Are you looking for a better way to engage your customers and create a buzz around your business? Here are 3 areas that you can tap into to market your business.
Internet Marketing
1. Website. Your website can become a valuable tool for your audience to utilize and continually return to. Add content that your audience needs or is interested in seeing. Adding a blog and updating it regularly can drive repeated traffic to your site. Be sure to encourage commentary and respond to comments as you receive them.
2. Newsletters. You should also be using your website to collect emails. You can use email marketing to keep an active relationship with your subscribers by sending out regular newsletters, offers, updates, tips, etc.
3. Podcasts are an effective marketing avenue due to the fact that listeners are actively choosing to engage with your content. According to BBC, listeners absorb and store away messages delivered via podcasts even when they are engaged in other activities leading to higher brand recall and recognition.
Social Media
- Facebook Groups. Most businesses have a Facebook page but they can leverage smaller communities and create a stronger engagement platform. Groups are better at fostering engagement, conversations, and allowing businesses to give focused attention to their customers. Customers that are part of your smaller group can actually participate in discussions of relevant topics and receive feedback and insight from your business but also from other members of the group. This fosters a sense of community.
- Instagram by far yields the highest engagement rates of most of the social media platforms. It is relatively easy to use which lends to its massive appeal, especially with demographic groups (18-34). With over 1 billion active users, the appeal is that it is a mostly visual platform free from excessive clutter just photos and video to view. This aspect makes it highly engaging. Brands that maintain an active presence can reach wider audiences and leverage opportunities to build real connections. According to statista.com, 37.8% of the US population is on Instagram and this number is projected to continue to rise every year.
- Google My Business. By listing your business on Google’s pages, you gain additional ways for your customers to connect with you easily. Customers can call you directly, message you, and leave reviews. These reviews provide your business with another opportunity to collect meaningful feedback, market your business, and build a relationship by replying and addressing any concerns that the customer posed.
Physical Marketing
- Giveaways/Promotions. People love free stuff. When you combine this emotional response with your brand name a connection is formed. Emotional stimulus creates a surge of dopamine which is linked to memory. According to brandwatch.com the use of promotional products increase brand recognition.
- Rewards. Customer loyalty programs encourage repeat patronage. You can keep engagement high through the use of reminders like email initiatives, frequent flyer programs, etc.
- Packaging. Create branded packaging that leaves a memorable impression. The packaging is no longer just a plain cardboard box. It’s essentially another almost free (minus the minimal cost of material and shipping) form of advertising. Use the packaging to deliver a great product and encourage engagement by adding your social media contact information and tips for creating UGC (User Generated Content, eg…unboxing videos) to post on social media. This UGC gives your business free promotional opportunities.
Final Thoughts
Any business that wants to stay in business needs to continually find ways to engage and build genuine relationships with their customers. Paid advertising and marketing methods can be highly effective in driving traffic to your business. You can also employ other methods that are effective and less costly. In order for any marketing strategy to be effective, the first consideration should be the customer. What do they want? What do they need? By combining a mix of marketing strategies, a business can expand their reach and build greater engagement. You should be implementing all of these to give your business an advantage and effectively market your business.
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