Marketing 101 for Beginners, and Experts in Business.

Running a business is time consuming, and marketing for many can be one of the most complicated and time consuming elements of any business.

It’s our goal to make sure that our clients have a clear direction and roadmap of how to effectively market their businesses, cover all of the bases, and not feel overwhelmed or in the dark through the process.

So, let’s start with an overview of the basics.

What is “Marketing” anyway?

Marketing is the process of promoting your business, products and services by using a wide variety of media and platforms. Today, the focus of most marketing plans are based on “Digital” advertising, or primarily using online platforms (web, social media, etc.).

How do I make sure I am not wasting money?

Today, marketing efforts can be tracked very closely. Digital marketing has a huge reach that can be very specifically defined, and is backed by analytics about who saw the ad, and who made a purchase based on that ad.

Alternatively, In the past advertising in print offered little to no data about who was reading the ad, or if it compelled them to actually buy something. There is still value for many business to advertise across multiple media types, but the advantages of digital are clear.

Where do I start?

Most businesses have some amount of existing marketing planning or ad spend in place. You might have a Google Business listing, ads on Social Media, brochures of flyers, stickers, or some other kind of outreach.

Creating a plan and a strategy is essential for every business looking to improve their marketing efforts. Here are some of the basics every business should consider when making a marketing plan:

The Basic Elements of a Marketing Plan

Market Research - Understand your target audience, market needs, and competitive landscape. This is done through surveys, focus groups, interviews, and analyzing industry reports.

Understand Your Target Audience - Demographics including age, gender, income level, education, lifestyle, interests, and values all weigh in to how an effective marketing campaign can be best targeted. The better you understand your audience, the further your marketing dollars will go.

Branding and Positioning - Defining the visual and verbal elements that communicate your brand including logos, colors, messaging, and how you differentiate your brand in the market to appeal to your target audience.

Digital Marketing Elements

• Website: A well-designed, mobile-friendly website is crucial.

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Strategies to improve your site’s visibility in search engine results.

• Social Media Marketing: Using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter to engage with customers.

Content Development

• Sharing valuable, relevant content to attract and retain your audience.

• Using video and visual content to engage customers in more dynamic ways.

Advertising

• Online Ads strategy - PPC (Pay-Per-Click), Google Ads, and social media based ad strategy.

• Traditional advertising strategy - Print, TV, and radio if it suits the target audience.

Sales Strategy

• Sales Funnel - How you guide your customers through stages from awareness to purchase.

• CRM (Customer Relationship Management) - Tools to manage customer interactions and data.

Customer Service

• Excellent service retains customers and generates word-of-mouth marketing.

• Feedback Systems - Using surveys and reviews to gather insights and improve services.

Metrics and Analytics

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Track success of marketing efforts like conversion rates, traffic, and ROI.

• Analytics Tools: Google Analytics, social media insights to measure effectiveness.