10 Marketing Strategies to Win in 2018

1) START BLOGGING

In a digital environment where we're inundated with a constant flow of information, creating authentic, valuable content that stands out from the crowd and offers something real to your consumer is essential to lasting success. One of the most effective ways to become a thought leader in your industry is to start taking blogging more seriously. You should aim to produce one solid blog post a week, with the option to pepper in more if you have special announcements, deals or time-sensitive material to share. Be mindful of how many “extras” you pepper in to avoid being the object of the “unsubscribe” button.

NEED HELP: Starting a blog, writing awesome content or editing the material you already have? We know a thing or two about blog life.

2) CREATE AN AUTOMATED EMAIL CAMPAIGN

If you don’t already have one or more automated email campaigns in place, now is the time to take email marketing off your manual to-do list and work on strengthening your “set it and forget it” approach. With 2018 just around the corner, creating a plan now means getting the most out of your database from quarter one to the end of the year. Here are a few simple steps to get the wheels turning:

• Define the campaigns you should have in place (retargeting campaigns, cold lead campaigns, referral campaigns, testimonial campaigns, this-or-that-specific-type-of-customer campaigns, etc.)

• Build out your contact lists for each campaign

• Design your email template

• Write your content

• Schedule your content

• Sit back and let the magic happen

Don’t have time to tackle building ALL the campaigns your business could benefit from in one fell swoop? That’s okay, one at a time is better than none at a time.

NEED HELP: Strategizing, designing or building your email marketing campaigns? We’d love to chat about programs we love, design plans and how to engage your audience with valuable content.

3) HOST TRAININGS & WEBINARS

If you’re a business owner, chances are you have an established expertise in your industry, and chances are you could figure out a few valuable nuggets from your vast area of expertise that your audience would love to learn more about. Coaching and training, especially via an online platform, is a rapidly growing lead generation and revenue producing activity and one you’re likely not utilizing enough in your business. Grow the crap out of your email list by offering a free webinar on a valuable topic or put together a step-by-step guide or training packet that educates your audience around a point of interest or point of pain {something they want to learn more about or something they struggle with}. Giving value to your audience for free creates trust and positions you as the “go-to” person should your consumer want to learn more, buy a product or service or figure out how to get started with something.

NEED HELP: Coming up with seamless presentation materials for your webinar or building an eye-pleasing guide or training packet for your audience? Contact us today.

4) CREATE & SCHEDULE A SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN

Having a plan of attack for your business’s social presence goes a long way in helping you build influence without wanting to pull all your hair out. First, you’ll want to decide which platforms are most effective for your business. This means evaluating where your ideal audience is spending most of their time. Once you’ve decided which platforms are right for you, do a little research on what types of posts are most effective on which platforms {we’ll give you a little hint: Facebook users love video, Instagram users love inspirational and personalized messaging and Pinterest users love a good list}. Now that you understand HOW people are consuming content on your platforms of choice, it’s time to build out content so you can set it and forget it. Aim to build out content for all your social media platforms one month in advance, this allows you to get ahead of the “last-minute” effect while still keeping you current with relevant topics and conversation threads. Once your month’s worth of posts are built out and ready to go, use a social media scheduling tool {of which there are many} to schedule each post throughout the month at the optimal days and times. This will allow you to ORGANICALLY pepper in additional content as desired or needed without sacrificing your consistency.

NEED HELP: Formulating, designing, writing and learning how to execute your social media strategy? Let’s get plan-y with it.