Marketing is a game. There is no question about it.
You have to know your objectives, your strategy, and how your message will fit. You always have to be one step ahead and you go in knowing that you will either win or lose. Like a good game of Tetris, it can be strategic and full of ups and downs.
Everyone’s marketing strategy is different—but if you’re just starting out in the game, we’ve narrowed it down to our top four tips you will need to know to win the game.
1. Go where the attention is.
We will continue to preach this one forever and ever. You can’t rely on people finding you—you need to meet them where they are at. It can be difficult to know what platform is going to be the next big Facebook or Instagram, so make sure you are focusing putting your content on platforms where your audience is now.
2. Go to where the attention is going to be.
While you should always focus on where your audience is now, you should also be watching trends for where they are going. We said it could be difficult to know what platform is going to be the next big thing, but, it’s not impossible. This is how people win the marketing game. They are the first to get to a platform, set up camp, create high quality content to share, invest in online ads while they are cheap, and reel their target audience in. Remember, while you are making content for the short-term, to succeed, you have to focus on the long-term too.
3. Produce enough content for social media and spend enough on ads.
Ads on FB and Instagram are extremely cheap right now. For Facebook, the average CPC is $0.26, and the average CPM is $7.19. For Instagram, the average CPC has been between $0.20 and $2.00 and the average CPM has been around $5.00. But, with how crowded these spaces are, the cost is going up fast. What’s more, eventually, like email open rates, the effectiveness of your ads will begin to decline. So, what to do?
Make sure you are producing enough content for social media and spending enough money on advertising on these channels while they’re still cheap. Whether you are a landscaping company, fashion boutique, coffee shop, or independent contractor, no matter your company, THIS will work. Trust us, you’ll regret it in the long term if you don’t take advantage of it right now.
A bonus tip: make sure the content you are creating is not only geared towards your target audience, but also curated for the platform you are on. For example, don’t just throw one of your TV commercials on Facebook—make sure the ads you are creating fit that platform or have it modified to best represent you and the audience its intended for on that platform.
4. WHY do you do what you do?
Maybe you have a million followers for your business, but guess what, likes and follows don’t matter. Great content means nothing at the end of the day if your product or service doesn’t live up to your customers’ standards. They will never get beyond the stage of “prospective customer,” or even follower, if you don’t deliver more. When we preach about how customers build brands, we firmly believe there is a lot a marketer can do to nurture their brand along; but if your product or service needs help—that’s where you need to start. The value aspect. Now if your product does live up to your customers’ standards, focus on the why you do what you do or make what you make. Keep in mind, all companies, businesses, organizations, and their brands all started with the why.
You can do so much when you have mastered how to grab someone’s attention, that’s why we firmly believe that high quality content is key to succeeding in the marketing game.
Looking for more help understanding the marketing game? Wanting to learn more about inbound and the stages of the flywheel as it fits into your marketing strategy? Start getting organized—download our free Creative Arcade Inbound Flywheel Worksheet.
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