There is so much information out there to master marketing. It makes it hard to get attention and look believable. As we test new things, we don’t know if each new marketing idea will work or not. How do we keep from making ourselves crazy?
Thoughts of the day: Hang in there when looking to master marketing. Build muscle and results through practice. Play by the rules and play for long-term results. Just get started. Make sure you have the right team for the game you want to play.
Begin with the end in mind
Master marketing by thinking of it as a game of darts. You start off with fresh eyes, strong throws, and score an early win. As the game drags on, points don’t come so easily, anxiety hits, you start to try different throws — some work, some don’t. By the end of the night you’re tired, throwing wildly, missing the bull’s–eye more than hitting it; you just want the game to be over.
Start with what you know works in marketing. But don’t stop there. Work systematically as you seek to expand your reach. Add people to refresh the team. Document what’s working.
Master marketing is a process
Marketing calls for precise planning. And practice makes perfect. Line up exact targets. Watch the scoreboard, aka analytics and key performance indicators. Experiment by throwing a few random darts to see what your audience likes.
Score points when your target audience recognizes you. Win a game when buyers take action. Accumulate points through the consistent look and feel that’s presented in multiple ways, such as print ads, website, billboards, uniforms, social media, radio and TV ads, leadership articles, etc. Aspire to play often and be everywhere your customer is.
Measuring marketing takes time
Analyze what gets noticed. Keep in mind the old adage that you need to touch customers a minimum of 8 to 10 times to get recognized. Think of campaigns as journeys your audience takes to accumulate 8 to 10-plus touches.
Boosting a post on Facebook might get you to reach and probably some likes, but social media is just a piece of the game. It’s powerful, but still just one part of the whole. Don’t get lost there.
Run multiple campaigns simultaneously. Launching a new product? Let potential customers know about it. Simultaneously work to increase overall brand awareness with existing and new customers. Remind former customers that you’re still out there, drawing them back to make another purchase and to refer you to their friends.
For a general marketing campaign here are some suggestions to get started:
- Send a five-question survey to existing customers — why do they love your brand;
- Decide on “offers” and test their appeal;
- Target your market through specific demographics. For example, suburban homeowners with a household income of $100k-plus, men or women ages 35 to 50, businesses with more than 50 blue-collar employees;
- Combine vehicles: print advertising, boosted posts on Facebook, scheduled tweets, Instagram posts, mailers, phone calls;
- Map out and schedule what goes out when so efforts complement each other; and
- Assign someone to oversee each campaign, including design, implementation, data gathering, analysis, and tweaking.
Best practices in marketing
There are ways to build marketing campaigns to fit every size budget. If your budget is really small, combine forces with another business that has a similar audience. Incorporate community volunteering to boost visibility. Build a network of people who are all promoting each other.
Boost team strength by continually adding people with a span of personalities and approaches. Creativity, analytic skills, and project management ability are all necessary. Boost results by adding both employees and vendors to your team and delegating when you get tired.
“The One Page Marketing Funnel: How to Quickly Generate 10X More Leads with Zero Tech Overwhelm” by Aaron N. Fletcher.
