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Your business’ marketing leads directly to your sales. Once you establish your sales funnel, you have to develop the means and methods to move potential customers through your sales funnel. As a part of your business marketing plan, you need a content marketing plan.
While many aspects go into successful content marketing, two overall keys exist – authenticity with transparency and personally relevant content. Content authenticity plays a significant role in the purchase decisions of 86 percent of consumers. Tied to that is brand transparency. A completely transparent brand or company can retain the loyalty of 94 percent of consumers. You can tell the truth and be authentic as a person and a brand. But to become a priority to 78 percent of customers, you must provide personally relevant content for consumers, typically that influences their buying decision.
You can achieve these marketing keys using any means. These four tips can start you on your way much more quickly, though.
#1 Learn how to leverage location data.
You need to develop a keen understanding of how the location data you can extract from today’s mobile technology can help your marketing efforts. Once you collect the location data, you need to put it to work. Do not miss your opportunity to send marketing messages directly to customer cell phones. When they are nearby or to send special offers to those devices in your zip code.
Here is where those authentic, relevant posts come into play. Create a few short, entertaining, relevant video posts. Also, post information on your new products, services, and sales, but do not make that the only posts you make. These should comprise one-third or fewer of your posts. You also need to update your profile biography with business changes. You should list the URL for your website, physical address, hours, logo and include current photos.
#3 Work with customers and influencers to get authentic testimonials.
In today’s retail climate, consumers read reviews and ask friends and family for their opinions before making significant purchases. You can shortcut their research by posting or retweeting your customers’ reviews of your brand. Celebrity influencers can help your brand grow. Their testimonials can bring you new customers by influencing their fans and followers. In addition to featuring these on your social media, also add them to your business’ website. Link to reviews of your company or brand on dedicated review sites.
#4 Make direct mail marketing a part of your business marketing.
You must tightly target your mailings, working with the post office, and maybe even one of the many direct mail marketing companies out there, to develop and send out a postcard or other low-cost mailing piece. You can head over to the Chicago Heights post office or your local post office to get more information about using direct mailers. The post office offers free kits to educate businesses about the different types of direct mail pieces and their mailing rates. It also produces software to help businesses design and create high-quality marketing pieces. The mailing list is up to you. While you could purchase a pre-fabricated list, a better method is to send a mailing to your existing leads and customers.
Whether you decide to tackle social media through Twitter or direct mailings through the Chicago Heights post office, you need to create a business marketing plan and implement strategies to build your business. The sooner you start, the sooner you can move new customers into your sales funnel.