Start 2022 with the Right Marketing Strategy

The new year will be full of opportunities for your business. If you had success in 2021, then 2022 is your chance to carry it over and build upon it. If you didn’t have your greatest year in 2021, then now you have a clean slate to turn it around. No matter your goals and where you’re coming from, one thing will be constant; you’ll need a strong, well-thought-out marketing strategy to get people excited about your products and services. While marketing isn’t an exact science, there are a few characteristics of a marketing strategy that, if fulfilled correctly, will make sure that it’s the right one for your business.

Start with what makes your products or services stand out

In order to be successful in any industry, you need to offer something that no one else can. Or, if they can offer it, you have to offer it in a better way. This could be the quality of your products, the variety, the cost, or it could be the knowledge of your workers who are performing services. It could even be the experience your business affords. For example, a restaurant doesn’t have to have world-class food to bring people in if it can give customers a fun, exciting experience.

When building your marketing strategy, you want to center it around what makes your business better than your competitors. This means you need to not only understand your products and services inside and out but your competitors as well. Once you’ve done that research, the difference between you and them will be clear. Your marketing strategy needs to emphasize where you add value that no one else can match.

Understand your customers and target market

This step goes hand in hand with understanding what makes your products and services different and better. In order to know how your products and services are better for your customers, you need to know what your customers want and need. That will require more research, but market research this time. If you’ve got a healthy base of customers already, look at their characteristics. Things like age, gender, location, activities, and many other factors can come into play depending on what your products or services do for them.

It’s also important to specify your target market. Figure out who would find your products and services most useful and enjoyable, and market directly to them. It’s as simple as finding the people who are most likely to buy from you and spending the bulk of your energy selling to them. Once you’ve figured out a target market, you can start strategizing about what sort of marketing initiatives would catch their eye. Even within a target market, you’ll find differences between people. This is where segmenting comes in. Segmenting is breaking your target market into smaller, more specific groups. If we continue with the restaurant example from earlier, you could have customers who are college-aged up to those who are elderly. These two groups would find different kinds of marketing initiatives interesting, and with a segmented target market, you can advertise to them separately.

Use your network

As a small business, you’ll only have so much money to put into marketing while scaling up your business for growth. The most effective, low-cost way to market can often be through word of mouth spread by your close network. It can feel tedious or pushy, but you should use your network of family and close friends to get the word out about your business. Chances are, they are already recommending your business whenever it’s relevant. If you have a compelling deal or a new product or service, mention it to your network and let them spread the news to their friends and family. If you serve them well, then the cycle will repeat, and you’ll have a free source of high-impact marketing.

Focus on branding

As attention spans shorten in the digital age, branding is as important to a business as ever. You need a logo and a phrase that can give people an immediate snapshot of your business and how their experience will go. Customers don’t research companies like they used to. While there is some surface-level research that goes on, a strong brand can hook a customer and give them a positive impression as they look through what your business is all about.

Make your brand snappy and memorable, and have it embody what your company can offer customers. Tie your brand to your products and services, put it on your website, on other ads, on your employee’s uniforms, on your building. Your logo is an advertisement itself, so make it one that gives a strong impression.

Carefully plan out an online marketing strategy

While word of mouth is a nice way to get your customer base started, businesses in today’s world cannot grow without a solid online marketing strategy. Like any marketing strategy, you need to think it through and organize your online marketing strategy so that every facet is on the same page and working toward a common goal.

The most important aspect starting out is to have a quality website. It’s best to work with a professional on building your website. While there are platforms that allow you to do it yourself, a lot goes into website building that the average person won’t scratch the surface of without hours and hours of research and work. There is a ton of behind-the-scenes work that goes into driving visitors to your website, and a professional that makes their living doing that will know how to get it done. Once you have a strong website, then you can focus on other initiatives that get visitors there, like Google Ads, search engine optimization (SEO), eCommerce, and much more.

If online marketing seems like a whole new world that you’re not familiar with or not trained to navigate efficiently, then ask for help! At RCC Web Media Agency, we have made it our business to give other businesses the online presence they deserve. We offer a full range of online marketing services that will give your business an edge over competitors. Here is a list of some of what we can do to help you grow:

• Google AdWords Campaign Management
• Web Design and Web Development
• Lead Generation
• Google PPC Ads (Search & Display)
• SEO Services
• Video Ads and Creating Videos for Business
• Affiliate Online Marketing and Advertising
• Email Marketing
• Online Reputation Management (ORM Services)
• & More!

We want to see your business grow as it should. We can help you do that by showing the world what you do best and getting you exposure so that you can prove your worth to as many customers as you would like. To learn more about how we can transform your business’s online presence, give us a call at (888) 565-7102 or fill out a contact form to speak with one of our knowledgeable salespeople!