Basic Marketing Essentials | Never Lose Momentum

Ever wonder why Coke still advertises? Ever wonder why we never see a Ferrari Ad?

Both companies are leaders in their field and both have massive competition. They both use different marketing strategies that cost millions. Coke is still one of the largest billboard and TV spenders, while Ferrari choose a niche approach with branded gear, upmarket magazines and F1 Racing.

Few of us have a fraction of the marketing budget that these companies have, but hallelujah for digital marketing and social media. Never before has marketing been so affordable than right now. What are you doing to keep up with your opposition?

“We rely on referrals”

“We don’t do any marketing. We are too busy to take on more business”

Marketing is not only about increasing leads and generating more income. Its about not letting your competition steal your share of wallet. Global reach is massive and you never know when someone else is going to be on your customers door step with something more attractive. And visa versa, you may be in the right place at the right time just when someone is looking to move their business.

So you need to keep up the momentum and maintain your presence and creativity if you want to retain customer loyalty. Remember customers love choice. And there is lots of it out there. So stay up to speed with at least the basics if your budget is stretched.

Here is a list of basic marketing essentials every business should be practicing:

Website:

Make sure your website has good content and is continually being updated. If you do not have new products or services on a regular basis, then you should be running promotions. If not promotions, a blog or newsletter is essential to keep your customers informed and returning to your website which in turn increases traffic and ultimately your Google ranking. Make arrangements with your web developer for regular updates in this arena.

Bulk emailing

Your customer list is the holy grail of your business. If you are not building and maintaining a healthy client list you need to do so NOW. You should be growing your customer list on a daily basis. Your list should comprise existing clients and prospects. Make sure the prospects have opted in to your mailing list. There are numerous methods of bulk mailing available.

Social Media

Not everyone’s cup of tea, but unfortunately this is the order of the day. Google calls the shots and unless you have a wealth of social media links on your site then your are likely to slip to the bottom end of page 10 on google.  Facebook is one of the most important ones as its advertising platform works together with coding in your website. However if you are not advertising on Facebook then you should be making regular posts. Clients look for credibility and authority. Your website and Facebook page (not profile) are your 2 best tools to gain customer trust. Instagram, Pintrest and twitter are also major contenders, however unless you manage these correctly, they can also backfire. Remember, people don’t like obsolete content. So if your last tweet or post is 6 month ago, well…. what would you think?

Facebook marketing

Most people do not understand Facebook marketing and think it is posting and getting likes. Facebook is the largest advertising platform today because of it incredible delivery and ROI. Choosing the amount you want to spend and deciding on what type of people you want to reach and what radius of a city is every marketers dream. This however  comes with technological requirements. In order to yield its full potential you will require professional help from a digital marketer and web developer.

Google Business

A Google Business Listing gets your business listed on google. It gives you visibility on google maps and in the google search community. It allows you to showcase photo’s, your website, business hours etc. Have you signed up yet?

In conclusion, basic marketing essentials are inexpensive and a must have for any business.