Marketing in 2019 will not be an easy feat. The continuous development of all the online tools available has fed the curiosity of the followers, making them increasingly interested in the human side of the brands. However, sharing more internal insights of a company is as attractive and interesting as dangerous, the information being exposed to large audiences.
Whether your goal is to increase sales revenue, generate more leads, increase website traffic, or acquire new talent, the communication channels you use are the key elements in achieving the results you are looking for. This article reveals the most used communication tools in marketing at the moment.
Website
Even with the rise of all the social media networks available, your website remains the main presentation channel for your brand. When scrolling through the content present on your website, the reader should be able to find out all the basic information about who you are, what are your activities, or any news that might interest your audience. Thus, when meeting a new client, the discussion can start from a completely different level, jumping right into specific issues.
On your website, you can communicate to your potential customers all about your mission, vision, the organizational culture, as well as about your approach to leadership. From increasing brand awareness, building brand equity, and testing the interest of your audience in buying new products or services, to sharing important announcements, post new job offerings, and even helping to launch a new brand, your website serves a wide array of purposes.
When your future customers are having a problem that your company could solve, their first intention is to search for your website. Approximately 60% of all consumers use Google search to find businesses, therefore your top priority should be to optimize and nurture your website ranking with fresh and high-quality content. Still, it is not easy to keep up with your audience’s demands.
The best ways to make your website show up in search engines and drive traffic in organic search is to start a blog, use videos, write ebooks or create new website pages – and post regularly to boost your website’s relevancy. Every new post adds one more index page on your website and increases the chances for your content to be shared on social media networks – which exposes your business to wider audiences and attract new followers.
When planning your website’s content, keep in mind that very few people are looking for advertisements. Thus, you should focus on highlighting how your brand is uniqueand how you can solve your visitors’ problems, rather than putting the spotlights on your products.
The power of your website lays in its ability to provide answers to most of your future client’s questions – 24/7. Hence, you have to make sure you cover your visitors’ basic curiosity, as well as keeping the information updated and relevant, so your audience can rely on it.
Content Marketing
The real development of content marketing started back in 2013. Yet, its format changed over the years and in 2017 the blog posts and infographics were the most used formats of content. The concept of branding evolved to a completely different level. The times when the customers were looking for a product to satisfy their needs, bought it, and left is a thing of the past.
Today, customers are expecting a closer relationship with the brands they love; they are interested in storytelling and insights that are not involving any costs. In return, they are giving their loyalty to the brand as well as “free” advertising through recommendation. The power of content marketing is giving away valuable informationbefore asking your audience to buy anything. Thereby, your customers feel more understood and acknowledged. In addition, content marketing works because your community feels supported when they find solutions to their problems.
It might seem hard to believe that giving out valuable information to your readers for free is the best deal for your business. But do you know what are the leaders in the world of content marketing experiencing? They are enjoying up to 7.8 times more site traffic! Moreover, content marketing can cost up to 62% less than other forms of advertising – which makes it the most cost-effective communication channel available.
Having all these facts in mind, content marketing is worth a try with respect to its surprising results and the insignificant costs implied.
Social Media
Being original and unique on social media can be a real challenge. With so many possibilities, so much content out there and so many opinions that can be expressed by anyone who has Internet connection, bringing value to your online community is not that easy.
Social media is among the communication channels that allow you to differentiate your brand from the others, helping you to provide dialogue – both public and private. Also, in contrast to all the other communication channels available, social media allows you to make human connections, share more creative and funny content, and keep up with the latest trends.
Despite the fact that social media has only been around for little longer than a decade, it is already an essential communication channel for individuals, but also for businesses. A good social media strategy can add a lot of value to a company and, if used correctly, it can personalize its relationship with the community.
Social media is the perfect tool for branding, as, through a strong media presence, it strengthens your audience’s perception of the brand by sharing the core values of your organization. Social media can help you start conversations, grow business partnerships and expand your online community to win new followers and potential customers.
The reason why every business should have a strong social media presence is that nearly half of the world’s population is using social media platforms, and that is a great chance for brands to reach new and highly targeted potential customers. People are not following only brands they already know. In fact, 60% of people on Instagram claim that they discover new products on the platform and customers are more likely to consume products or services from businesses they feel connected to. Social media increases brand recognition for existing customers and makes your brand more accessible for new customers, employees, partners, or even the press.
Creating a strong social media community is not only about attracting prospective buyers but also about people who have the power to spread your message beyond your reach to their own networks. In a world in which 92% of consumers claim that their trust in a brand is earned thanks to recommendations from friends and family above any forms of advertising, these social media advocates are indispensable. The word-of-mouth is one of the most valuable features that a brand could benefit of. When one is posting online a compliment that is associated with your brand’s name, new audience members will follow you for updates.
Consequently, the more people are talking about you on social media, the more valuable and authoritative your brand will seem to new users. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter are among the highest-traffic social media channels and can be targeted by interest groups, departments, or topics.
Does it still seem easy to manage social media networks? Then you should know that its nature makes it very difficult to control. Certainly, social media remains one of the most challenging channels for communicators to monitor and influence.
Newsletter
Given the fact that you have only a few seconds to capture your future customer’s attention on your website before he is gone forever, your marketing strategy is crucial for your overall success. But how can you make sure you will obtain the desired results?
Well, besides a blog – which requires a more active approach of your visitors, having a newsletter is essential.
This marketing tool increases awareness by highlighting to the reader what you are offering, as well as giving him an idea of how would it be to deal with you. In addition, a newsletter is a great way to create the best first impression of your products or services and to share the latest news related to your activities.
In order to complete your efforts of brand exposure, you should work on a weekly or monthly newsletter that will put your business’s name in front of your audience repeatedly. When it comes to the community, a newsletter has no limits. Through this channel, you can bring value to a large variety of people because it contains high-quality content of your company and not just related to a specific product.
Unlike advertising, newsletters are always based on reality and it is quite informational. Its content is always factual and impartial because otherwise, it can lose your customers’ trust. When writing your newsletter, you shouldn’t focus on promoting your products and services all the time; in fact, you should avoid self-promotion and provide educational, relevant, and timely information.
With all these tools in your arsenal, you can confidently go to the marketing battleground and make yourself visible and easily recognizable to the world. Used correctly, all these communication channels will retain your current clients and attract new ones and achieving your business’s goals is just a matter of time now.