2016 has been a tough year for most businesses and as the year passed by, marketing gets tougher and tougher. That is why entrepreneurs, especially business startups need to step up their game this 2017.
However, it is not as easy as it seems to be for business startups to come up with a marketing strategy that can increase leads. According to statistics, about 65% of businesses said that generating traffic and leads is the most challenging part in their marketing. This is perhaps the main reason why most businesses, especially startups are in such a hurry to get involve in a marketing that they haven’t thought well enough yet. As a result, they fail.
This coming 2017, it is time to be smart entrepreneurs. It is time to change your marketing habits. Here are some suggestions which can help you boost your traffic and lead generation with a lesser chance of mistake.
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Nail Your Referrals Marketing
Perhaps, you already have experience buying something from a certain shop for the first time because someone you personally knew referred it to you. Now, you are a lead converted from referral marketing.
The word-of-the-mouth has long been proven to be one of the most effective ways to generate and convert leads. However, it is not easy to convince your customers to refer you from other people. These are the three elements you need to focus on to nail your referral marketing.
Excellent Customer Service.We know how excellent service work. Providing customers of what they need is the goal to have excellent customer service. In order to build effective referral marketing, you need to build trust, accuracy and speed of service among your consumers.
Rewards And Exclusive Promos. Understand why your referral source wants to refer you. Rewards could be in monetary or non-monetary form. You can come up with referral programs that you think your referral sources can enjoy. Referral sources’ freebies, discounts and incentives are some programs you can make use of.
Marketing Tools To Use. Aside from the traditional word-of-mouth, your consumers can also spread the word to another medium. You can take referral marketing online. Encourage your loyal customers to leave reviews on social media, business listings and website to attract others from your target market.
Leveraging your previous customers as referrals can boost your lead generation. So take good care of your customers. Nurture them because sooner or later, you will need their help.
Align Your Online And Offline Marketing Approach
Different marketing campaigns have different marketing approach. However, the ultimate goal of every marketing campaign is to eventually increase traffic and convert leads. This is where omnchannel marketing should come in play. But it is not an easy task. Based on a survey, 99% of marketers know how challenging omnichannel approach can be.
Aligning different channels to provide seamless user experience is fundamental in omnichannel marketing. Consumers, these days, are no longer satisfied with using one channel. They could use desktops, mobile phones, tablets and laptops. You need to adjust to this kind of purchasing behavior to encourage them to interact with your business.
You need to utilize different marketing channels and align them so they can work together with one ultimate goal. Consider the following tips.
- Know and understand your target market.
- Build a strategic plan with aligned experience to multi-channels.
- Find a way to measure and analyze data.
Omnichannel approach is constantly improving. You need to stay proactive to come up with an effective omnichannel approach that can provide users with a much better, integrated experience.
Don’t Just Build Brand, Improve Brand Retention
We are all aware that building brand identity plays an important role in boosting a business. But little did we know that there is more to do than just building an identity. Brand retention and brand identity go hand-in-hand to boost sales.
Brand identity is the process of building a name where people can distinguish your business from your competitors. You will need a brand awareness campaign to start building your business identity. After you have built your name in your industry, it is time you should increase retention among your visitors and customers. You need to convince them to keep come back and purchase from your business again.
Encouraging previous customers to come back whenever are in need of a certain product that you offer is essential in business growth. So how do you encourage them to keep coming back?
Here are some quick tips:
- Keep the communication open and nurture the relationship you have with your customers. Update them with promos and discounts that they can avail from your business.
- Keep improving the product and service quality you offer. The better you have become; the greater chance of converting first-time customers to loyal ones.
- Appeal to their emotions when selling. It is more than just selling; it is a game of experience and building emotional connections. Understand your customers and trigger the right emotions which can convince them to purchase from you.
- Don’t just sell, educate. Customers can also make purchasing decisions based on the set of information you laid down to them. Assist them in their product inquiries. This is also a way to build trust and authority.
- Make the process simple for them. Customers tend to stay away from a brand with a complicated buying process. As much as possible, make your business process easy and simple to understand.
The product and the customer service you provide play a crucial when it comes to brand retention. To keep your customers loyal, you need to maintain a positive influence on them.
Conclusion
Marketing has come a long way and your business needs to adapt, adjust and continue innovating for secure your success. While there are no shortcuts to success, by following these tips and you will have a greater chance of boosting your business. It is not about trying everything out but it is about choosing the best that is guaranteed to work.
This coming 2017, it is not about who works hard but who works smart.
