Word of mouth and brand recognition can help drive traffic to your company’s website or storefront. But in order to connect with more audiences and build these types of lasting relationships, you first need to market your business.
Every brand needs a marketing strategy. But before we can discuss what that entails, let’s first define what “marketing” is.
Marketing 101
Marketing is how you share your brand’s story with the rest of the world. It tells your audience who you are, what you do, and how your products/services make the world a better place.
There are many different types of marketing, such as brand marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, paid marketing—you get the idea. But here’s a little secret: they all really do the same thing.
They help craft a compelling story about how your products/services help others live better, be happier, or pursue their own passions.
Next, comes strategy or the “how” piece of the marketing puzzle. That is to say, how you deliver this type of messaging. This might be achieved through high-quality content, custom graphic designs, digital ad campaigns, video advertising—or all of the above.
Before Strategy Creation
Being a business owner is all about serving—not to mention, anticipating the changing needs of your customers. That means you have to be passionate about what you do. Otherwise, you’d find a 9-5 job working for someone else.
So, putting money-making aside for a moment, think about what your marketing goals are.
- Become a thought leader in your industry?
- Increase awareness about a new product launch or service you offer?
- Grow your social media followers?
- Improve referrals?
- Show up in the SERPs for industry-related searches/queries?
Once you can pinpoint your marketing goals, you’ll want to think about what your customers’ needs are.
Perhaps your business can help solve a pain point, fulfill a unique need, or entertain them. Be sure to understand who your target customers are, what they want, and how your business can make their lives easier.
What Customers Want from Your Business
Before entering into any new relationship with a brand, customers are looking for three qualities:
- Authenticity - this means they want to form a relationship with a business they can trust. That means no gimmicks, no sales pitches.
- Relatability - audiences want to know that you value the same things they do. They want to build connections with a brand that understands their wants, needs, and challenges.
- Quality - there’s a lot of competition out there, which means audiences are looking for someone who stands out amidst the crowd. This means you need to show them why you’re worth the investment of their time and money. Remember, most people are willing to pay more for quality.
Crafting a Marketing Strategy for Your Business
Once you have these essential questions answered, the next part is building the marketing strategy.
At Clokendagger, we help you do this through a discovery session. During this discussion, we'll help you identify what your goals are, what your customers’ needs are, and how you can reach and connect with them on a personal level.
From there, we’ll help you develop a marketing strategy that allows you to utilize existing and new channels to market your brand and help tell your story.
Next Steps
As you can probably tell, there’s quite a few important steps you need to take before the strategy process can begin. But don’t worry because our team will help you every step of the way.
To learn more about building a marketing strategy for your company, contact our team for a free consultation. We’ll help you share and market your brand’s story so that it reaches your target audience and creates greater impact.
If you’re ready to build a marketing strategy that sets you up for success in 2022 and beyond, contact us today!