That marketing is key to the success of any business is undeniable. But when it comes down to creating a marketing campaign that is both efficient and reflective of your company’s values and goals, striking a balance among all elements involved is never easy.
Undoubtedly, posting compelling website content and setting clear goals are important steps, but there are many more elements that come into play. Find out more about the components of a well-rounded marketing strategy below – and make sure that yours isn’t missing any!
First Things First: Hiring The Right Type Of Marketing Agency To Help You Grow
Depending on the nature of a company, business owners end up designating between two and 10% of their revenue on marketing efforts. And yet, the majority of marketing strategies fail to reel in the expected results.
Although there are several reasons behind underperforming marketing efforts – including failing to provide value and a lack of clear goals – the main culprit is the difficulty of marketing departments to create a strategy that aligns with the company’s aims and long-term vision.
What’s more, the digital landscape is unprecedentedly crowded, making it harder for small business owners without the support of marketing experts to establish and maintain a competitive edge.
So, even if your current strategy already involves the elements below, working with a typical performance marketing agency can help you level up your marketing strategy’s quality and boost your chances of seeing the expected returns.
12 Elements Of A Winning Marketing Strategy
With every marketing campaign being inherently unique, it can be hard to determine what elements to include. The ones below can help you create a well-rounded strategy – but don’t forget to leverage your business’s unique selling point or values!
Social Proof And Testimonials
That consumers tend to follow the recommendations of someone they respect and trust isn’t something new. After all, this is the principle at the core of word-of-mouth marketing!
But with the advent of digital means, a lot has changed, especially in terms of how and where users seek recommendations. That is why you’ll need to provide social proof when marketing your business or products digitally!
Some great ways to do so include providing testimonials on your website, investing in influencer marketing, and seeking accreditations or approvals from experts in the industry.
A Bulletproof Content Strategy
“Content is King”.
The chances are that you have heard this phrase multiple times while working on your marketing campaign. And, in today’s digital-first landscape, it could not be more true.
However, when curating and posting content, it is crucial to create the right mix of material to deliver value, engage your audience, and showcase your company’s values. A few elements of an efficient content strategy should include:
- Omnichannel delivery
- Customized content
- High levels of accessibility
- Evergreen or cornerstone content
- Occasion-based content
- Multi-media marketing, including video content
- An overarching pattern or theme
- An editorial calendar to manage and track your content’s performance
Social Media Marketing
Social media platforms are powerful and affordable marketing tools that no business should overlook. Even if you only have a handful of followers, an Instagram or Facebook community can be an invaluable resource to show more about your brand, post visually appealing content, and, even more importantly, interact with existing and prospective customers.
Email Marketing
Email marketing has largely been overshadowed by the advent of social media, but it is important not to underestimate the essential role it plays in a well-rounded marketing strategy.
According to estimations, email marketing is the strategy with the highest average ROI, and nearly 70% of the businesses polled refer to it as their highest-earning marketing effort.
What’s more, transactional and promotional emails allow you to deliver value directly into your subscribers’ mailboxes, creating an essential stepping stone in any well-planned marketing funnel.
Pro tip – Make sure to learn more about the local privacy laws before sending out marketing emails to your contacts!
A Solid Digital Presence
Thanks to tools such as Google’s Local 3-Pack and directories, prospective customers might have direct access to all essential information about your business. Nonetheless, a modern and efficient business website is an irreplaceable element of any organization’s online presence.
When creating or updating your business site, make sure to focus on mobile-friendliness, user experience, page loading speed, and cybersecurity.
SEO And Local SEO Strategies
Search Engine Optimization is a digital marketing strategy that underlines several others, including creating efficient product descriptions and designing a performing website. However, for small businesses and those organizations expanding in new markets, Local SEO might be just as important to tap into the local audience.
Paid Search Advertising
Pay Per Click (PPC), native ads, social media ads, Google Shopping promotions, email marketing ads, and display ads are only some of the paid search advertising techniques you can use to improve the level of awareness about your business’ products, or promotions.
Reputation Management
Today, over 93% of consumers make buying decisions based on online reviews. But, beyond simply replying to Google reviews, it is important to include a solid brand reputation management strategy within your marketing mix.
According to Gartner, reputation management is defined as the process of tracking how consumers perceive a product or brand and using the insights gathered to make better business decisions.
Coupons And Promotions
Promotions, discounts, limited-time offers, and coupons can be used in marketing. Beyond simply attracting the leads at the lower end of the sales funnel, coupons and offers can work as a hook and entice prospective customers to try your product and get to know your brand.
Some great ways to draw interest to a new promotion include running contests on your social media profiles or adding a promotional banner to your website.
Thought Leadership
Becoming a thought leader in your field or niche is an efficient way to build your audience’s trust and provide added value to prospective users.
Although there are several ways to showcase your knowledge or experience, some efficient channels include your website’s blog, social media pages, digital resources (i.e.: how-to guides and eBooks), and webinars.
Data Analytics
As seen above, setting clear goals and KPIs is critical to the success of any marketing campaign. But to understand how well your marketing efforts are working, or how your campaign should be adjusted, you’ll need to analyze the data.
Thanks to tools such as Google Analytics, gathering and elaborating data from your website and online pages have never been easier. But don’t forget to dig deeper and monitor how your audience reacts to your marketing efforts.
Offline Advertising
Although offline advertising isn’t part of digital marketing strategies, it is certainly a component of a well-rounded effort to grow and establish your business.
So, while billboards might no longer be effective, depending on the nature of your business, you might consider getting involved with the local community, taking part in charitable events, and boosting the reputation of your business by supporting other businesses and people in the area.
Fix The Flaws In Your Marketing Strategy Today
The elements above are critical to any marketing strategy, but they are not the only ones to consider to create a marketing campaign that will truly stand out.
As a business owner, you might already be wearing multiple hats every single day at work. But, when it comes to leveling up your marketing efforts, working with a specialized marketing agency might prove invaluable!
