How to Develop a Marketing Strategy
A marketing strategy is a plan for how you will reach your target audience. Depending on the type of business, your marketing strategy might include advertising through social media, traditional marketing, or digital channels. You may also use a mix of channels such as mobile apps or social media to target specific demographics. Listed below are some tips to help you develop a marketing strategy. If you’re unsure of how to begin, here are some pointers to get you started:
A good marketing strategy will capture your marketing goals and help your team to align around them. This document will help your team to understand your target audience, value proposition, and marketing objectives. Once you’ve defined your audience, you can start planning and executing your strategy. You’ll have a guidebook for ensuring that everything is on track. If you don’t plan on measuring your success, it will be hard to determine which marketing tactics will work.
A good marketing strategy should include a mix of both online and offline marketing tactics. Paid media, such as digital display ads and search ads, should be used in moderation. Earned media, such as content marketing and social media marketing, are also important. The latter includes link building and PR. Organic growth is important for a business because it allows it to maintain a consistent growth rate without paying advertising agencies or hiring a CMO.
Research on your competition’s products and services. Know the size and growth of your niche. Understand the marketing mix that your competitors use and their customers’ pain points. Use this information to create something better. Incorporate your competitors’ marketing strategies into your own marketing strategy. It’s important to understand your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses to make the best marketing strategy possible. If you’re unsure, ask people who have experience with similar products or services.
Once you’ve developed a repeatable marketing strategy, you can scale it up to fit your business. You can even share it with other divisions, teams, and employees. By doing so, your entire company can be on the same page with your marketing efforts. Your strategy can be copied by everyone, so don’t be afraid to tweak it. You’ll never know when you’ll need to update your strategy. Just remember that change is inevitable.
Another successful example of a viral marketing campaign is the Rainforest Alliance. The streaming audio company used a strategy that combined social media, email marketing, and guerrilla marketing to create a unified platform for music lovers. These strategies were incredibly effective and resulted in a brand that quickly became an industry leader. The company’s customers have been able to identify with this campaign and feel part of a community, akin to a big family. With no marketing strategy, marketing can be chaotic and ineffective.