A checklist to success

This may sound odd coming from a digital marketing professional, but, I believe that there’s no such thing as “digital marketing strategy”.  There is only marketing strategy in the digital world. Developing a comprehensive and consistent approach to marketing your business both on- and offline should be on the top of every small and medium business owner’s to-do list.  Here is a list of five, relatively inexpensive things that should be a part of your plans.

Consistent branding

Like the old adage goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.  When it comes to branding this message cannot be overstated.  One of the world’s biggest brands, Coca-Cola, has taken this message to heart.  Coke is in every country around the world and Coca-Cola has the budget to do whatever they want when it comes to branding, but they keep it simple and consistent.

They have kept the same branding for 130 years.  It’s easy to understand how this can benefit any business big or small.  Your delivering consistency and this builds trust. For Coca-Cola, consumers know that where ever they are in the world, as long as they see a “Coke-Red” can with white swirly symbols on it, they can expect whatever is inside that can to task like coke.  This consistency of product and branding has built Coca-Cola into one of the world’s largest companies.  But this is a lesson that can be applied to businesses of all sizes.

Look across your entire company.  Look at everything from the name on the doors, to your letterhead to your email footers and all of your marketing material and check if your branding is consistent.  Your company logo should look the same on everything.  The same colors should be used on all materials.  Similar fonts should be used at all times.  If they are, great! You’re well on your way to developing a solid marketing strategy.  But if they’re not, make sure that you change them as soon as possible.  Consumers crave consistency.

If you consistently give your customers a solid product, sold under a recognizable brand you will earn their money and their trust.  This will lead to increased brand loyalty and you eventually selling more products.  As an added bonus you will also be able to charge more for what you are selling because your brand will develop equity over time.

Build a fan base

Sounds simple, but in reality this is one of the most difficult things to do in marketing.  Today’s consumers don’t just buy products they buy a lifestyle.  An individual can be described as the sum of all their brands.  People define themselves by brands.  How many times have you heard, “I’m an Apple guy”?

Companies create this culture by providing two things.  1) Awesome products and, 2) great customer experience.  After that your company need only rinse the first two and repeat until you’re as big as Apple.

If you have a great product that people want to use you’re halfway home.  You must just sure up your customer experience.  This begins from the marketing campaign and ends with consumer feedback.

Sometimes small changes to this chain can make a huge impact on the bottom line.  One company who did this is Method.  They sell cleaning products.  Not very glamorous, I know, but a small change to the shape of their packaging drastically altered the company’s fate.  Simply by putting simple household chemicals like glass cleaner, dish soap and floor polish in designer bottles they were able to outcompete some of their rivals and grab a tremendous share of the market.

Ask your current customer base what they like and don’t like about your company.  Try to diminish or fix what they don’t like and amplify whatever it is they do and start a movement!

Be a thought leader

It’s one thing to sell a product, but it’s quite another to influence an entire industry.  Companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive have done both incredibly well.  They have set themselves and their products up as the leader in their respective markets by providing both quality products and information.

Colgate freely gives information on oral-care.  They don’t push their particular product, though it is in every photo.  They push solid dental hygiene.  They suggest how to maintain a healthy mouth and beautiful smile and then they sell toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss, teeth-whitening strips and the like.  Johnson & Johnson has done this so well that their product line, Band-Aid, has become the name for an entire industry of adhesive medical strips.

Becoming a thought leader takes time, but if done correctly can really help build your brand and your business.  It seems counterintuitive, but you must take time and energy away from selling your products to simply write or discuss problems that your products might help solve.  Now to some this may sound like a waste of time, but consumers like buying from people they think know what they’re talking about.

So take the time and offer your thoughts on your industry, or sector.  Write an essay about a particular problem that your product can solve, without plugging your product.  Let the consumers put two and two together.  A consistent effort in becoming a thought leader in your industry is often rewarded with a huge increase in sales.  Give it a shot.

Get Social

Business is becoming increasingly social.  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram the list of social media channels goes on and on and continues to grow daily.  It has become almost impossible to run a successful business without engaging in social media.  People just don’t trust you if you aren’t actively putting yourself out there for all the world to see.

But social media is more than just posting on Facebook and hoping someone likes it, or tweeting to the ether.  Each of these platforms takes a different style of communication.  Consumers use them each for different reasons.  Businesses must tap into their consumers on these various channels and understand how they are using them and when.  Then it becomes possible to have your business profit from social media.

Creating engaging content for each of these channels can help your business build customer loyalty and help you reach out to new prospects and even new markets.  Creating this content isn’t easy.  Bigger companies pay agencies a lot of money to do this on their behalf.  Or they staff specialists whose job it is to understand the type of person on these networks and how best to reach them on behalf of the company.

Many of you out there may already have channels for your business.  I want you to evaluate them and see if your consumer base is engaging with your brand.  See how many people are sharing your posts or tweets, and how many people are liking them.  If you’re posting often, but no one is talking about it then something is wrong.  Reach out to professionals with social media experience and ask how they can help.

Mix it up

Advertising has changed drastically over the past ten years.  The Internet and new and social media have added myriad marketing channels to traditional print, radio and television media.  Telling consistent stories across each of these channels should be a goal of every marketing strategy.

Consumers consume media in many different ways.  Your goal as a business owner is not to tell the customer how or with what device they should see your ads, but to provide it in any way they prefer to experience it.

Look at your marketing campaigns.  Check it for brand consistency (obviously), but also check it for story or plot consistency.  Do you have a brand ambassador?  Do they feature online and offline for your business?  Is there a particular story you’d like to tell about your product?  Have you developed a clever and memorable print advert, but struggling to convert it to work in the digital space?

Think about your content first and the stories you’d like to tell about your product or business.  Then engage an ad agency with a lot of experience in both online and offline media, such as RDM.  For more information about this article and how we can help you be more consistent in your marketing efforts and help you build a stronger brand and grow your business contact us at info@rdm.ng.

Article by Adam Jagich

This is a feature by RDM