This guide to modern marketing will take you through the steps to build and grow your brand successfully.
All entrepreneurs understand the need for marketing in modern business, not least when launching a startup. After all, without customers you will not generate sales. And without revenue, the entire company will be destined for disaster.
So, building a robust modern marketing strategy should be considered an essential step for all startup owners. It may seem like a daunting prospect, but a clear and comprehensive action plan will give you the perfect platform to build upon.
Modern marketing: 10 key steps
Focus on the 10 step plan below, and you should see stunning outcomes.
Step 1: Build your brand
Before you can build a modern marketing campaign, you must first gain a deeper understanding of the brand. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to express the company’s message with any level of consistency or authenticity.
Firstly, then, you should take some time to identify your niche and create a target consumer profile. Once you know who the company’s products are aimed at, it will be far easier to establish a winning brand. Everything from your logos and color schemes to your tone of voice will be influenced by this. Likewise, it can help you decide which social media channels deserve the most attention.
The key thing to remember is that it doesn’t matter if outside audiences do not respond well to your content and products. As long as the consumers who are interested react in a positive way, it will give you a platform for growth and success.
Step 2: Gain visibility
Once you have built a brand that connects with the intended audience, the next step is to gain visibility. After all, nobody can purchase your products if they are not aware of your business and the products it offers.
The quickest and most cost-effective way to gain visibility is through professional PPC campaigns. Short for Pay Per Click, the campaigns display digital ads to consumers as they browse the internet and social media channels. If you already know your target consumer, modern marketing experts will ensure that ads are shown to the right people at the right times. Better still, you only pay once someone clicks, meaning very little waste.
As well as displaying ads across various channels, you should help consumers find your business. The vast majority turn to search engines when looking for a product. Use SEO to climb the rankings and your traffic will soar.
Step 3: Become an authoritative voice
Trust is one of the most important aspects of the business-consumer relationship, not least when trying to win new clients. While there are many ways to gain it, becoming an authoritative voice is one of the best modern marketing methods.
When consumers respect your opinion within the industry, they will pay more attention to your suggestions. Content marketing is the key to success. From starting a blog to using video marketing, it is a very versatile arena. Explainer videos, insights into key industry developments, and relevant reviews are all ideal. They quickly grow interest in the brand without explicitly promoting its products.
Moreover, people will keep coming back to your content, which means they’ll continue to interact with the brand. When added to the fact it gives you a chance to provide a better insight into the people behind the business, it’s a vital step.
Step 4: Master offline marketing
In today’s climate, most startups will focus heavily on digital marketing. It’s cheaper, quicker, and can evolve easily alongside the company’s growth. Nevertheless, traditional offline modern marketing still has a significant role to play.
For B2B ventures, business conferences can be an ideal opportunity to network with potential clients and show what you have to offer. This route, along with trade shows, can be a great way to establish retainers or gain a lot of new clients in a short space of time. B2C startups can use trade shows as well as promotion days in a similar way. It builds excitement around the band and is an ideal way to establish meaningful connections.
Offline marketing can also include telesales and, perhaps more importantly, direct mail. It allows for targeting, personalization, and a chance to build trust. It’s very effective for leads who considered a purchase but backed out.
Step 5: Embrace social proof
As a startup, it’s imperative that you shout about your products and services. Nevertheless, you should acknowledge the fact that most consumers will take this with a pinch of salt. They want to see proof and will research what others have said.
The modern consumer has access to a world of info at their fingertips. Before completing a purchase, 95% of consumers will actively read reviews. Therefore, gaining testimonials should be a priority. You can incentivize happy clients to do this by giving them a discount on their next purchase. The power of recommendation can be further supported through the use of an affiliate modern marketing scheme.
Another option is to consider social media influencers. They will view your products through different eyes, thus celebrating the USPs that matter to clients. If they share a similar audience to yours, you should see great results.
Step 6: Become a more social brand
Modern consumers judge businesses on a wide range of matters that extend far beyond the products alone. Crucially, they want to buy from brands that share similar opinions and priorities, especially when it comes to startups.
As such, you should actively look to become a more social brand. Switching to greener packaging is a particularly smart move as it is a consumer-facing update. However, issues like using less energy and reducing material waste can also become a key part of the brand image. Working with local suppliers, switching to paperless tech, and using eco-friendly vehicles will also aid the cause.
Startups can also use their platforms to support worthy causes. This can include charity appeals and political issues. It gives consumers another reason to feel connected to the brand on a more personal level while also influencing your workforce. Perfect.
Step 7: Be personal
There are many aspects of business where your startup simply cannot compete with national firms. Let alone global organizations. However, adding a personal touch is one where you can thrive. It starts with modern marketing.
Various algorithms and automation tools can be used to ensure that the right ads are displayed. They could also use their past purchases and browsing history to influence what they will see. Even simple ideas like using the consumer’s name in a marketing message can help. The goal is to make consumers feel that yours is the brand for them. Achieve this, and they’ll be far more inclined to make a purchase.
Have you ever received a message saying “People who purchased X also purchased Y” or “We thought you might like this”? If so, you’ve already seen the power of personalized marketing. Combined with sales, it can have a huge impact.
Step 8: Manage your sales funnel
Marketing isn’t just about building awareness and interest in the brand. You could potentially use many key performance indicators to define success. Sadly, all other modern marketing metrics are pointless without conversions. So, you must address the sales funnel.
It is shown that the average consumer requires eight touchpoints before making a purchase. With this in mind, using automated email marketing streams once someone has signed up for a newsletter makes sense. Cart abandonment notifications are another great idea. Similarly, using social media interactions is hugely beneficial. In many cases, though, introducing a sense of urgency will also help.
You can do this through ideas like timed promotions. Ultimately, the goal is to ease people through the stages of Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action in the fastest time. This will stop them from taking their business elsewhere.
Step 9: Show the customer you value them
You must acknowledge the fact that customers want to feel valued. Likewise, they need an incentive to stay loyal to the company while also gaining a convenient transaction. Those features often get sales over the line.
In fact, 86% of buyers are happy to pay for a better consumer experience. So, going the extra mile for customers can bump up your prices. With this in mind, introducing live chat and chatbot customer care can work wonders. Crucially, you should also consider adding a loyalty reward scheme. Aside from making clients feel valued, it opens the door to further touchpoints that keep your brand fresh in their minds.
If nothing else, providing a service that matches the quality of your products will soon see the brand’s reputation grow. As such, this can become a key part of the overall modern marketing strategy and set the foundation for consistent results.
Step 10: Don’t second guess
In business, you will quickly learn that it is important to double down on what works. Likewise, you must quickly address ideas that don’t work by ending your investment of time and money into them.
Thankfully, you have a plethora of data analytics that will show what campaigns engage audiences and generate sales. Use this info to your advantage, and you will soon have the most efficient modern marketing strategy imaginable.
