The importance of marketing is something that you cannot neglect, and for many companies, the marketing department is one of the most crucial wings of the whole enterprise. However, marketing strategies only work for so long before the public becomes resistant to it. They get bored with the constant reminders of this product or that service. Soon, your marketing strategies are just wasted resources and energy.
Some companies choose to double down and continue going with what they know, but you don’t need to be a marketing genius to see where this leads them. The companies that thrive are those who adapt, and perhaps it’s time your company did the same to save it from getting left behind.
An Online Presence
In this day and age, every business should have an online presence, and a Facebook page thick with cobwebs is not enough.
Even if your business is not something that typically engaged with the online community, it doesn’t matter. With more people spending all their time online shopping, making appointments, and communicating with friends, strangers, and businesses, it’s time you caught up.
While online marketing is the norm, for now, it’s one of those bubbles that could burst at any minute. More and more people are using ad blockers. People do everything they can to avoid being sold to online, especially if they’re trying to shut their brains off for five minutes.
With the growing unease with ads consuming most of the webpage you’re trying to view, there’s always the opportunity to go back to basics and advertise your company like they used to do before the internet took over.
Few people read newspapers anymore, so don’t waste the money taking out a page. Instead, you can focus on community-based events that show you care about the area. This helps introduce you to the people who enter your store every day and helps them put a face to a brand.
Taking a Risk
There’s also always the option to take a risk in your marketing strategy. However, beware this could backfire on your horribly.
That being said, in the current climate, it’s always worth the effort. We’ve seen it before with Wendy’s social media team calling out other companies and people Tweeting playful barbs toward them. If anything, it has enticed people further, which is the exact thing they wanted to happen.
When considering taking a risk with your marketing, still make sure you understand your audience and make sure you don’t overstep the marks of any cultural norms. Any publicity is good publicity, but you don’t want to be known as the brand that did that, do you?
No More Marketing Maladies
Inventing new marketing strategies for the modern age is not an easy thing, and it’s unlikely you’ll get it right first time. However, if you want to guarantee your business stays ahead in this fast-paced world, you need to make sure your marketing campaigns measure up to what your customers expect.
The image and reputation of your business are vital for the overall success of your brand. It’s not just the physical appearance of it that matters either, as to how people perceive other areas of your company is just as critical. A negative image can cause all sorts of issues from lower sales, reduced customer retention and higher complaint levels. In order to maintain a positive brand image and reputation for your company, there are a few simple things you can do to make the process really simple.
Take a look at some of the top ways to improve and sustain a good brand image to convert more sales.
Spruce up your premises
Whether your business is office-based or has a storefront, the outside appearance of it matters. If people walk past and see a messy and poor looking frontage, it immediately turns people off from entering the building. There are a few different ways to make it look more appealing; however, some do require a little more investment than others. Simply methods include putting a lick of paint over tired-looking walls or installing new fixtures to modernise the place. For larger projects, you could consider installing new windows and doors or repairing leaks with commercial roofing.
Create an online presence
Most people are online these days, so if your business isn’t, you could be missing out on tons of opportunities. Social media is the first port of call for improving your brand image and visibility. However, it’s always important to remember that there is also a negative side to everything being online. You’ll need to create a marketing and reputation management plan to ensure everything your publish is consistent with your overall brand messaging. Using social media will help you interact and engage with potential and current customers, and also allows you to target audiences to improve your sales.
Collaborate with other businesses
No business is an island, and you can’t afford to think that you are the top dog among your competitors (even if that is true!). Building a relationship with other businesses can help to forge strong bonds with like-minded individuals while potentially getting something more out of it in return. Collaborations and partnerships with suppliers is a great way to join together to enjoy better costs and opportunities. Plus, it gives you a positive image in your industry niche.
Move towards a sustainable model
There’s no getting away from the fact that climate change is affecting everything we do now and for the future. Businesses are at the forefront of media scrutiny, and this can affect how people shop for your products and services. Moving towards a sustainable model shouldn’t be seen as a chore but a way to improve your brand for the better, in both profit and responsibility. There are numerous things you can do differently to make smaller and more significant changes across your organisation. Check out resources online to make simple adjustments to your operations, but for the broader elements, look into hiring a sustainability and change expert to help revamp your business model.
Whether you are starting a business for the first time, looking for ways to bring new readers to your blog, thinking about starting an online store or business, or you are thinking about taking your established brick and mortar store online for the first time, digital marketing might be something that you’ve heard about.
Digital marketing has a great many benefits. It gives you an easy way to reach a large audience, it can be much cheaper than traditional offline marketing methods, and it can help you to get noticed as a modern and up and coming business. It can also give you much greater control over your marketing methods, and the chance to try a massive range of different things. But, first, let’s take it back to basics and look at what digital marketing is, and what it could do for you.
It’s easy to think that digital marketing is complicated and complex. Most things online and in business are. But, it doesn’t have to be. In fact, digital marketing can be much less complicated than more traditional methods as you can analyze the data, and see what is working more efficiently.
To put it very simply, digital marketing is methods of promoting and advertising your brand or business, or yourself if you work as a freelancer or sole trader, on the internet. It’s growing an online presence and using it to reach a wider audience, engage with your readers or customers, gain valuable feedback and find ways to improve.
Twenty-five percent of U.S. adults say they’re “constantly” online and 75 percent of American adults go online once a day and these numbers are rising all of the time, all over the world. So, it should come as no surprise that many of today’s most successful businesses see the internet as the best way to reach the largest audience.
What are My Options?
Digital marketing isn’t all about placing adverts on websites and social media. There’s a lot more to it than that. But, you don’t need to do it all. Once you’ve grown an audience, you can spend time (and money) on the methods that you feel will benefit you the most. Don’t waste your time trying to be everywhere, concentrate on being where your audience can find you. Grow your social media profiles, work with influencers, launch a blog to support your business, place adverts carefully, send marketing emails, make podcasts and videos, and explore the internet as much as you can.
Why Do I Need It?
The main advantages of digital marketing are cost and reach. You might eventually want a digital marketing team, but it’s also okay to do some of your online promotion yourself to save money. It’s also a way to get your audience to work for you. They’ll share your content and comment on your posts, helping you to get seen by even more people.
But, that doesn’t mean that it’s time to withdraw traditional marketing materials completely. There are still advantages to marketing offline and investing in traditional marketing methods.
It’s a trick question, right? Bricks and mortar stores can’t be successful in 2018 because of eCommerce. Shoppers don’t want to drive down to their local shop, pay for parking and usher the kids around the mall. Everybody would prefer to open their laptop and start shopping without the added hassle.
Although it’s true that eCommerce has taken over, there has been a swing in the pendulum recently. Stores are getting popular again as the rise of hackers and the generic online experience is scary and boring in equal measure.
Still, the old methods won’t work. To open a booming store in the 21st century, these are the bases you must cover.
Online Presence
Ironically, the branding will begin online because that is where the majority of traffic exists today. Opening a store in the middle of town and hoping passers-by spot the signs isn’t going to be effective. Not only are there not enough people to make significant conversions, but you can’t target the right audience. Nowadays, the successful high street stores start life as an eCommerce website and build up a base. Then, after they have the profits and customer base, they expand into malls and onto the street. Think about how cheap and hassle-free it is to start an online business.
Compartmentalization
Running a digital presence and a physical one is tough because they are direct competitors. Some customers will prefer the website and others will like the store. However, it’s essential that there is a drive to the bricks and mortar site, in the beginning, to raise awareness and boost traffic. Not to favor one over the other, but you should attempt to divert people into the store rather than through the digital doors. To do this, give them discounts and promotions that only exists in-store. It’s incredible how far shoppers will commute for 10% off.
Once the consumers are in the space, it’s crucial to make a connection. To let them wander around without investing in the experience will make the expansion a dud. However, people hate being followed and forced into a purchase, so it’s important to be subtle. Thankfully, scent marketing is on hand as smell affects 75% of a person’s daily emotions. Click here for more. Music is another way to create an atmosphere your base will love. There’s a reason sneaker stores play the hippest, newest beats around: it’s because their demographic is into the tunes. And, they need to appear current.
Beta Test
Online shopping and browsing bricks and mortar stores have some similarities. One of them is that customers hate buying things and then returning them. It’s why physical shops are becoming popular again because shoppers don’t want to waste their time with websites which falsely advertise. Still, returns happen if there is nowhere to try on clothes beforehand or if they are an afterthought. Make sure there’s enough room in the store for four or five them and police it so that shoppers don’t take too long.
Online retailers might be in front right now, but physical stores are here to stay. And, with these tips, so will yours.
There are a whole host of key components which go into making a business successful. Nowadays, one of the main areas of success revolves around a thriving online presence. This is because practically everything is online now and people see the Internet as a much more convenient tool, especially when it comes to finding and purchasing different products and services.
The main part of your company’s online presence will obviously be its business website. The first thing you see when you open a web page is the way in which it looks. If this first impression is a negative one then the chances are the individual viewing your page will simply close it and head to an alternative website. You need to ensure that your site looks clean and organized, that it has a strict colour and font scheme and that it is altogether pleasing on the eye.
User-friendly
Another important aspect of the web design of your site is how user-friendly it is. You may have a stunning web page, but if it is impossible to use and navigate then your potential customer will simply give up and go elsewhere. As has been said, the internet has become so popular largely because of the convenience it brings with it. Nobody wants to spend time and effort trying to figure out how to use a site because it is simply too confusing and complicated. There are a number of different ways you can enhance the performance of your website. It’s not just about navigation – it is about speed too. From using a VPS to host your website to compressing your files and discarding Flash, there are a number of ways you can make your website load quicker. You also need to think about matters such as website security and the trust signals displayed on your site.
Brand message
In addition to this, another reason why web design is a crucial area of your company is that it gives an overall feel and impression of what your business and brand message is all about. If your website has a friendly and welcoming feel to it, then people will assume that your company mirrors this too. On the other hand, if your website is boring and uninspiring, then this will obviously reflect badly upon your business.
If you want to have a successful online presence, which let’s face it you’ll need if you want to be competitive in today’s current economic climate, then you need to seriously consider the look and design of your website. Web design is absolutely crucial in ensuring that you leave your potential customers with the best possible impression of your company.
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