In many organizations of all shapes and sizes, management often prioritizes sales and the sales team over departments like marketing. Salespeople are those who bring in the new accounts or sell the products, but usually, there is a lot of work that goes into the backend of making that sale complete. It is mostly the marketing and branding efforts that are making the positive impressions that end up in closed deals.
When looking at your marketing efforts, how are you branding your company and bringing in new customers? Some strategies to achieve these objectives are relatively low cost, and they can be extremely beneficial to your bottom line but also to your sales team. Marketing efforts are usually the first way that customers learn about your business, especially if it is a new organization or recently rebranded.
Here are some ways that you can use low-cost marketing options to brand your company and win new customers.
Share Your Brand and Branded Content on Social Media
This tactic may seem like a no-brainer to some people, but others may wonder, “Why should I be on social media?” In today’s world of technology, more people are using social media as a way to receive most of their outside information—including the news. It’s more and more important for business owners to be utilizing these platforms for branding and sales purposes if they want to reach people outside of their network. Most services are free to use and provide a perfect platform for you to discuss your brand on your terms with an endless audience. There is a strategy for using each platform, so it’s essential that you strategically use social media to help you achieve your goals. For instance, if you have a visually appealing product, you should definitely be focused on using photos on Instagram to reach customers, whereas if you are a B2B company, LinkedIn would be a better platform to reach clients in the industries you are targeting. Social media offers a great place to brand your company, but it has to be done strategically.
Ask Friends and Family to Share Your Content
When it comes to social media, engagement is the name of the game. In order to get your brand out there to a larger group of people, you need to have followers who like and share your content on a regular basis. After you have created and published great content, enlist your closest supporters like friends and family! Ask them if they would kindly share your content to their networks to reach a wider audience. You never know if one of their followers is your next customer!
Partner with Influencers by Offering Free Products
Influencers on sites like Instagram are popular personalities with a large, loyal group of followers. We’ve talked about them before on our blog. When considering working with these people, do your research to find the right influencer that aligns with your brand and intended customers. Don’t discredit local micro-influencers just because they don’t have followers in the 10s of thousands. Look at the quality of engagement. Some micro-influencers actually have a lot of influence over their local audience, and this can be extremely beneficial if you are a small business or local company. Offer your product or service to the influencer for free in exchange for a review. Some may be open to this type of partnership, but before you go through with the offer, make sure everyone is on the same page.
Increase Thought Leadership by Offering to Guest Blog
Thought leadership through blogging and articles has become a meaningful way to showcase your expertise in your field. One way that you can engage new audiences is by offering to guest blog (for free) on another company or influencer site. Make sure your missions are similar so that it makes sense that you are using their website as a platform for your views or to offer advice. Many times, if you are offering free content to someone, you will be able to plug your product or services through your content. Be careful not to come across too sale-sy in this type of marketing. Use this platform to express your expertise, tell a story, or explain how to solve a problem, but don’t use it as a straight sales pitch.
Use Networking in Your Community
We talk a lot about the importance of strategically using social media and digital marketing to brand your company and grow your customer base, but social media alone is not your silver bullet. There is tremendous value in networking and selling within your community. Join professional groups and attend regular events within your industry or with the types of people you want to target as customers. Again, don’t be too sale-sy, but develop genuine relationships and interest in helping others. Through these authentic relationships, you are likely to receive referrals without even uttering a word about selling something. One-on-one business development can take some in-person work but often yields significant results. When you are out in the community, think first about how you can help others. (https://coloredmanga.com) Once you’ve established yourself and your brand as a resource within the community, you’re likely to have a loyal group of supporters and customers who will help you grow your business.
Hire a Marketing Company
Ok, so this strategy may cost you a bit more money, but it is totally worth it if you feel overwhelmed by some of the activities mentioned above. A qualified marketing firm, like Miss Ink, can help you strategize your digital marketing and brand your company to a wide audience on the web. If you don’t know where to start, contact us, and we can help you get your company up and running with the latest marketing techniques online by utilizing the resources available on social media platforms. We also have a team of professional writers who can craft the perfect content for your business to showcase your expertise and thought leadership through your company’s blog or on another site or publication.
Contact us today for your free consultation! info@miss-ink.com
