Three Ways to Make Your Marketing Fit for the Future

If you’re still using the same digital marketing tactics you used in 2007, you’re doing your customers a disservice and negatively impacting your bottom line. Ten years ago, it was a build-it-and-they-will-come marketplace. Targeted ads and discounts or promotions worked. Today, those tactics don’t generate revenue. They may generate traffic, but that isn’t the same thing. More isn’t better.

More traffic does not equal more revenue, though many marketing departments still operate as though it does. Success in today’s marketplace is about getting the right kind of traffic, not just more impressions or clicks. To get the kind of attention that matters, you must have a marketing strategy that works for today’s consumer.

An effective lead generation funnel can be a powerful way to generate the right kind of traffic. Learn how.

What Consumers Want

No one wants the hard sell, and that’s truer today than it has ever been. Consumers aren’t looking for your product or your service. They’re looking for information on the things that matter to them, and they want to interact with authentic and transparent companies that can provide it.

Here’s how to revamp your marketing strategy to give them what they want.

Step 1. Get clear on who you are, and show that on your social media. Your social media platform should be a window into the heart of your company. Let your values — how you treat your staff and your customers — shine through. Let your target market see who you are.

Step 2. Focus on how your products and services serve your customers. Remember: It isn’t sell, sell, sell; it’s serve, serve, serve. Understand what kind of information your target market is looking for online, and find an authentic way to provide it to them. Make that the story you tell.

Step 3. Build a relationship with your market. The online environment doesn’t facilitate transactions. It facilitates relationships. In 2000, it took around seven interactions for a customer to make a purchase. In 2017, it takes an average of 14. Engage with your target market in the ways that matter to them, and you won’t have to hunt them down when they’re ready to buy. They’ll know where to find you.

Bonus tip: Show reviews, and include a guarantee. Customers want to see the truth behind who you are and what you offer. They’re not looking for perfect reviews, but they do want to hear what others have to say about you so they can compare their options. Easy-to-find reviews and strong guarantees show transparency and let them know they can trust you.

Value Wins

Marketing today is about value. Give more than you receive in your relationships with your target market, and you’ll succeed. It’s no more complicated than that.