September 28, 2016
In developing a productive and accurate marketing strategy for your business, you must first understand the competition, the markets, and your company’s goals. Once a solid forecast and long-term sustainable plan are in place, you will then have the information necessary to build a comprehensive marketing strategy encompassing branding, lead generation, client engagement, and customer retention.
Today, there are dizzying varieties of tools for implementing an effective marketing plan. You must understand three critical components to develop your strategy:
- Marketing is not a one and done effort. You must consistently communicate a compelling message over time.
- The channels by which you reach your intended audience are evolving rapidly, and each generation has a preferred method of transmitting and consuming information.
- Repetition is important, but content is king!
Craft your messaging around the specific tools your company will use. For example, a tweet is limited to 140 characters, whereas public relations, websites, and direct marketing offer a functionally unlimited playing field to present yourself and your ideas.
In addition, you must understand your end users and determine the best way and best medium to reach them. For example, millennials will be more likely to respond to social media, whereas the silent generation, baby boomers, and Gen Xers have their own preferred ways of gathering and processing information. Collecting data on your customers will provide the analytics necessary to select the best tools to get the most compelling message into the most actionable hands.
Recognize that each medium and tool will require a substantial commitment of time, energy, and manpower to create a compelling message. I would suggest the following to make people aware of your message and build stickiness with your clients:
Update Your Website
- Refresh the look and feel. Simple, direct, and accessible.
- Update content regularly. No news means no visits.
- Focus, simplify, and refine your message. Enforce who you are and what you do.
Add E-Commerce
- Online store. Make it easy for people to conduct business.
- Customer portal. A quick gateway to place and track orders.
- EDI (electronic data interchange). Streamline the process while enhancing stickiness.
- Collaborative tools. Bind your client to your staff through interactivity in design and approvals.
Social Media
- Presence on the web. Establish and frequently refresh accounts on such sites as Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Personalize the message. Involve your staff in your vision.
- Digital portraits. Use short, 30-second-or-less video clips to introduce yourself to potential customers and reinforce why you are integral to your current clients’ success.
You must rethink your marketing reach, because the diversity of today’s marketplace is facing a generational divide of how people communicate, learn, and conduct their business. Create an internal committee composed of sales, IT, and customer service to drive the message forward.
So the answer to the question, “Is it possible to cover all the bases?” is yes. Not just yes, but a resounding, bases-loaded, down by three with two outs in the bottom of the ninth home run to clinch the World Series cheer of YES!!!
Like it or not, the way business is conducted has changed. If you don’t adapt to the new ways of the world, you may risk being thrown out at the plate.
John Clark is director of analytics at Amtech Software. He can be reached at jclark@amtechsoftware.com.
