Here are some refreshing mid-week marketing (2.0?!) tips:
Ditch Traditional Marketing.
The age of traditional marketing (like t.v. commercials, newspaper ads, radio spots, and magazine ads) is quickly coming to an end. Similar online marketing tactics like banner ads are also losing steam. Basically, marketing that depends on interrupting or hitting potential customers over the head with your message is bound to fail. It’s time to move on.
A better tactic would be to:
Actually Engage People.
There a lots of ways to get people excited about what you have to offer, and the most important of these is providing value. In other words, it’s a good idea to offer people something they like, want, or can use. Some examples of providing value:
Blog about what you know best to establish yourself as a subject matter expert or thought leader. People will visit your site not just to search your products or services, but to gain insight into your area of expertise. Your content should be original and interesting - something that people can’t find anywhere else, and which might be considered controversial.
Throw a worthwile event, or speak at one. If you’re hosting or speaking at an event, making it worthwhile will require that you and/or your speakers provide rich and well-researched content. If you’re attending someone else’s event, don’t just send one marketing person; send someone who intimately knows your products and can talk about them passionately and intelligently. Or, send a product researcher to do some ad hoc fact-gathering. If you are the owner of your business, it’s a good idea to show up no matter what.
If you are a web services company like us, building new products is key. Using your downtime to build something you can resell at a flat fee can increase market share and further confirm that you are an expert in your field.
Providing value entices people want to get involved in what you’re doing, and plays a pivotal role in encouraging word of mouth advertising which, as most of us are well aware, is another one of the most effective ways of building your business.
Make Marketing Part of Day-to-day Life
For a lot of businesses, blogging, attending conferences, and building products on the side is considered secondary, or extra, work. But if you want to really reach out, it’s important to account for these activities in your day-to-day work life. This means setting aside time for these activities as part of your (or your employees’) job description. As long as doing so doesn’t greatly detract from billable work, spending time in this way should provide happy returns in the long run.
