KNOW YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS


10 TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE MARKETING


In such uncertain times, one thing is for sure, changes are afoot.


Keeping your marketing relevant and making it a catalyst for growth, is therefore more important than ever in 2019. Here’s some pointers


from Richard Forsyth, Content Director, Find a Creative Pro to help keep your marketing activity relevant and sustain a healthy pipeline to sales


1


Always link your marketing to sales If someone is looking for your


service or product, find the easiest, most attractive steps towards sealing that deal, whether that is on your website, social media and advertising etc. Don’t clutter the path to a sale. Your core message needs to be simple, clear and demonstrate benefits. Always ask, ‘what do you want the customer to do next?,’ and then ‘why would they do that?’


commitments and brand biases – it can all indicate what they would pay for and why, which could prove important for your marketing. This can also affect other aspects of your business, like product or service development and price- point.


3


Consistent, persistent and


quality content Developing a house- style is important. If you have three


different voices from the three people doing your marketing, it may come across as confusing and


misaligned. What is ‘on brand’


for you? Source quality images and where you can, create your own to show your business.


2


Know your ideal clients intimately


Have a concept of your ideal client (or customer). Compare it to who your clients are, to see if the majority match up. For a B2B, there will be an aim for a specific size of client. If you are accumulating demanding small businesses with small budgets, is that going to drain your time and stunt your growth? Your marketing needs to appeal to your ideal client. If you are B2C, create a deck of


personality profiles for customer types. Preferences, income, family


Keep frequency of marketing high


so people get to see your brand regularly. Schedule it, rather than doing it only when you aren’t busy. At Find a Creative Pro we often use content calendars, so our clients know what’s being posted, when it’s posted and why.


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Make rules around engagement From the profiling you can work


out your Tone of Voice. Is it casual or corporate? What are the redlines, the do’s and don’ts etc. Are there words you want to represent your brand? Work out when is best to contact clients


5


and which channels are best to use. Be objective about whether your perception is accurate to the reality? Don’t waste investment on ineffective channels. There are so many


marketing channels that it can be overwhelming and demanding on your resources, so it can pay to be selective and focused.


Know your competitors Use the SWOT model to measure


Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats for your main competitors and your own business. You’ll soon notice the gaps where you can make a difference in the market. Outsourcing this task is a good option because someone looking in, can often give a fresh, unbiased perspective. You will have unique propositions in your business; find them, understand them and exploit them. It might be simply your branding.


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