Creating your marketing strategy

The benefits of effective marketing

Marketing is all around us. We see adverts for everything, from a pair of shoes to healthy eating campaigns. It’s not a new idea.  But the tools we use to create it have changed over time. What hasn’t changed? It helps you reach your users.

Set out your goals

The aim here is to come up with something you can measure. So be specific. Let’s look at an example. Say you run a coffee shop. You might want to boost cake sales.

Build on your goals

Your marketing goals will help you work out where you need to focus your research. You can build on these goals to help refine this focus. One way to do this is SWOT analysis.

Run a SWOT analysis

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It’s a self-assessment method that helps you focus more on your market, your brand and your USP.

To run SWOT analysis, draw up a 4x4 grid. Now think about your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and note each of these in the different parts of your grid.

Understand your audience

Part of your research will be about your audience, as you start to build a picture of your ideal user. With this in mind, you’ll have an idea of the kind of content they might respond to. And you’ll see more clearly the issues they face. Then your content can focus on how you can help.

Let’s look at some ideas on how to do this.

What does your audience look like?

Use your research, data and understanding to build personas. These are short profiles that describe each of the core types of people who use your services. They help you relate to your target audience.

Your personas should include: 

Your marketing methods and channels

As you gather data on your user base, start to think about the best channels and ways to deliver your message.

You might try an email campaign, print or radio advertising. Maybe social media marketing. Or you may decide on a multi-channel roll-out that covers all bases.

In this lesson, we look at both online and offline channels. Both can be part of your marketing strategy.

Look through these lists and think about the snacks you like or the toothpaste you use – which channels apply?

Why use offline channels?

Offline channels are less common today, compared to online ones. But it’s still good to consider them. Users generally trust them more. Some have real benefits for specific products or businesses. If you have a local focus, these can help build your client base. And they can work well with other channels, as part of a combined approach.

Let’s look at a few examples.

Face-to-face contact

Making contact in person helps you get to know your potential users – and for them to get to know you. It can build trust and show what you have to offer, in a very personal way.

Do you have a product you can demo or samples to share? You could host a stand at a trade show or other event. Maybe speak at a local club or networking group?

• Targeting young professionals? Place posters in busy office areas in town.
• Are your products for young families? Leave cards and leaflets near schools and family attractions.
• Posters on buses or taxis will give you a wide reach – think of all those ‘stuck in traffic’ moments.
• Looking to widen your network or share contact details? Business cards might be best.
• Want users to visit your shop or café? Leaflet the area, maybe with a special offer.

Tracking offline data

You’ll want to know if your offline marketing is working. But these sources can be harder to track than online ones. 

Here’s a few ideas on how to see if your users come from your offline campaigns:

Why use online channels?

Also known as digital marketing, this can be cheap, quick and easy to measure. With 85% of UK adults buying online (Lloyds Banking Group Consumer Digital Index - PDF, 10.1 Mb), it makes sense to market using these channels.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help your online marketing

AI can help all aspects of your online marketing.

You can use:

This can help you:

• Save time – Giving repetitive tasks to AI tools can give you back time for more strategic work.
• Save money – AI-driven insights can help to create campaigns that target the right users and reduce your marketing spend.
• Prepare your business for the future – Learning how to use AI tools can help your business keep up in a fast-moving digital world.

Be aware that:

• AI tools can take time to learn.
• Something this powerful is not cheap – You’ll need to build in costs for training and integration, plus the tools themselves.

Direct communication

Social media is – well, it’s social! It prompts users to get in touch with you, and share their experience. This can then generate word-of-mouth prospects. Plus, you can get to know your audience, improve your customer service and learn how they prefer to connect with you.

It's a space where users can ask questions and raise concerns. And you can respond, encourage shares, and lay out your message.

Paid ads, including influencer marketing

On top of the content you create, you can also craft ads to appear in other people’s feeds. It’s another way to win new users and grow your brand. Make sure to pick feeds where you know your product or service are a good fit.

Influencer marketing is a specific type of paid advertising. You pay for influencers (people with a large social media following) to promote your brand through their blogs and posts.

Finding the right influencer

Pick someone whose values and interests truly match those of your business. This is key – users are more likely to trust your brand if they see a real connection between it and the person they’re following.

Influencers need to tell their audience if they’re working with you. This includes whether you are paying them. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has clear rules on this.

This can help you:

• Reach the right people – If there’s a good match between you and the influencer, their followers are likely to be interested in you too.
• Build trust in your brand – People trust the views of those they follow. So if an influencer talks positively about your brand, their followers listen.
• Save time and money – The influencer spends time on creating content, not you. And some may work with you for free products or services.

Be aware that:

• The wrong influencer could damage your brand – Not all influencers send the right message. Users could turn against you if they don’t like what they’re reading.
• You could be in trouble if your sponsorship isn’t clear – If the influencer doesn’t say that you’re paying them, then they – and you – are breaking the rules.
• There are fake influencers – These people use bots and fake accounts to make it look like they have many followers. So you won’t get the reach you were after.

Built-in metrics

Social media platforms make it easy to measure your performance.

If you launch an ad campaign, you’ll have key metrics for impressions, follow-ups and conversions. Use this together with post tracking, to help you review and tweak your strategy.

Taking a combined approach

In this lesson, you’ve seen a range of different channels. If there’s a few you like the look of, that’s great! A good marketing strategy doesn’t rely on just one option. Instead, it combines the ones that work best for you. 

Tips for a combined approach

• Be consistent – All your posts, flyers and emails should follow the same theme. This could be seasonal, product or offer-based.
• Track your channels – Use different discount codes for different media, to see where your users found you.
• Discounts and giveaways – Try face-to-face or paper-based offers to capture email addresses (while keeping to privacy rules).
• Countdown to your next event – Use social channels to highlight a trade show or radio appearance.
• Host online competitions – To find your next ‘poster star’ or artwork to feature in your new calendar.