Things To Remember When You're New To Marketing

If you’ve got a fairly new business, then you’re probably also trying to get to grips with marketing for the first time. When you’re new to marketing, things can seem extremely confusing, and you may not know which way to turn. There’s an abundance of information out there, and it can be tough to retain it all enough to create an effective marketing strategy for your business. If this is where you’re at right now, there are a few things you need to remember. Take a look:

Your Business Size Doesn’t Matter

It doesn’t matter the size of your business: you need marketing. Yes, even if you’re just starting out! Marketing is absolutely crucial for results, and starting early helps you to build momentum and get an idea of what really works. 

Marketing Isn't Free

Unfortunately, marketing isn't free. There are some things you can do for free, but you need to have a budget. It can be cheap, however, you just need to know what techniques are best aligned with your audience and goals. What engaging, interruptive strategies can you use to get your name out there? 

Social Media is Key

Social media cannot be ignored - it’s not magic, though. You need to find your customer base here and then find ways to share stories and interact with them. Although you can automate a lot of the process, you can’t just set it and forget it. It takes more than simply having your name on the various platforms. You need to be social, hence the name, and you should provide valuable content to keep people checking back. As long as the posts are curious, authentic and tightly focused on your brand image then you can’t go wrong. 

Mobile Isn't Going Anywhere 

There has been a huge increase in the number of consumers who interact with media from their smartphones. It’s not just a trend! You must give customers a reason to interact with your brand on a daily basis, and having a mobile platform can help. They can then easily access your business and content and it will make working with you far easier. 

You Need To Know Who You’re Talking To

You can’t interact with a customer unless you know who they are. You must understand who you’re reaching and what they want, and then create content that resonates with the desires of your audience. 

Never Forget The Importance of Keeping Customers Engaged

The customers you keep are just as important, if not more so, as the ones you get. It’s far easier to keep customers once they have worked with you once than it is to attract new ones, but you have to give the old customer a reason to stick around. Loyalty programs and direct mail marketing can be effective ways of doing this. 

Testing Stops The Guesswork 

Sick of guesswork? You need to test your strategies! If you’re not testing various options and running localized launches to see what really works, you’re simply guessing. Are your messages getting through? Are you getting the engagement that you want? What is missing? 

Testing gives plenty of insight.