Novel marketing techniques that could bring in new business
Are you seeking ways to expand your business in 2019? If so, it can seem like a minefield when navigating the world of marketing, with many businesses unable to decide on the best route to take. Check out the guide below for ways to expand your business’s outreach.
1. Write a blog
“Content is king,” as the saying goes, and while you may be tired of hearing it, it still needs to remain at the forefront of your marketing campaign. Having fresh content is a must for SEO purposes, and it continues to be a cost-effective and easy way to engage with your customers. Be seen as an authority in your field by consistently uploading content to your business’s blog, and share your blog posts across your social media accounts.
2. Make a podcast
Podcasting is continuing to rise in popularity, with many businesses hoping to monetize from having a business podcast. Listeners can subscribe to your podcast, download new episodes, and listen whenever it is convenient to them; the benefits are plentiful and it is a perfect way to tell your business’s story while connecting to your customers on a more personal level.
The benefits of podcasting:
- Podcasting does not require a large investment. Podcasts can be created relatively cheaply and can be recorded on smartphones or tablets.
- As a business, it is imperative to tell your story. Podcasting is the ideal way to communicate with your customers and build customer loyalty.
- Podcasts allow you to become an industry leader. Showcase your expertise by creating helpful and in-depth content catered towards fellow industry leaders, clients, and customers alike.
3. Continue building a social media presence
There are no signs of social media slowing down, which means you need to continue being prevalent on as many relevant social media channels as possible. While you should avoid spreading yourself too thin, see if there are any platforms you can make use of – for instance, are you trying to determine yourself an industry leader? If so, you’ll want to start a business profile on LinkedIn.
Take the time to interact with your customers across your social media accounts, especially with the big three: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Respond to both positive and negative reviews, share promotions and content, and have a voice that represents your brand’s ethos.
Social media is a huge business. We’ve seen the rise of Instagram influencers, YouTube millionaires, and Twitter stars, and while gaining their partnership can help your brand’s image, they are also becoming costly. In 2019, keep an eye on micro-influencers and how they can benefit your business’s outreach (more on this later).
4. Create a webinar
Expand your reach by creating best of class webinars that discuss and teach topics within your industry. For businesses who offer services to other businesses, such as a digital marketing agency, webinars can be a valuable tool to create an established business persona.
The benefits of hosting a webinar:
- Webinars offer the chance to create business relationships. Businesses are able to understand your company on a much deeper level, and your insights become much more trustworthy.
- Because webinars can be recorded, your audience can relive your content and be spread across social media channels.
5. Reach out to influencers
As previously mentioned, influencers are continuing to reign supreme across social media, with their sponsored posts being incredibly influential to their followers. However, as discussed, micro-influencers are proving more popular as the days go by. Why? Because they have fewer followers, meaning that most of their followers are genuinely interested and the influencers, themselves, are attainable and down-to-earth.
While macro-influencers are usually well-known household names, micro-influencers offer a more authentic profile, humanizing your brand. It is, after all, more believable that a micro-influencer has bought and tried your brand than, say, Kylie Jenner.
How to find micro-influencers
There are easy-to-use online platforms when seeking micro-influencers for your brand, such as Takumi.com and Tribegroup.co. Usually, an influencer will apply to become an influencer on these platforms, and you’ll find that these influencers will have a talent for photography.
Brands will submit a tailored brief on these influencer platforms, and vetted influencers will respond.
6. Continue implementing keyword research
Search engine optimization (SEO) is still proving popular in 2019. You need optimized keyword research to ensure you are targeting relevant keywords that your customers are using. Doing so means they are more likely to find your website and content throughout search engines like Google and Bing. One solution would be to reach out to experts who can help you build an effective SEO strategy, so you can ensure you are producing the best results for your company.
“2019 is showing a demand for long-tail keywords, as opposed to branded or naked URLs. This is because people are choosing to type in proper sentences, abandoning caveman language; for instance, ‘The best Thai restaurant in London’ is replacing ‘Best Thai London’ because it gives better results and can be searched easily on the likes of the Amazon Echo.” Jon Monk, Max Your Web
7. Partner with other businesses
By partnering with other businesses, you’re building brand equity. If you are a relatively new business, people may not know your name or what it is you do, but by being associated with a well-known business, you gain immediate “trust by association.”
Because of this association, it is, therefore, essential that you choose your partner wisely. You should have common areas of interest. For instance, if you are a business that prides itself on being green, you will want to find another business with the same interest in protecting the environment. Then, once you have found one, you will want to ensure that they do, in fact, practice being green because if they were not to, it could harm your own business’s reputation, too. Partnering with a company can be easier if you have good company information database.
How to convince a business to partner with you:
- Invest in a lot of time building a relationship with your chosen business. This may take time, but many businesses will not favor brands who pitch to them without building a proper connection.
- Be genuine. Businesspeople value nothing more than transparency. Authenticity is key, so it is crucial that every conversation you have encompasses your business’s true intentions and goals.
- Target the right people. There is no point in trying to win over a business if they have little interest in your brand, or you have nothing offer them and vice versa.
There are many successful co-branding partnerships out there, such as GoPro and Red Bull, Uber and Spotify, and Nike and Apple. Use these success stories as an example for your own partnership goals.
Written by: Mike James, BOSS Contributor
