Identifying the problems in your buyer persona was the first step of going back to the basics of your business during this downtime. But it isn’t always necessary for the issue to lie in your targeting. You may be targeting the right people, and they may even be interested in your product. But what if you’re not on the right digital marketing platform, or your content isn’t as interesting or relevant as it should be?
That’s when you’ll need to explore the different platforms available on digital and choose the one where your customers can respond best.
Digital Marketing Platforms and Channels you can explore
Currently, there are roughly 7 different ways you can approach digital marketing. This includes social media, email, display, video, affiliate, search engine, and in-game marketing. Each of these channels come with their own set of apps and platforms with their unique audience, challenges and opportunities.
For every marketer, one of the most important questions is to identify which channel and platform to choose, and how to utilize the best of those for their business. Let’s take a look at the most common social marketing platforms in 2020 and find out which one can work best for you.
As you can see in the infographic above, each platform has an audience of its own and a purpose that you can utilize for your business, which you may already be doing. But is that enough?
Always remember, Digital Media is NOT Equal to Social Media
Digital marketing itself is a vast field but a lot of times it’s just limited to the social media platforms mentioned above. Which is why marketers tend to limit themselves to these top-performing platforms because they’re convenient and take your message across one way or the other. But always make sure that you’re using digital to its maximum potential, and not missing out on important platforms otherwise you may lose thousands of potential customers who don’t use social media.
For example, MailChimp is a great email marketing platform that’s used by 12 million customers across the globe, and it takes up almost 60% of the email marketing share in the industry. There is Google Ads, which is one of the most powerful digital advertising tools used by businesses, or Medium, a content sharing platform, which can be used to build social sharing for a company or to start your own blogging career. You can also utilize podcasts on SoundCloud, YouTube or local Pakistani platforms like Patari, the Pakistan Podcast Company, and more. Or you can also use Quora to answer FAQs and build backlinks for your website to optimize it for search.
The point is, digital marketing isn’t limited to social media only. While yes, these platforms have done a lot for businesses small and large, but limiting yourself to them isn’t the only way to market your company. Your best shot at digital marketing is to make a mix of all the platforms that seem right to you, and then create content that can be used in an integrated yet unique way across all mediums.
The current lockdown can be a great time for you to learn more about platforms like the ones mentioned above, and see which ones you can utilize to your advantage to grow your business.
Content Analysis
As important as platform selection is for a brand, it’s equally crucial to plan a content strategy that works for you. You may be targeting the right customers on the right platform, but if your content or its execution strategy isn’t up to the par, your results won’t be either.
So let’s take a look at a few ground rules you should follow when it comes to content:
Use a Human Approach
You must have heard the phrase “humanize your brand” multiple times while studying or implementing marketing strategies. But why is it important? Because humans can relate to humans. We all like stories, we all like listening to experiences which relate to us. That’s why a human approach is important. Tell your story, tell the story of a person related to your brand. Tell them about why you started this venture, tell them about your employees. Create an emotional connection and show them the people who make your work possible. As long as they can relate to your brand, your work is being done seamlessly.
Speaking in your Customer’s Voice
A lot of times brands tend to use complicated words and jargon to communicate their message. While it looks great and can make for some great content, it’s also not necessary. Always remember, your customer doesn’t care about fancy words and complicated processes. In fact, most of them may even ignore an ad if it doesn’t pique their interest in the first 5 to 10 seconds. But as long as you’re fulfilling their need or demand, they’ll listen to you. So focus on highlighting the positives of your brand and how it fills the gap in the market, rather than complicating your message and losing a potential customer in the process.
Use Influencers where Needed
Do you know why influencer marketing works so well? Because when they tell their stories, people listen. Everyone looks up to these people, they aspire to be like them and follow the lifestyle they’re following. They’re opinion leaders, and using their opinion to reach your audience can really boost viral reach for your brand.
But remember, every Customer can be an Influencer
Don’t have the budget for influencer marketing? No problem. Your customers can suffice. How? It’s easy. Every customer interacting with your business is part of a social group who may be your potential target market. Keep your customer happy, and you reach their social circle via word of mouth. Give your customers a chance to complain and they’ll surely mention that to their friends. And contrary to popular belief, negative publicity is a thing that you don’t want for your brand.
Content Execution Strategy
Till now, you’ve read about how you can review your audience persona, marketing platforms and content. But how can you execute the content that brings you the best results? And how to fit that strategy in your marketing funnel? Find out in our next blog.
