As a marketing consultant, there is a universal strategy I cover with all of my clients, whether they are a London law firm or a multi-faceted tourism destination. Understanding what your ideal customer wants, and which of your products or services is easiest to sell, is a given, but knowing how to refocus your marketing to optimise success is the secret to profitable growth.
Let’s look more in-depth at what areas of your marketing strategy you should review now to make the most of your marketing budget and get the best results and returns.
1. Is your messaging crystal clear?
Let’s start with the basics. Review the key messages that your brand shares on each marketing platform. Do they still align with the target audience, the products or services on offer, and where the business is now? Ensure that you are crystallising the brand messages at every given opportunity. This will get you closer to your ideal clients faster.
The clearer your message is, the easier it will be for prospects to recognise that you are the right business for them and that they should purchase from you. The same concise messaging should flow through every aspect of your marketing, from your website copy to social media, email marketing and more.
A key part of powerful messaging is instilling trust and reinforcing the unique value proposition (UVP) in everything you do. Ensure you empathise with your customers’ worries and show that you are emotionally connected to their needs.
2. Are you being specific enough with your communication?
If you were driving up a motorway heading for Brighton and you saw a sign that said ‘left hand turn ahead’ with an arrow pointing left, you might think that’s the direction you want to go in but you need more information to be convinced. If that same sign said ‘Brighton’ with the left-pointing arrow, then you’d have more confidence and quickly make your decision to turn left. Specificity is key.
Here’s a working example for a management training company, instead of using headlines in their marketing like ‘training and development consultancy’, we looked at what business service they wanted to sell the most and for the associated skills gaps their prospective clients are trying to fill. Clients are more likely to be searching for the solution to a particular pain point such as ‘staff management skills training’. If you include more specific keyword phrases in your titles, you will be much more likely to rank on Google’s first page, be found online and attract the business you want.
Crucially, keywords reassure customers that they are in the right place. Make sure when people arrive on your Google Business Profile or website that they read keywords that instil confidence in your product or service.
3. Do you have the right mix of traffic sources finding your website?
Visit your Google Analytics regularly and analyse your website traffic. Where are your current web visitors originating from? What traffic sources have the highest percentage contribution and volume of visits? Can you see how you are achieving your business gains? If you have low ‘organic’ search, under 30%, you need more investment in search engine optimisation to build up your free organic traffic. This traffic is so crucial as customers have already decided to purchase and are actively searching for what you provide. And, of course, it’s free. Companies like PinkSEO offer a comprehensive and good value service.
‘Direct’ visitors to your website are usually existing customers, repeat purchasers and people bookmarking your site for a later return visit. You can make a big impact on the amount of direct traffic you receive with brand building marketing and optimising your social media channels.
If visits from ‘paid’ search are high, over 50%, you are reliant on an expensive business acquisition strategy and need to build up free organic traffic. Review your conversions and acquisitions from your paid ads – where are your leads coming from and what messaging is working? Cross fertilise that messaging across all of your marketing channels. Paid Google AdWords can provide valuable insights into what your customers want and how you should optimise these same terms throughout your communication and marketing activities.
