There are plenty of marketing tactics and strategies you can implement to benefit your business. But what ones should you focus on today? Here are 5 proven marketing strategies you can implement right now.
1. Video Marketing
According to Cisco predictions, videos will account for 82% of all internet traffic. This means that we might see exponential growth in the number of videos. Gone are the days when creating and distributing videos is expensive. Today, you don’t need expensive equipment to create and share video content. If you have not been creating videos lately, you should start doing it immediately because it is one of the most effective marketing tools for the future.
For those who are already doing it, you should look to make your videos stand out from the crowd to steal the limelight. Apart from posting your videos on traditional channels such as YouTube and other streaming platforms, you can also upload videos on social platforms as well as instant messaging platforms. This will not only help you get more eyeballs on your videos but also extends the reach of your message.
2. Webinar
Another marketing strategy very few businesses use is webinars. Hosting webinars is one of the best ways to generate leads and establish themselves as an authority by sharing their experiences and knowledge with their target audience. Choose a topic that excites your target audience and show what your product can do for them.
Make sure to record your webinar and allow prospects who have failed to attend your webinar to watch it later. Try to keep your webinars short and too the point instead of extending it for a couple of hours. Host a question and answer session at the end of your webinar to address questions from participants. Create a buzz about your webinar a couple of weeks in advance.
According to some webinar statistics, the best day to host a webinar is on Tuesday and the best time to host a webinar is in the morning. You should avoid hosting more than one webinar in one week as people tend to only commit to one webinar per week.
3. Podcast
Just like webinars, podcasts are not as popular but are a highly effective form of marketing when it comes to building long term relationships with your target audience. Not only is it easy to create, highly engaging but also enhances your confidence and public speaking skills. From a marketing standpoint, you can use it to tell how your products can solve the problems and how they can benefit from it.
If starting your own podcast seems like a daunting task to you then, you can become a guest speaker on someone else podcast as well. This will help you to convey your message to their audience. More importantly, the podcast allows you to establish your authority and let you present yourself as an author in your industry.
4. Word of Mouth
In today’s hyper-connected world, customers share their positive – and negative – experiences with the world. According to a Nielsen study, 92% of customers trust recommendations from their friends and family instead of advertisements. Who says word of mouth marketing doesn’t work anymore? Even though the definition might have changed a little bit from word of mouth to reviews and ratings but the essence remains the same.
One negative review can spread like wildfire in today’s digital world. Even worse, it can also give voices to your other unsatisfied customers who have not shared their bad experiences yet to vent out their frustration. Soon, you will find your brand feeling the heat and facing backlash from customers. Your brand reputation takes a hit. The same goes for positive reviews as well. In short, positive customer experience can make your business and negative customer experience can break your business.
5. Contest Marketing
Don’t get me wrong. We all love free stuff and are ready to do anything to get our hands on it. If your brand is offering a giveaway, do so in a contest. This creates more buzz and attracts more customers to your brand. Make them compete against each other and give the prize to the winner of the contest.
Not only do contests bring more traffic to your website, but it is also a great way to keep your audience engaged and boost your conversion. When deciding on what prize to give to the winner, make sure that it is related to your target audience’s interest and they consider it valuable otherwise, they won’t give it their best shot to win the prize. Also, be mindful of your local competition and consumer laws.
6. Account-Based Marketing
In account-based marketing (ABM), sales and marketing teams join hands to target accounts that are the best for your business. According to statistics, over 85% of marketers say that ABM outperforms other marketing investments when it comes to return on investment. In addition, over 90% of business to business marketers think ABM highly important to their marketing efforts and over 80% believe that ABM provides substantial benefits for customer retention and client relationships.
Since it focuses on customer needs, it tends to keep your clients engaged. The customer feels that your brand knows about their preferences and problems and is more likely to use your products or subscribe to your service. Although, it is a good choice for B2B marketing, however, that does not mean that you can not use it for B2C marketing. If you do it the right way, you can get great results out of it. You should personalize your content and develop the right infrastructure by using the right tools to make your ABM campaigns work.
Which marketing strategies do you use? Which is your favorite marketing strategy? Which marketing strategies has delivered the best results for you?
Irfan Ak is a digital marketing strategist & a guest blogger on various websites. He is currently associated with Branex Inc – the leading web design & marketing agency in Toronto, Canada. He has worked with various other brands and created value for them.
