The first thing that a business has on its mind is the marketing strategy it is going to choose. A new business has a smaller budget while an older business might have more to spend on promoting itself.
65% of the businesses claim that the biggest challenge they face in marketing is how to create and generate traffic for their brand. It is understandable that marketing for businesses can be a tough job but if you choose the right methods, you can easily sail through it.
Source: Venture Harbour
Any business would prefer that people are attracted to it and end up buying their products while becoming loyal customers. Many times they are unaware of the channel they should choose to become successful.
With time there have been so many developments and updates in the industry that marketing has become competitive. There are so many options to choose from the bundle of marketing techniques that companies find it hard to select one option.
Marketing has been the way for businesses to present themselves to the public for many years. Before the advent of technology, it was much simpler with the use of flyers and newspaper advertisements. But as more platforms are present for businesses to create a strong image, there are higher chances of a business to promote itself better.
Marketing is like an investment for a business. The more you invest in it, the better the results are going to be. Investment in marketing does not need to come through money but also through your time and involvement.
Content Marketing vs Traditional Marketing
Over time, as new technologies were invented and people came up with different ideas to approach their audiences, there was a shift from traditional marketing to content marketing.
Before diving into the details of this shift, it would be better to understand the difference between the two marketing methods and to see why one is preferred over the other these days.
Source: Landing Page
Traditional marketing, as the term also states is the old and traditional way of attracting customers. This form includes very basic marketing techniques like using print media, television advertisements, posting on billboards, radio announcements and distributing flyers.
Content marketing, on the other hand, is a step into the digital world which has opened many avenues for a business to market itself effectively. This type of marketing focuses on using the internet, mobile phones, and technology more.
Traditional marketing was not a flop considering that it managed to gain attention for businesses for so many years but over time as forms of communication evolved, so did the preference of people. However, there are still many businesses that combine both traditional and content marketing to become the star of the industry.
Source: Bryt Designs
For businesses that seek to generate more traffic and get more leads, content marketing proved to be the better option. Not only does it cut down on the costs incurred, but it also creates 3 times the leads than traditional marketing.
According to statistics, about 51% of the businesses are increasing their budget to spend more on content marketing. More popular ways of using content marketing include posting articles, social media pages, e-newsletters and blogs on webpages.
Right now, approximately 3.3 billion in this world are carrying smartphones which give them access to the internet. With such a huge number of people using the internet and digital platforms, content marketing has become a major attraction for businesses.
Mass Text Messaging for Marketing
There are 5 billion people in the world that can send and receive text messages and this has given businesses the perfect opportunity to target audiences by sending them mass text messages.
Not only is it a cheap method to market a business but it is also quick and reliable. Businesses that are new entrants in the market with low budgets usually prefer this form of marketing over others.
Source: Neil Patel
People can barely go through the day without checking their mobile phones which makes them an easy target for businesses to promote themselves.
There are many ways that a business an use this technique to reach out to its audience and create an impact. The aim is to increase customer loyalty and the number of customers which can be made possible with a strong mass text messaging marketing campaign.
What a business needs is a professional and good service provider that can ensure a successful texting campaign for the business. Moreover, recruiting skilled people in your marketing team will help boost your performance and smooth out your campaign.
Text messages are mainly used to inform customers about special offers, promotions, deals, and discounts. Sending out a short text to notify your customers is an easy way of spreading the word about a sale and increasing your sales.
However, with high competition among businesses in marketing, you need to be creative about your texting content so people are attracted to your text message and brand rather than another.
To make your mass text messaging campaign more effective you can personalize your text messages which means that you would address your clients by their name and add a greeting to make them feel special.
Moreover, using a short code to send out bulk text messages will also prove beneficial for a business. Short codes are unique to businesses and can be saved by people in their contact lists making it easy for them to remember who is texting them.
Do you want a better response from people? Make your text messages stand out by attaching pictures in your messages. As a new restaurant on the block, you can send people a message with a picture of your menu attached so they can go through it and choose what to order before coming in.
Moreover, sending out reminders and alerts to customers through text messaging has never been easier. It is much more convenient to draft a message and select your contact list to send out the reminder in a few seconds.
It is completely up to a business how it chooses to use this marketing method and make it more attractive for people.
Email Marketing
Snail mail got taken over by electronic mail, commonly known as email as a mode of communication. Using the internet, this form of marketing relays information, newsletters, and subscriptions to customers.
There are many who think that emails are not an effective way of marketing but 269 billion emails are sent and received every day. Despite other platforms for businesses to promote themselves being present in the market, email marketing is still preferred by 93% of B2B marketers.
Source: Oberlo
As the image above shows, an increase is expected in email users over time from 3.7 billion people to 4.3 billion in a time span of 5 years.
No matter which marketing method you choose, you need it to be creative and attractive. While you might think that there is little that you can do to make emails interesting, there are many ways to make them stand out.
Make sure that your emails are not bland and start with a direct address to the user rather than a plain old Dear Sir/Madam. Moreover, add images so customers can understand what the email is about.
What you shouldn’t forget is that many people read their emails on their phones so opt for a responsive design that does not cause them any trouble in opening and reading your emails.
Your emails should have a purpose since customers’ time is precious and they need a reason to know why they should subscribe to your business when they have other options.
Marketing with Social Media
Social media is a platform that we cannot forget when it comes to marketing for businesses. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram are just some websites that are mainly used by businesses to promote themselves.
With an increase in usage of the internet and a preference of people towards the digital world, social media is becoming a highly common marketing option for companies.
Source: Oberlo
Social media has a great influence on its users and the picture shows that 54% of people browsing through social media use it as a tool to research products.
You need to come up with a strong plan to target your audience through social media for which you need to conduct some research and then make a mindmap of how to pursue them.
Regardless of which social media website you choose to market yourself, the content needs to be exemplary and consistent. Any business will have to regularly update the content so readers remain up to date with new information.
When using multiple pages, make sure that all your content is consistent with each other and makes your business’s image look good.
Content marketing through social media can be carried out by writing blogs regularly and getting the attention of readers with creative content.
Combining Marketing Channels for Your Business
As a business that is seeking to expand itself and increase sales, you need to think outside the box. Simply relying on one plain marketing method is not a smart move which is why businesses tend to combine two or more marketing channels.
Source: Neil Patel
While there are some marketing techniques that might attract you more than others, there is not a single method that you can rely on. Using one medium to communicate with clients is thus not the answer.
You need multiple marketing methods to make sure that your business is seen and heard by people around you. If you are a new setup then you need to restrain yourself to your budget but it does not mean that you cannot market yourself effectively.
Using cheap methods like text message marketing and combining it with other budget-friendly techniques is the solution for such businesses.
Traditional marketing can also be used alongside content marketing to make sure that while people are in touch with your brand in the digital world, they are also aware of it other forms like flyers, print media, and television advertisements.
Moreover, traditional marketing methods can be used to promote content marketing techniques to the public. Handing out flyers that promote the social media page of a business is an example of combining both marketing methods.
It is not necessary for a business to spend extravagantly on marketing itself, rather it should focus on marketing itself effectively using methods that suit it best and are not much of a burden on the pocket.
Conclusion
Marketing for businesses is not very complicated if dealt with properly. This is where a business needs to be smart.
With the presence of various marketing methods in the industry, it can be confusing to pick the best one. However, a business first needs to evaluate itself and research its target audience to see which method will work best.
You need to see the preference of customers and then opt for a marketing technique. If social media marketing is effective for one business it does not mean it will work for yours.
Ultimately marketing for businesses can be tricky but if you have the right kind of team and knowledge, you can stand out from your competitors and get the kind of attention you really need.