For many businesses, establishing an advertising and marketing strategy can be an overwhelming task. If this isn’t your area of expertise, it can feel like you’re working through a maze with a blindfold on. Developing the best roadmap to deliver results and maximize your resources is a critical piece of growing your business immediately and in the long-term, so let’s talk about three must-haves that can have a significant impact on the success of a business’ advertising and marketing campaigns.
#1 Communicating something interesting.
Even the most well thought out and well-funded advertising and marketing campaigns won’t deliver top-notch results if the messaging is off. Great messaging is essentially storytelling, a combination of describing your innovative and differentiated product and forming an emotional connection with the consumer. If a strategy is weak in either of these components, you may not receive the desired results.
If we are honest, sometimes we have unique products that people just don’t know they need! So, the message we want to communicate with a potential customer is essential – to raise awareness of amazing products and services that fulfill a need and enhance the success of a business. Therefore, the key to communicating something interesting is to pay attention to how you’re crafting the message and focus on connecting with your audience. This applies to every advertising and marketing plan you deploy. Carefully identify the “pain points” of your target audience, tell them the “why” – why they need this new product – and how it can offer solutions to these pain points. Do they want convenience, luxury, security, or something entirely different? Addressing pain points for consumers will immediately grab your target customers’ attention.
#2 Meeting your audience where they are.
Here’s a critical fact that so many businesses overlook. When creating their advertising and marketing strategy – people, even those within the same demographic and geographic market, consume information and media very differently. It is important to remember this fact when thinking through a marketing and advertising campaign. You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. Your strategy should use research and data to ensure you’re reaching your audience where they are. This all really comes down to knowing who your target audience is and what motivates them to take action. Where do they live, work, and play? And when is the best time for you to reach them with your messaging? Be mindful that you may not represent your own target audience, so what works for you may not work for them! This is where having the perspective of an outside professional and relying on marketing gurus can really help.
#3 Taking a “multimedia” approach.
One of the best things you can do for your advertising and marketing strategy is to take a “multimedia” approach. Not only in literal media terms but in overall marketing concepts as well. Too often, companies will focus on one or two aspects of marketing or media and not think about the whole picture and putting together a comprehensive strategy. Another critical factor in a comprehensive strategy is repetition. Consumers need to be exposed to a message numerous times before making a decision. It can be a costly mistake to focus too heavily on one type of marketing or advertising tactic or medium and ignore other opportunities that could increase message exposure and yield additional results. For example, incorporating a combination of print, digital, and outdoor media instead of focusing on just one of these channels will reach more customers on more occasions and raise awareness! Incorporating variety and using an integrated approach allows you to reach multiple customers through multiple channels, optimizing exposure and campaign results.
Bonus! Constantly learning and evolving.
A bonus tip, because this is an important one – be sure that your business is constantly learning and evolving! Learn from what the data and results are telling you and adapt your campaign to improve performance. And often, the best way to do this is by utilizing the perspective of a trusted and experienced professional who understands the intricacies of marketing and advertising. You don’t know what you don’t know, and blind spots can feel more like black holes when it comes to getting the strategies right the first time and maximizing resources. With an outside perspective to help you make sense of what data is saying and to strengthen your overall strategy, you will have the knowledge to make sure every action is designed to deliver the best results for your business.
