In the business world coming out on top can often come down to the finest of margins. One area which can make or break your business is the way you market your company. While word of mouth is great, you can’t get the ball rolling if you don’t have the initial clients coming in to see the excellent service you’re providing.
The marketing industry has been completely revolutionized in recent years as more and more businesses realize the importance of social media, streaming video and other digital elements in a marketing campaign. If you’re looking to take your business to the next level here are the biggest areas you should not ignore because they are prime opportunities to raise brand awareness and find new customers.
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Social Media Advertising
There are few people alive who aren’t using some kind of social media platform today, so it goes without saying that social media provides an excellent opportunity for advertisement to grow your business. That doesn’t mean that all social media sites are created equally, however. As businesses invest more time and resources on social media advertising it becomes easier to track what is and isn’t working and to move the money being spent around accordingly.
The big winners of the social media sphere are Facebook. According to a Social Media Examiner survey asking simply if companies planned to increase or decrease their spending on a variety of social media sites nearly all showed more reductions than increases. Only two sites bucked the trend. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, showed a +19% result. Facebook fared even better with a staggering +55%. These changes are because those platforms have proven their worth, so follow suit and turn your focus toward them.
Interactive Video
One of the hottest trends in video marketing is the use of interactive videos. When it comes to getting effective branding the key is interaction. When you can get viewers interacting with your videos, not only will they be more likely to share them with others, but the videos will also make a stronger impression so you get more out of each view.
Technologies like 360-degree videos catch the eye of viewers and make them want to keep watching, resulting in longer view times and increased engagement. If you want a video showcasing a new product or location to really make a splash, an interaction may be the answer.
Chatbots
When you get instant interaction with customers it has been found to improve their experience with your company and increase the chances of converting them into a new customer. While it may not be possible to have someone on staff to speak with customers online 24-hours a day, that doesn’t mean you can’t offer 24-hour service.
Chatbots are programmed to serve clients who visit your sites automatically, using algorithms to read their messages and respond with pre-written answers to their questions. It’s a great way to quickly solve problems and drive viewers to your services. Chatbots are an excellent addition to your sales funnels and landing pages to help visitors progress through the process.
Personalized Targeting
One of the best things about the increasing prevalence of Facebook around the internet is your ability to use it to focus your marketing efforts. Many people use their Facebook to log into a wide range of sites while also providing Facebook with information about their careers, education and interests. This information can be used to target your ads to the browsers most-likely to act on them.
When setting up advertising campaigns on the social media giant you have the option to get extremely granular with your parameters. This means that it’s much easier to ensure that the majority of your budget goes to putting your advertising in front of users who are hot leads.
Beacon Targeting
Few major consumer corporations don’t offer customers the opportunity to use an app to save or get special offers. These apps can be used for more than just driving sales with those specials, however. Some companies have begun using beacons in stores which can connect to the apps to track a customer’s progress through the store. This allows for detailed analysis of high traffic areas to help you focus and direct your marketing toward the hottest products likely to draw in the most eyes.
Break the Mold
Sometimes the best way to grow is to do something that nobody else has done before. When Mark Crumpacker was head of marketing and strategy for Chipotle he innovated with the idea to create original programming for iTunes and Hulu. Taking a bold swing like that is a high-risk option as there is the potential to fail in untested waters, but when properly executed it allows you to blaze a new trail and reap the rewards of your courageous marketing.
If you’ve been using the same marketing techniques for years then you’re behind the times. Trying out these hot new trends will take your marketing campaigns from the past into the future.
About Carson Derrow
