any business. They help you to build relationships and are the basis of a potential new customer’s first engagement with your company. Having customer reviews for your business every step of the way is vital to improve traffic and enquiries – this leads to more sales – especially Google Reviews.
A testimonial or review is a recorded statement of a customer’s reflection on how credible your level of expertise is. They also build your reputation by mentioning the services you have given them and how trustworthy you are by saying if they would recommend you to others. This helps other potential customers see a bit about you before they contact you about your services.
A good testimonial can go a long way to set your business apart from competitors
Dealing with Negative reviews:
Testimonials are an extremely powerful tool in a positive way even when the review isn’t what you were hoping for. I think it’s definitely a strong argument that you can’t please everyone when it comes to business. Negative reviews are a learning opportunity that a lot of companies miss.
When a customer is not overly pleased with your product / service then it shows what kind of company you are with the way in which you deal with the negative complaint. It might seem like a massive kick in the teeth when you get a bad review. When you first see the review, you may get defensive about it, but the worst thing you can do is to start a dispute even if you believe you did everything right. Working to apologise and make sure processes are in place to respond correctly to negative reviews can really help boost your customer service journey.
How to ask for Testimonials…
Getting a customer to leave a review can sometimes be tricky as most are not sure of the process on how to leave their feedback on your services. So, making this process simple for them could be somewhere to start. Here are 5 simple ideas:
Use the back of your Business Card to give them some direction. List the options that they have to leave a review.
Create a Feedback Form that you could give them when you finish the job or send through the post with a prepaid envelope for them to return it.
Follow Up Emails can also be a form of feedback. Asking them how they like your product and how it’s made their life easier in some way.
Use Social Media to publicise your feedback capability and share pictures of work you a have done. Be sure to ask the clients permission first.
Your Website is another place you could use. If you don’t have a leave feedback section, then talk to your developer as you could be missing a trick.
I hope this give you an idea of the importance of reviews for your business. No matter the size of your company, gaining a testimonial from a customer can show other potential clients who you are and what you are like.
Kickstart your testimonial process today and see the results!
You are all geared up for marketing your business in 2019, everything is in place – BUT….
Do you know where you are at today?
Have you taken a benchmark of your numbers today – followers, engagement rates, web traffic, email list etc.
It is vital that you make a most of your numbers on a regular basis so that you can assess your activity and work out if it is successful or not. Don’t waste money on activities that are not working! In today’s marketing world, it is easy to spend time and effort in the wrong place if you are not careful.
We see a number of businesses wanting to hit the ground running with their marketing activity which is great, but they do not know their numbers and within a few months they cannot truly define if something is working or not. Often than not, marketing activity is continued over long periods of time as there is no way to see if it is working.
Take lead magnets as an activity – you could spend a lot of time and money creating fantastic guides & checklists and email landing pages but not knowing how many people are already on your email marketing list, it is not going to tell you how successful it is. Could your time and effort be better spent elsewhere?
Creationz Marketing offers a marketing support programme to help businesses really get to grips with their marketing – could your business benefit from an extra pair of hands where marketing is concerned? If so, visit our Marketing Consultancy page or call us on 0115 8376 260
Our top tip would be to spend 10 minutes just writing down where you are at today with your numbers and then this give you something to assess future activity – it will help you work out if it is successful or not.
We spent time yesterday doing exactly this exercise and we were very surprised at the results. Whilst some activities had grown considerably over the past 12 months, other areas need work, or our attention needs to be focused elsewhere. This will certainly be something we review on a monthly basis and it will help us to shape our marketing plan and be more effective.
Training
If you would like to put together a 12 month Marketing Plan that gives you clarity and action points then check out our Marketing Masterclass Training Programme
FREE Template
If you would like a FREE Benchmarking Template then just email claire@creationzmarketing.co.uk with FREE Benchmarking Sheet as the subject – together let’s shake up marketing in 2019.
Hope you can pop back soon
Claire
p.s We run a FREE Facebook Group called Marketing for Success Club so if you are serious about getting to grips with your marketing and keeping up with all the latest developments then pop over and join our community – Marketing for Success Club
