5 Marketing Tips To Keep In Mind in 2017

You’ve heard the truism that “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”. There are tons of content marketers right now who questioning their marketing strategy and given how easy it is to lose focus to the noise of the day, and pressure from investors who want a quick return, more and more marketers are increasingly looking to turn a profit fast and ditching their long-term strategy.

This pattern of trend chasing and the illusion to profit from today’s momentum is going obsolete. Originality, Innovation, and creativity are the drivers of growth. As a marketer, your goal is to create content that offers a solution, solve a problem and to keep your audience engaged.

Churning out a lot of contents without much substance is separating great marketer from mediocre. And come 2017 if your blog still resembles a generalist and does not align with your niche, you won’t get high-quality traffic or attract your desired audience.

The days of copying of someone else ideas are over. To be reckoned with, you definitely need to stand out from the pack by offering unique and profound contents. I’m not saying that you should reinvent the wheel but whatever you do, it is in best your interest that your audience finds them unique and not some cliche that everyone is already talking about. Here are 5 tips to keep in mind as we usher in 2017.

Inspire Your Audience

A great business always respond to change not react to it. Digital Marketing has come a long way and over the past decades, a lot has changed. As competition intensifies, it doesn’t stop new businesses from springing up every day. But opportunity abounds for smart marketers. when you build a business that inspires, excites and educates, it ripples across the whole social platform. People will talk about how great your service is, they will share it, promote it and they will remember you for being exceptional.

When you offer valuable contents you get noticed by search engines too, with content that ranked high, you are set for exponential growth and opportunity to reach more audience.

Have A Budget

Setting out a budget for your content marketing campaign will help you to make a monthly projection for your sales goal. And spreading your investment across multiple platforms will help to reach a diverse audience and attract new leads. It is imperative that you allocate your fund careful to help you stamp out a marketing strategy and tactics that are not working or getting the desired results. The use of automation technology in emails and social media is increasingly the most effective way to nurture your audience with fresh contents and personalized their experience. To provide any meaningful service to your audience, you need to fully understand them and be able to tailor contents according to the various stage of their buying journey.

Market To The Right Audience

The ability to reach more audience are enormous these days but running a campaign that reaches too far across-the-board can put you in the red and may not lead to sells or conversion. You must be specific with your marketing strategy by understanding who are marketing to. Trying to sell to everyone can amount to a waste of time, effort and doesn’t work but carving out a targeted content with your ideal audience in mind will yield a profound result and increase your bottom line. Yes, it can be painstaking to focus on specific prospects but it will be worthwhile in the long run.

Understand Your Audience

Most experts agreed that content marketing works better when you build up your audience persona profiles. Knowing your buyer’s persona is important and can help you to align your content strategy with most suitable service that will keep your audience engaged.

You can’t afford to waste your resources creating content for the wrong audience. You must find out who your buyers are, what makes them tick, their buying habit, what appeals to them and what turns them off. Understanding their background and why they buy will help you meet their needs.

Revisit Your Strategy

What your audience are saying about your business matters. Your success depends on it and establishing yourself as a leader in your niche will come naturally when you earn their trust.

On a final note, as marketing landscape are changing rapidly, so also is the growth potential. Clients will demand more from businesses and expectation will shoot up putting many businesses in an awkward position. Meeting these challenges demand that you constantly revisit your strategy by making sure they are updated as things unfold.

7 Creative Ways To Inject New Life Into Your Marketing Plan

All companies will find themselves at odds with their marketing strategy. This isn’t to say that they are not getting the results they want from the plan. It just seems as though the plan in, and of itself, grows a bit stale and worn. What’s more, all successful companies find that in order to stay on the cutting edge and attract new customers, they need to tweak their marketing approach to appeal to new audiences.

it’s a risk that has tremendous rewards, and even more key is the idea that you don’t have to go too crazy with new approaches. With these seven slight, creative tweaks, you can breathe new life into your marketing:

1. Use Social Media a Little Differently – Themes in social media are the name of the game to get likes and looks. Try using this to your advantage. Maybe a “Throwback-Thursday” hashtag on a picture can be a fun way to show your business (and your hairstyle) from ‘back in the day’ and where things are now. The strategy is not too outlandish, but it’s just cool enough.

2. Get Your Customer In On the Action – Your customers are your best business outreach. It’s through their experience with your product that others are drawn to you. Let them submit pictures of themselves with your product (ease may vary depending on your product), and depending on likes or shares, they could win a gift card. This way, you’re actively connecting with your customers, fostering relationships, and getting them to help market a company they like.

3. Infographics – Embrace visuals! Online attention spans can be short, so why not hit potential customers with interesting information in the form of an interesting graphic? This way, a lot of information gets shared in a small amount of time, and you increase your chance of having the graphic be shared.

4. Embrace ‘The List’ – Whether it’s a ‘Top 10’ or a ‘Top 5’, by creating a ranking of an item, you’ve created a place for discourse on whether others agree or not. Moreover, you’ve now created an interaction based on a passion of the prospective customer, and that can certainly create attention for your company.

5. Show Some Personality – People enjoy connecting with companies that are personable. Maybe your employees are all college football fans. Guess what? So might your customers, so let your school colors show. You could even have fun with memes!

6. “Gamification” – Everyone enjoys games, so find a way to blend your product into a game of sorts. Maybe a themed online treasure hunt based in your company’s industry may elicit new information about your product & get people to see what makes you so unique.

7. Titles Matter – When it comes to your content, your title is the major draw. You need to work on the best way to get eyes & mouse-clicks, and this means carefully crafting your titles. It’s a small thing, but you’d be surprised how much this matters.

Avoid This Basic Mistake With Your Martial Arts Marketing

I was at the verge of throwing in the towel on my martial arts school when a shift in mindset turned everything around. I had put in so many years to this art that I couldn’t possible give up. I was far to heavily invested. What else could I do anyway? Not a lot else! So I focused on making my school work, not just financially but I also wanted to turn up to a busy class and enjoy teaching again, without worrying about the financial side.

The basic mistake I was making was that I didn’t know how to organize a school in such a way that I could pay for advertising and turn a profit. This is intricately tied up with your back end products such as summer camps, gradings and extra classes of course. The way you organize your payment structure and your retention rates are also a huge factor. If you pay to get people to your school, and they leave soon after, all that advertising is wasted. Having said that the main principle which turned things around for me was learning about return on investment.

Return On Investment

Knowing your return on investment is a game changer because once you know the value of a student, even if they only stay for a year, it empowers you to set a marketing budget. Even if you lose initially, the long term effect of having built a sizable school will pay dividends in the end. There’s also the factor that people don’t want to come to a tiny school with no students.

The more popular your school is, the more likely people are to stay. When I started paying to advertise my school I was very tentative. I was afraid to lose money. As a result I didn’t spend enough to keep the ball rolling. Once I get a few students in, I stopped advertising and closed the doors, thinking that giving those students more of my time would pay dividends later, and help build a good school. The opposite happened. People dropped out and I had a dwindling school.

I would then start advertising again to boost numbers. Often, when a student would visit my school they wouldn’t stay because there were such small numbers.

Continuous Advertising

I didn’t have much money so I looked into ways to advertise for free or very cheaply. By advertising continuously, you keep the flow of new students going, instead of stunting it. When people are looking for a school they want it now! They don’t necessarily want to wait 6 months until your doors open for new students. By focusing on a continuous flow of new students in to the school, knowing there would always be a drop off rate, things began to change. I actively recruit now instead of resting on my laurels and expecting people to come, just because I’m such a good teacher!

Shifting Attitude

I naively thought that just by opening a school people would come and stay. I thought that just because I had spent the larger part of my life training, that other people would too. When I looked at my school differently and realised that it wasn’t my martial arts training at fault, but my lack of awareness in the business of running a martial arts school, I could honestly say I was a beginner, and knew nothing. This awareness of my lack of knowledge led me to find some answers and I invested in my education. This time in a business education and not more martial arts training. This may sound obvious to many people but it wasn’t to me at first. I had struggled for years before it occurred to me that this wasn’t personal. I just didn’t know what I was doing from a business stand point.

Back End Sales & Retention

Of course your ‘back end’ sales and retention play a huge part in your return on investment. You can’t determine exactly how much you will earn from an individual student. However, you can estimate the rough amount based on a year of training and your business set up. Setting up your school to include multiple income streams helps. Have a monthly payment scheme which also encourages your students to get the most from their membership. This also means you have a more solid income each month. If someone doesn’t turn up to class, they are still paying. They lose out and not you! You can also monetize your school with merchandise, summers camps and other ‘after school’ courses. These all make a huge difference to your income and the return on investment from each student over 2-3 years.

7 Effective Strategies on Marketing Your Business Locally

When I was studying for my business degree and before my company was formed, I was in need of an outlet to be around other like-minded women. Years previous I was a member of the local Valley Women’s Network so revisited their luncheons.

Even though funds were very tight at the time, it was important for me to have some human interaction – even if only once a month.

Little did I know, going to these meetings ended up being the catalyst for our birth.

During this time I connected with women entrepreneurs who were either eager to start a new business or take their business to the next level. Being the former webmaster for the Vancouver Sun and Province, it was a natural thing for them to ask me questions about branding and websites. I was more than happy to share my knowledge.

Eventually conversations evolved into them hiring me so they could get the help they wanted with their marketing presence.

The next thing I knew I was in business as a web developer!

That was over 12 years ago and I’m proud to say a handful of those women are still clients today.

I have to smile when I think about it because I really had no intention of starting my own business. I was going back to school with the idea of landing a CIO position somewhere.

Turns out my calling was much more important than that – helping business owners realize their dream.

The Many Benefits of Attending Local Live Events

Fast forward to present day, I still value the connections made when attending networking and other similar events.

Recently I was in Vernon attending the WOW-Woman of Worth Conference where I had an opportunity to get to know many incredible women I would never have met otherwise. (I was inspired to write these networking tips while there.)

I am also a member of the Business Professional Women’s Group and attend meetings in Langley and Abbotsford.

The connections found at events like these have been invaluable – not only professionally but also personally.

Social Media and Online Marketing is Not the Only Way to Generate New Business

Sometimes with Social Media and online marketing being so prevalent we forget about our own back yard and the opportunities available to us. All we have to do is simply step away from the computer and check them out.

My business was literally created by connecting with people locally.

And just because Social Media has taken over the online networking landscape, doesn’t mean there’s any less value in building your business at that grass-roots level.

Do you market your business in your hometown?

If hiding behind your computer has become the norm for you, I encourage you to explore local opportunities to get better known in your home town.

Here’s seven tips, ideas and suggestions on how you can take advantage of generating business through local efforts:

1. Network where your target market is hanging out. First be clear on WHO that target market is and then do some research on where they gather.

This is an easy one if you are a B2B business like mine; there’s plenty of networking groups available tailored for that crowd.

But you might have to look at other shared interests. For instance, if your target market is very health conscious, join a popular yoga group and get to know those people who attend.

2. Volunteer at community groups. Volunteering in community groups are a great way to boost your visibility. Not only are they a great way to give back to your community but also an excellent way for you to showcase your skills and expertise.

Do a search for groups that could use your skillset. A great example is if you are a bookkeeper or accountant – volunteer to be the bookkeeper for the group.

3. Create your own Meet-up. Setting up local, more casual events on a subject you know would be of interest to your target market is a great way to build your brand visibility.

These types of gatherings can be very beneficial to the attendees where you can offer something of value to them and showcase your expertise at the same time.

4. Set up a trade show booth. Many trade shows have thousands of visitors. They are a great way to build your brand visibility and bring more awareness to your business offerings with the local crowd.

Set up a professional display and strike up conversations with those showing interest in what you are offering.

Be sure to have a way for them to get onto your mailing list by offering a draw or free giveaway. Just be sure they check off a box giving permission to receive your regular newsletters.

5. Join the local Chamber of Commerce. Even if your target market is not business owners, there are still plenty of great reasons for you to get to know other business owners in your area by joining your local chamber.

Not only can they be a great referral source for you, but they are still people who could be interested in what you have to offer at a personal level.

6. Nominate others for awards. We had the honour of being nominated for, and won the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence award in 2016 in the home based business category.

I was also nominated for a WOW – Woman of Worth award in the Business & Prosperity category. The amount of free publicity and exposure we received for each of these awards was priceless.

I encourage you to nominate someone for similar awards. Not only is it very gratifying to make someone else’s day, you also gain a lot of exposure from being the person who nominated them. Another option is to be an award sponsor, again bringing you great satisfaction and business exposure.

7. Don’t forget your business card! While some may poo-poo this, I’m still a believer in the value of business cards.

Get professional cards designed and printed. Use them wisely – always ask the other person you’re talking with for their card first and reciprocation will ensue.

Your business card is a first touch-point that person will see your visual brand so ensure you give off the right first impression with a professionally designed one.

Aside from getting out there and getting involved in local community activities, you could also take advantage of various paid advertising opportunities. Newspaper advertorials, radio ad spots, sponsorships and even billboards can all be taken advantage of at a local level.

Don’t Forget About Your Website

No matter what kind of activities we are doing when trying to drum up new business, don’t forget the importance of your website.

With every potential customer you meet, assume they will be heading to your website to check out you and your services. They might even do it right there so ensure your website is mobile friendly and shares the right brand messaging that will compel them into action and hire or buy from you.

Four Tips for Success in Legal Marketing

Until ten years ago, I never would have never given myself the title “marketer” in addition to being a lawyer. I always did what it took to keep those phones ringing and e-mail inquiries coming in, but I didn’t label it as marketing, and I certainly didn’t have a marketing plan.

Like my lawyer father before me, I always had natural sources of business. Dad and I sent out our annual holiday cards, met our lawyer friends for lunch and attended bar association meetings and events.

Over the past decade, I have slowly become more and more enmeshed in the world of legal marketing.

It’s a very interesting world. It’s a profession unto itself.

Most of the large law firms have marketing departments with different positions, including business development specialists, marketing directors, directors of communications and event planners.

The smaller and mid-size firms might have one or two marketers who handle all the marketing for the firm and are considered generalists. Many firms hire interns to assist with marketing tasks or marketing consultants to keep them on task.

Individual attorneys hire their own marketing coaches or even sales coaches to teach them how to turn a potential new client (PNC) into an actual client. Some lawyers I know hire coaches to teach them how to package themselves, including how to dress, how to develop “elevator speeches” and how to network.

Over the years, I’ve picked up several tips:

Stay within your comfort zone. There are many methods and opportunities to market yourself. Unless your sole job is rainmaker, there is definitely limited time for legal marketing.

Make sure to use your time wisely and pick the one or two methods that feel the most comfortable to you. For example, if you are on the quieter side and don’t do well networking in large groups, use your marketing time in other ways. Invite a potential referral source to lunch, join a committee in a volunteer organization or find a smaller networking group that feels more intimate.

Brand yourself within your firm. If you work in a firm of 40 lawyers who all do the same type of work as you do, you must find a way to differentiate yourself.

Find your passion and try to incorporate that into the work that you do.

In the divorce world, there are attorneys who concentrate on working exclusively with men, the LGBT community, athletes, etc.

Just because you have your own brand doesn’t mean you aren’t a firm team player. In fact, by representing your firm in a niche area, you are bringing extra visibility to the firm.

Get online. More than ever, the Internet is an additional marketing tool. If you or your firm doesn’t have a website, now is the time to create one.

If your firm has its own website, make sure that your credentials stand out by continually updating your bio and qualifications. Also, make sure your website or blog can be read easily on mobile devices.

Find the time to market. Like any busy service business, clients come first. I will be the first to admit that some weeks or months, my marketing takes a backseat to all the client emergencies that arise. Schedule in your marketing time as you would any other important appointment.