Working at Corpwrite, our marketing and content agency, we’re regularly asked about the ‘must do’ promotional activities that will generate more business.
Social media and digital marketing are the flavours of the decade, so many of our clients are enthusiastically focusing their marketing dollars in this direction; however, there is rarely a single marketing silver bullet that guarantees a flood of business.
Beware the shiny object
That said, digital marketing should be one of your central planks – but not the only way you communicate with your clients. In fact, I’d be wary of an agency or sales representative urging you to focus on any single medium, whether it’s social media, public relations or paid advertising.
Cater for your client’s needs and situation
Our clients seek out and are exposed to information that hits them from many directions. Online through Google and social media, at seminars and events, or when reading newsfeeds on the bus or train. The trick for business owners and marketers is to find the right mix of marketing messaging and channels that connect with leads and clients.
Take the consistent campaigns McDonald’s delivers. As one of the biggest consumer marketers in the world, Maccas rarely focuses on a single channel. The hamburger chain regularly uses radio, online, social, TV, billboards and print, and seeks out editorial through public relations. Why? For them, it makes sense to have many touchpoints with their clients. They simply prioritise a marketing channel depending on who, they’re targeting.
Even so, you don’t need deep pockets to generate marketing tactics that resonate with your clients. Smaller businesses can start by considering their client’s buying behaviours and then tailoring their marketing activities accordingly. Think about the websites your clients visit, the seminars they might attend, the bloggers they follow or the publications they read.
Get the strategy and message right first
Before hitching your marketing to a bandwagon, first consider what you want your prospective client to hear, see or do. What reaction are you looking to create?
Refine your strategy first and then consider the marketing channels that are likely to generate the best client engagement. If you’re judicious with your tactics, your messaging, thought leadership and service offerings will prove a hit in multiple places, not just in your followers’ Facebook feeds.
Anthony O’Brien has provided consultancy services to McDonald’s.
