Are your online marketing solutions including these two marketing tactics?

I'm hearing and seeing customers starting to worry about the future of their businesses. And as a result, they're concerned they've relied too much on the following marketing tactics to do the job:

• Word-of-mouth referrals

• Knowing someone already that has used their services

• Organically occurring repeat business

• Their already established position with other industries

I'm not saying these aren't reliable sources to generate leads, and sales; they should form part of your marketing strategy and be tactics you adopt. They are excellent sources of repeat business and prove that your company is trustworthy, does a good job, has happy customers willing to return, and be advocates for your business.

However, there are other marketing tactics that should form part of your marketing strategy in order to build your business and be sustainable, long term.

Two KEY marketing tactics your business should be prioritising:

* Taking more advantage of the existing database

* Some slow burn always-on marketing that builds more awareness

These marketing steps are easy to implement in-house, or you can outsource to remove the extra workload. But they are steps you must take if you want to keep actively growing your business and getting the work coming in.

Below I go over how to get things started, feel confident about it and be consistent. 

STEP ONE: Email marketing campaigns

I'm still surprised by the number of businesses that aren't regularly keeping in touch with past clients, especially when it's an industry where they're likely to need your services or product again. 

Some businesses worry that they're bombarding customers by emailing them. True, there will be some that don't like emails. But the percentage of people that unsubscribe is small compared to the potential business you could generate. Also, they've provided you with their details freely and have done so because they see value in your offering.

Two important things to keep in mind with email marketing: 

1. Keep your emails to the point and uncomplicated. 

2. Customers can easily unsubscribe if they want!

The beauty of email marketing is that it does leave it in the hands of the customers. So long as you've legitimately received their email address, there is no problem. And in fact, many people expect to hear from you this way. 

When you have an existing client database, you're sitting on a gold mine waiting to be mined! It doesn't mean emailing with a hard sell. What it means is building a relationship first. Think about how you like to connect with people. Usually, we want to get to know someone before we leap into a relationship. It's the same principle here with email marketing. 

Consider these starting points:

1. Sign up with an email marketing provider. If you're small, there are some good, easy-to-navigate FREE providers. MailChimp and Mailerlite are good starting points. You'll need to pay extra if you're after email automation services. But start small and progress when you need to.

2. Planning your subject line is IMPORTANT! There is a lot of noise out there. It needs to be short and capture attention. Don't go with the norm. Change it around and see how your open rates change. Sometimes simple questions or answers to a problem you know a customer has can work well.

3. Begin your first email with a general hello; maybe some news from around the office and what your organisation is looking forward to is enough. 

4. Concentrate on 2-3 paragraphs in your initial email. From there, you can slowly start to tell customers again about who you are, what you do, and how you can help. You don't do that all at once, but you do need to tell them several times and consistently. 

5. The important note is to keep your email marketing regular. Avoid making it overly complicated and too hard - otherwise, it won't happen. 

6.  If you haven't emailed them for a while, treat customers like they need to get to know you again.

7. Don't be afraid to share something personal. We are building trust, which means being comfortable enough to share personal information. 

8. Add a photo or video where appropriate. Remember, a picture (or video!) paints a thousand words.

Keep in mind you can have FUN with your email marketing campaigns! They don't need to be complicated and serious. Communicate with your customers in the same way you would anyone else. Thinking about it in this way will ensure your own personal and unique personality comes across. You want to be your authentic self, not something you think you should be. You can't build relationships when you aren't yourself, and you won't attract your ideal clients that way. Be yourself, use your own words and watch your email campaigns thrive

STEP TWO: Brand awareness campaigns

Brand awareness campaigns are your always-on campaign. They're like the slow burn, the tap which constantly drips, the background music always playing. Liken brand awareness to when you're always talking about your business and the product or service you provide. It's messages about who you are and what you do to help customers. 

Sometimes we might talk about awareness in marketing funnel terms. The top of the funnel is when we talk to people who know nothing about you. The start of the buying journey is an ideal point to begin long-term brand awareness campaigns designed for customers starting the process of deciding who they'll buy from.

At this stage, potential customers may not even be aware they have a problem they need help on. BUT. When they do, the idea is they've already heard or seen something about you. We are doing that initial work to spark interest and plant the seed. That's when the work you've done previously with your brand awareness campaigns starts paying off. 

Sometimes brand awareness campaigns are considered difficult to measure or succeed, or they don't bring in sales immediately. However, I argue those points like this:

Measure brand awareness campaigns like this:

1. You can't expect to build long-lasting customer relationships with a hard sell. Some decisions will have a short processing period, like buying a packet of past from the supermarket. Others take a lot longer and involve much research, such as buying a car. You don't want a salesman walking up to you and telling you to buy this car today. Often it will involve looking at websites, social pages, resources, and testimonials and talking with family or friends before you decide which car and from where. Brand awareness campaigns take time, but they do work.

2. You can still measure success. You can measure success across website traffic if your strategies target the right platforms to the right audiences. Google Analytics provides a great depth of information from your website, so get used to looking at this regularly and taking note of progress. Other measures can include increased traffic to your social pages (if that's where you've identified your customers frequently gather their information), increased referrals, and other anecdotal evidence, such as consistent enquires and feedback.

When implementing a brand awareness campaign do this:

• Work on creating content that speaks directly about your business. The service/product you offer, how it helps, and what they will get as a result.

• Keep it simple and to the point. Ask yourself, if someone asked me what I do, how can I explain that easily in 1-2 sentences? There is so much noise to cut through that overcomplicating things doesn't help your business or customer.

• Be concise. That doesn't mean it shouldn't take time and effort. Sometimes it's harder to get across your point in fewer words accurately! 

• Consider investing in some help getting the visuals right for your brand awareness campaign. Creating a great visual to go with your content or video message is just as important as the content; some argue it is more important. This digital age means capturing people within a few seconds, so creative content and visuals go hand in hand.

• Don't forget the important details in your visual. Brand name, logo, colour and fonts should be consistent across your campaigns and platforms. And remember the Call To Action. Customers need reminding what you want them to do! Consistently in these areas, professionally positions your brand.

Final notes on marketing tactics

Just remember this. Starting these campaigns is often the most challenging part. Don't compare your business to others. Focus on where you are currently. Some options are free and don't cost you much other than your time and commitment to them.