The Best Marketing Advice You Aren't Following

Do you ever find yourself in a rut trying to market your business? It's an easy trap to fall into. You find a few marketing routines that work, and you move on to other important tasks, like serving your customers.

 If that describes you, take a minute to refresh your marketing plan with one of these ideas.

• Interact with your social media. Don't just post and forget it. Make sure to listen to your customers' reactions and respond to them. 
• It's an easy way to make your client base feel like you are really listening to them and that you welcome them as part of your community.
• Tell your story. Consumers want more than a product and a service. They want to know who is behind the company and what your mission is. It can be as simple as describing your company's origins and mission on your "about us" page.
• Recognize your customers are human too. They lead lives full of obligations and stressors that have nothing to do with your product or service. Respect their time and provide what they need when they need it. You'll create a loyal customer base.
• Use metrics. So you have an interactive social media platform and a robust web page. Are you measuring where your leads come from? Identify and measure metrics for your success. Then you can make better decisions about when and where to focus your brand message.
• Segment your audience. Don't blast all of your customers with the same message. Tailor your message to be relevant to selected audience members. 
• You can target messages by channel, such as email or Facebook, or you can segment your audience and message by audience interests or buying habits.
• Offer a free product. Everyone likes something for nothing. Give your target audience something for free that they find useful and valuable. 
• This can be a white paper, a promotional product, or access to a podcast. Just don't forget to record their information for your marketing list in exchange for the giveaway.

It's easy to get lost in the shuffle, the whirlwind of your business. Taking moments like these to reflect and pick the best path forward usually pays off. 

More often than not if you get smaller with your marketing, breaking up targets into smaller ad campaigns and constantly testing which marketing gets the best return, you will really help yourself by getting a lot more people through the door.