Are you struggling with sales? Are you about to start your marketing campaign but have no real idea how to go about it?
One thing you should not do is just act without any real plan.
Here is why:
Imagine a small company – they sell good products and want to advertise them so they advertise in Yellow pages. However, not a lot of people are going to see that nowadays, right? They also give out flyers but every year those flyers have a different design and none of those matches the design of their banner. Their website is also constantly changing colors and contains no content relevant to their niche. Finally, they created a Facebook page, but never posted anything on it.
Our point – do not just do things for the sake of doing them! Carefully consider the methods and tools you are going to use and follow through.
Visual marketing
People like well-designed things, there is no shame in admitting it. We are subconsciously drawn to certain brands because we like the way their packaging looks or we just like the way they look and think that if an effort was made to design something so appealing, the product quality must match the design.
So, invest in a well-designed logo and a top-notch website.
But, as an entrepreneur, you must strive to take this a step further, and not only think about the digital but also invest in printed material. Posters, flyers, coupons or even some nice print business cards will show your clients that you are not only classy, but a serious businessperson as well.
Content marketing
You can easily reach potential customers if your content is relevant to them. Start saying goodbye to classical ‘push’ marketing as it is slowly being replaced by its subtle counterpart – ‘pull’ marketing.
So, how does it work?
Well, you write content (or have it written) that shows your expertise (but do not advertise your products or services in every paragraph) and search optimize that content for terms your customers are most likely to search. You can do research on your own or consult an expert. The point is to get your customers to come to you. From that moment on, the possibilities will be endless.
You can either offer some free product or content, or try to pitch your product on the spot.
User-generated content
Another great (and often very affordable) marketing strategy you can go for is user-generated content.
For example, organize a contest for the best one-sentence description of your perfume and ask your customers to share their ideas via social networks. Provide them with a unique hashtag which will enable you to follow your brand mention across platforms. Also, clearly define rules on how the winner will be chosen.
Your customers will love it as everyone likes to promote their own ideas and they will probably tag their friends, and by doing so, spread the word about your product. It is a win-win situation for both them and you.
Once you have chosen the winner, make sure you offer a reward and some sort of honorable mention (in the above-mentioned example, the winning description might be featured on your site or packaging). Also, thank anyone who participated so they don’t feel left out.
Genuine experience
Don’t forget that the experience your customers have with your products will also affect your marketing efforts because people talk. And if they are happy with your brand, they will recommend you to their friends. If they are not, on the other hand, they will share their discontent with their friends, as well as on their social networks. That’s why it’s important to engage your customers online so that you can listen to them, and react in a timely manner.
It has always been difficult to sell. However, marketing has nowadays developed into an art of tailoring your message to meet your customers’ need, into finding an appealing voice, as well as relevant and engaging content. In return, you are offered numerous opportunities to use those to sell more. Do not ignore them. And once you figure out what works best for you, stick to it!
