Now more than ever, it’s crucial to work lean where you can - especially when it comes to marketing. But lucky for all you marketers out there, it’s relatively easy to streamline your marketing efforts and still get a maximum return on your investment.
Here are four proven ways to streamline your marketing:
Marketing is not Sales
This wouldn’t be a blog about marketing if we didn’t address the elephant in the room - marketing is not sales.
According to the US Chamber Chamber of Commerce, marketing is building awareness of your organization and brand, while sales is turning leads generated by marketing into profit. Essentially - marketing makes people pay attention while sales seal the deal.
It’s essential to draw a clear line between sales and marketing, so each element works independently but in synergy. Remember - sales are responsible for nurturing relationships with customers and clients, while marketing is responsible for sparking interest in your product or service.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
When streamlining your marketing, try working smarter, not harder. How do you do that? Letting data guide your marketing efforts and communicating are essential.
How do you know it's working when posting on social media, sending out an email, or creating content? By tracking your marketing efforts! Streamlining your marketing efforts means learning to let go of what’s not working and lean into what is. Try setting key performance indicators (KPIs) that line up with the overall goals for your business. For example, if you’d like to sell more of a particular product or service, try centering your marketing efforts around that. Does video content bring in more sales than email marketing? Then take a hard look at your email strategy and lean into video content by combining the two.
Ever heard the saying “communication is key”? It’s never been more accurate when it comes to marketing! Communication between stakeholders in your organization will make or break your marketing efforts. Let’s say you’re launching a new product or service. You’ve developed it, tested it with focus groups, and you’re ready to launch. But you haven’t included marketing in the process, so your launch flops. Including marketing from the beginning to end is vital to the success of your business. Make sure to always communicate any new products or services to your marketing team early in the development process. You’d be surprised at the valuable insight they can provide!
Define Your Brand
We’re sure you’ve heard plenty of buzzwords about branding, from personal branding to brand recognition, but developing your brand's tangible and intangible elements is essential to your success.
According to Forbes, branding helps you stand out from the crowd but also aids in building trust with your audience. Think about a business that you love and are loyal to. What first attracted you to their product or service? Was it the language they used on social media or the story behind their business? Either way, branding drew you in and kept your attention.
Luckily, branding on a budget is easy and just takes some thought. Start by working out the “why” behind your business, then develop your tagline, mission statement, and the tone/voice your business will use. And don’t forget to define your target audience and buyer personas and some high-level verbiage to guide your team.
Pro Tip: We have blogs for several of these topics! Click below to learn more.
Plan for Success
One of the best ways to streamline your marketing is to develop a plan and strategy. A marketing plan and strategy set an excellent foundation for advertising, provide some real insight into your business, and create a way to track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Think of it as a complete roadmap for marketing your business.
Pro Tip: Grab our free marketing plan and strategy template here.
