It’s essential to pay attention to the marketing trends around you. Whether it’s a hot new colour palette, a unique design aesthetic, or the need to be sensitive to specific social issues, paying attention helps you stay relevant. However, regardless of what’s hot right now, certain basic principles are important all the time, whether that is today, tomorrow, or ten years from now. Here are eight essential”must haves” of marketing that you should be incorporating every time.
1. Have a great offer.
Don’t assume the reader understands your full value proposition. The proposal needs to go beyond the product itself to include additional value elements, such as availability, delivery options, and technical support. You would be surprised how many marketers neglect to do this. Don’t be one of them!
2. Create urgency.
Great marketing pieces create a sense of urgency. Unless yours is a complex, high-value product that naturally has a longer sales cycle, convince the recipient that the decision needs to be made right now.
3. Provide a clear call to action.
Don’t assume your reader knows what you want them to do. Do you want them to make a phone call? Go online? Download an app? Tell them! Otherwise, there is a good chance they’ll do nothing. A clear call to action is how you get your website visitors or readers to take action.
4. Track and measure.
If you do not measure, you do not know what works and what doesn’t. Measure everything.
5. Follow up.
Whether by email, phone call, or mobile, following up to your initial offer dramatically increases your response and conversion rates.
6. Write strong copy.
Effective selling requires marketing copy that shows that you understand your customer’s pain points and explains how your product solves them. It’s not just what you are marketing. It’s how you are presenting it. Our Start to Finish Websites take care of text and photos for you.
7. Remember that results rule.
This is why you measure. If it works, keep it. If it does not, scrap it.
8. Stay focused.
Don’t get distracted by shiny objects. If a marketing campaign does not adhere to the previous seven rules, “just say no.”
Utilize these must haves of marketing and you will be successful.
Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash