You need more than one strategy. You need a strategy for
every opportunity.
Growing a business isn't easy. First,
you need a viable idea. From there, you need to discover a profitable niche,
define a target demographic and have something of value to sell them.
Whether you're peddling products, services or information, getting the word
out has become increasingly burdensome. And without the right marketing
strategies to fuel your growth, churning a profit and staying afloat is
virtually impossible.
However, identifying the right
strategies to market your business is often likened to rocket science. How do
you get your message to the right audience and do it effectively? How do you
boost visibility and increase sales while sustaining a profit with a converting offer? Today, with so much vying
for our attention from social media, to search engine optimization, blogging and
pay-per-click advertising, it's easy to see why most are ready to pull their
hair out.
The truth is that what got you to this
point in business is likely not going to get you to the next level. If you're
feeling stuck, join the fray. Most entrepreneurs are so busy working
"in" their businesses that they fail to work "on" their
businesses. As a result of dealing with the day-to-day operations of a
company that includes customer hand-holding, supply-chain demands and
more, we often neglect to wield the right marketing strategies that will help
fuel our business's growth.
What does it take to do that? Simply
put, you have to take a step back for a moment. You have to analyze and
understand the basic mechanics of your message and how to effectively reach a
larger audience without losing your shirt. The secret to all of this? No matter
what marketing strategy you use, if you don't have an effective sales funnel and optimize your conversions, you'll just be
throwing money away.
Most businesses are faced with a
conundrum. It's a Catch-22. There's a clear need for increased visibility to
drastically improve sales. But in order to get more visibility, businesses have
to spend more money. When that well runs dry, what are you supposed to do?
There is no obvious and clear answer
to that question that covers all situations. But there are things that can be
done today, right now, even on a shoestring budget, to reach more customers
without breaking the bank. However, it all boils down to time. If you lack the
money, you sure better have the time to put in the sweat equity.
Either way you slice it, as long as
the fundamentals of a sound business are there and you're working tirelessly to
build an authentic relationship with the consumer by sincerely trying to add
value, then there are 10 go-to strategies you can use to market any business online.
You can't ignore social media. That's
where all the so-called magic is happening. Some businesses have been built
solely on the backs of social media. It can be intimidating at first. Sure. But
as you build momentum, you'll find posting on social media to get easier and
easier over time.
Of course, you could also hire a
social media manager if you have money to burn. But if you don't, just be
yourself. Be authentic. Post your thoughts. Post your products. Post anything
that you find relevant and useful that would help your audience either learn
more about you and your business, or about the industry that you're in.
Use direct messages on platforms like
Instagram and even Snapchat or Twitter to reach out to other successful
businesses or even to communicate with potential customers who might be looking
for your products and services. This is very powerful marketing.
2. Create video tutorials.
One of the most effective ways to get the
word out on your business is to create video tutorials. Teach people something
useful. Walk them through it. Hold their hands. Step-by-step tutorials are all
the rage. The better you are at this, and the more value you provide, the
quicker you can boost your visibility, and ultimately, your sales.
Today, YouTube is the second largest
search engine in the world behind Google. Whenever someone wants to learn
something visually, they head there. You've likely done it yourself countless
times. So just ask yourself what you could teach in your business that would
help consumers solve some pain point? What got you into business in the first
place?
The hardest part? Hearing your own
voice playing back and even seeing yourself. Now, you don't have to appear visually
on camera, but you'll likely need to be heard. You get used to it over time.
But you can't ignore the visibility and reach of YouTube so get out there and
start making authentic and useful videos today, right now.
3. Start blogging now.
Sure, you could start a blog. If you don't have a blog for
your business, then you need to start one immediately. But you don't just have
to blog on your own blog. Most people find blogging mundane because they lack
the visibility. The truth is that your blog is going to be like a barren desert
unless you know what you're doing.
But this isn't just about posting your ideas on
your own blog. You should start authority blogging. Use platforms like Medium to
post content. Answer questions on Quora and Reddit. Or get out there onto
LinkedIn's publishing platform. These are all authority domains that anyone can
post on, which have massive audiences, giving you instant and immediate reach
right now.
When you do blog, ensure that you blog
effectively. Don't post thin content. Think about adding value. Worried about
revealing all your business secrets? Don't be. Give away the farm. Give people
so much value that you instantly become an authority in their eyes. This is one
of the most powerful strategies you can use to market any business.
This is an area of marketing that I'm
incredibly passionate about. But it's also an area that many people are deathly
frightened by. Yes, SEO can be frightening. But it can also be powerful. And
when you learn to leverage it and you learn SEO the right way, the
sky truly is the limit.
There are companies out there who
teach you how to use shady PBNs and other link schemes to "trick"
Google. It might get short-term results, but in the long term, you'll land in
hot water. You can't take shortcuts with SEO. Just like in business, you have
to put in the work and the time if you want to see the results.
Some tips for doing this the right
way? Don't spam keywords. Hands down. This is one of the biggest mistakes most
people make. Create your content for humans while also paying homage to search
engines. But more importantly, ensure that whatever it is that you're conveying
is insightful, engaging, unique and adds a tremendous amount of value.
5. Leverage influencers.
Want to get the word out there and
boost your visibility on social media without taking years to build the
audience? Then you should certainly leverage influencers. But the key is to
find the right influencer. You don't have to go with influencers with millions
of followers. You could opt for micro-influencers with tens of thousands or
even a hundred thousand followers.
The trick? Find the right influencer
in your niche so that you're targeting the right audience. It's not just about
spreading your message. It's about spreading your message to the right consumer
base. If you can do that properly, then you can likely reach a sizable audience
for not much money invested when you think about the potential profit it can
return.
If your sales systems and products are
in place, then this makes sense. If you have an offer that's clearly
converting, and it's simply about more visibility, then this is likely the
right marketing strategy for you right now. Assess the situation and reach out
to influencers and gauge their pricing. Do small tests and see what works, then
scale.
6. Build a great lead magnet.
So much effectiveness in marketing
really does boil down to creating a great lead magnet. I've found that the
right lead magnet presented to the right audience can have explosive results.
The best way to do this is if you can identify the right pain points and
present a solution in your lead magnet, then you're well on your way.
What problem are consumers facing
in your niche? What made you get into business in the first place? Ask yourself
these questions before building out your lead magnet. The better you identify
the problem or pain points at the outset, the better you'll be at actually
addressing that with a solution in your lead magnet.
What type of lead magnet should you
build? That could either be an ebook, a cheat sheet, a checklist, a video and
others. Of course, it's not just about the lead magnet. You have to have a
squeeze page with sizzling sales copy to
get people to drop into your funnel. But it all starts with a great lead
magnet. The better it is, the more effective you'll be at reaching your
audience.
One of the most powerful methods you
can use to market just about anything these days are Facebook ads. With
Facebook, you can reach a very specific audience and you can do it very easily.
You can target by interest, age, relationships status, geographic location,
and so much much more.
But the trick here to getting great
results isn't just about click-traffic. You have to focus on conversions and
re-targeting through pixels. If you don't know how to install the Facebook
Pixel on your site, then you absolutely must learn how to do this right now.
Even if you're not running Facebook ads, you can build your audience with a
pixel.
Pixels track everyone who comes to
your site, and you can build custom audiences around them. For example, if you
post content about how to learn to drive a semi-truck, and you track visitors
with pixels, you can then market truck driving certification to people who have
already shown an interest in that already because they visited that specific
page. And your conversions will skyrocket.
Do you have a video on your LinkedIn
profile? Did you know that you can easily add one? Why not take the time to
introduce yourself and your business. Link that to your profile description.
This is an easy way to passively market your business, and when it's done
right, it can lead to shocking results.
If you have lots of connections on
LinkedIn and you're not really posting on there, start immediately. You can
reach a large audience, especially when your posts go viral. This is a great
place to convey the entrepreneurial journey. Talk about your challenges and
tell stories. The more effective your stories, the larger your potential reach
when you go viral.
You can also reach out to other
businesses and collaborate with like-minded entrepreneurs on LinkedIn. It's a
great go-to resource for all things business and too many people overlook this.
Most people don't understand the power
of affiliate marketing. Affiliates can provide massive fuel for growth. But
approaching the right partners isn't always that easy. You have to have good
conversion if you want the bigger affiliate to take you seriously.
I've found that navigating the
affiliate minefield can be tricky. It takes persistence and it takes true grit
to make it through. Most of us get discouraged after a few setbacks, but you
can't allow emotions to get in the way when it comes to affiliate. Build an
affiliate program and start reaching out to potential affiliate who can assist
you.
Part of any good sales funnel is going
to be an email marketing sequence. These are the automated messages that go out
to users once they subscribe to your list. Use your email sequence to build a
relationship with the subscriber. Be authentic and transparent. And convey your
journey.
Use the email responses and clicks to
segment your list. For example, if someone clicks on a specific link, they've
clearly shown an interest in something. Tag that subscriber to market to them
later. If someone buys, tag them as a buyer. Identifying your buyers and the
interests of your subscribers is huge for segmenting.
When you do send broadcasts, split
test. Split test everything, in fact, You never really do know what's going to
be the most effective until you pull the trigger and really test it out. This
will help you understand what your audience responds to better, making you a
better communicator, and better able to sell to your customers.
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