The world has changed over the last several months, and businesses of all kinds are trying to figure out marketing strategies that will work going forward.
It may be time to try something totally new and different from your normal routine to create some energy and get sales moving.
Depending on your industry, there are lots of options for you to choose from that you may have not considered in the past, but are worth a look now.
Read on to learn about 12 versatile marketing approaches and which of them will work best for your business.
#1 Cause Marketing
What values or beliefs are the heart behind your business? When you know what your business cares most about, you can use cause marketing to get your customers to kill two birds with one stone by purchasing your product or service. For example, for every item purchased, your business will plant a tree. Not an environmentalist? That’s okay. For every service you sell, donate to a local shelter or soup kitchen. No matter what cause you choose to support, this type of marketing goes far beyond brand awareness and reveals the heart of who you are as a company.
#2 Close Range Marketing (CRM)
CRM allows you to send messages about your products or services to customers who are within close range to your business. When they’re passing by, why not take advantage of this quick and easy method to get them in the door?
#3 Relationship Marketing
Want to ditch all the cheesy sales tactics? Your customer base will likely thank you for it. Instead, opt for relationship marketing. Simply focus your attention on making connections with your customers — whether that’s through face-to-face relationship-building, through social media, or through email. Instead of focusing on how to get the sale, focus on the person behind it. You’ll be surprised how easily this method translates into customer loyalty (and even more sales) down the road.
#4 Transactional Marketing
On the other hand, maybe you’re finding that relationship marketing just isn’t enough cutting it. Transactional marketing could be the better option, as it focuses on maximizing individual sales transactions through coupons, discounts, and sales.
#5 Word-Of-Mouth Marketing
Everyone knows that word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool. But how can you maximize it for the benefit of your company? Put simply, when you wow your customers at every turn, you won’t have to ask them to share your company with their friends and families. This means curating a stellar customer experience from start to finish. When you’ve got that down, word-of-mouth marketing is a natural result.
#6 Call to Action (CTA) Marketing
With so much dependence on technology these days, you can’t afford to neglect the web when it comes to your marketing strategy. CTA marketing is a method of getting your online visitors to engage with your brand through your ad or landing page design. Whether it’s to “click here for more information” or to “submit an email address in order to access a promo code,” your CTAs lead your web traffic to where you want them to go.
#7 Email Marketing
Speaking of technology, email marketing is a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to reach many customers with just a few keystrokes. Through this avenue, you can offer discounts, convey new product or service info, announce upcoming events or product launches, or solicit sales.
#8 Event Marketing
Join or create your own event in order to create some buzz and invite potential customers to engage with your brand. Invite other businesses that complement what you’re trying to achieve, set out brochures and business cards, engage your customers face-to-face, and hype it up on social media. This is a trustworthy method to increase brand awareness and turn on-the-fencers into customers.
#9 Inbound Marketing
If your business takes incoming calls for any reason, use this opportunity to sell your products or services. Of course, you’ll need to have a plan for meeting your customers’ needs so that you’re not trying to sell to the wrong audience. However, a little bit of script planning for diverse target audiences can make your inbound call marketing successful.
#10 Freebie Marketing
Everyone loves FREE. With freebie marketing, you simply promote free product or service giveaways to create a buzz around your business. Once your customers have experienced your product or service and come back for more, you can then sell additional products or services to meet their needs and boost your own sales.
#11 Content Marketing
Over the past couple of years, content marketing has become somewhat of a must-have for those wishing to boost online brand awareness. This method involved writing and publishing content (such as podcast articles, blog articles, expert interviews, or how-tos) to educate potential customers about your products and services. Of course, they don’t lead directly to a sale in most cases, but they do meet a real need for your audience.
#12 Social Media Marketing
People want to be social on social media. And it says a lot about your business and how much you care for your customers when you reply to your followers’ comments, concerns, or questions. Create that online relationship to boost customer loyalty.
And That’s Not All…
Of course, there are countless methods for marketing your business, and as technology changes, we can expect even more. However, the right combination of the methods covered above can take your marketing strategy to the next level. It may be time to shake things up and try something new!
