Alright, you got a business. You got a product and/or service. You even got a message you want to tell people.
What’s the best way to get that message out there? How do you get it out to those who need to hear it? What are your objectives? Your brand identity? Simply put, which marketing strategy is right for you?
There are innumerable kinds of marketing strategies out there. For us content marketers, blogging is a big part of any marketing strategy. We’re big believers in blogging. It helps drive targeted traffic to your website, educate and convert that traffic into leads, and it helps to establish a brand identity and industry thought leadership. And when those evergreen blog articles stick around long enough, they rank high in search engines, which means no matter how much time has passed, you’re still driving results. Of course, you’ll want to make sure that your content has value.
But it doesn’t just have to be words on a web page – although that definitely helps (surprise, surprise: people still like to read). Content can be anything, whether that’s a detailed-yet-clear infographic, funny GIF, memorable meme, educational podcast, or snappy (or Snapchatty) video. Not sure what kind of content you should pursue besides the ever-valuable written word? Here are some tips.
That content doesn’t always have to sit on your own site, either. If you already have lots of followers on blogging or social media platforms such as LinkedIn or Medium it can reside there, with inbound links back to the company page, of course. There are also affiliate groups to consider, like Forbes, that curate influential creators and highlight industry experts.
An online marketing strategy is incomplete without the right keywords, which means you need to pay attention to SEO, or search engine optimization. Basically, that means knowing what words and phrases people use to search for things online—and why, and where, and how. Thanks to the popularity of AI voice assistants (think Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri), you’ll want to factor in natural language humans actually use (“Where’s the best pizza around here?”) for your keyword research. On top of that, your message should be engaging and insightful. Piece of cake, right?
The right marketing strategy incorporates data and analytics, too. Metrics such as page views and traffic numbers (and where that traffic comes from) can help illuminate strengths and weaknesses that can then be addressed accordingly with strategies that maximize your reach and influence.
Combine all that data and engaging content with an easy-to-use interface, and you’ll have return visitors in no time. Are hyperlinks all alive and well? Do they go where they need to go? What about the mobile version of the site? Do drop menus block anything? A friendly navigating experience is absolutely an important to-do on your marketing checklist. If customers can’t find what they’re looking for in a second or two or three, then it’s Fission Mailed.
The most important aspect of your marketing strategy, though, is to have a vision. Where do you see your company a year from now? Five years from now? Ten? To grow, you need to know what you want and have a roadmap to get there.
And as always, stay flexible, even when it comes to your marketing strategy. Something rigid always breaks under pressure (be it trendy digital marketing tactics or fickle Google algorithms), but something adaptable bends, adjusts, changes direction, and snaps back on top.