How to review your marketing strategy for business growth
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.
Below shows a client relying on paid traffic a year ago when I started working with them compared to the marketing referral mix now. Their business has doubled while the cost of marketing has decreased significantly. The balanced mix of enquiries through their website now provides a sustainable source of sales with a lower cost per acquisition. Free organic and direct traffic now provides 54.4% of their income compared with 35.3% during the same period in 2021. More importantly, their reliance on paid search listings has dropped from 58.2% of their sales to 31.4%. Now paid search listings simply support developing areas of the business that do not yet appear on page one of specific search queries.
4. Does your brand still look the part?
Successful marketing is far more than the copy we put out there. Your target audience is more likely to notice your visual identity before reading any text. Check that your entire brand still appeals to the right people through market research, surveys and consulting with a brand designer like AZ Design.
Consider refreshing any brand imagery – our society has changed so much in the last few years and world events should be reflected in your marketing. For example, the use of technology in your business and how this helps your customer.
In conclusion
Great marketing comes from frequent reviewing and pivoting according to what is appealing to your target audience and converting them into loyal customers. I suggest reviewing and actioning the four areas listed above every quarter at the very minimum.
I hope these 4 questions to refocus your marketing and optimise success have been helpful. If you crave support and clarity from a highly experienced, independent marketing consultant who can advise on what you should and should not be doing, help you establish and grow your business and attract the customers you deserve, please GET IN TOUCH.
