Forging a flawless marketing strategy

Trying to build out a comprehensive marketing strategy can seem like a formidable task. But as long as you follow a few simple steps, soon you’ll have no end of customers

Forging a flawless marketing strategy

For many businesses, welcoming in the new year means establishing new marketing campaigns. Off the back of the previous year’s results, businesses define their objectives and create a strategy to achieve their goals. Various elements make up a strategy that need to be considered when marketing a product or service, the biggest one being your branding.

In order to create an effective marketing strategy, businesses must understand the essence of their brand. Your brand encompasses all aspects of the business image, from the way customers feel about your business, the way your staff answer the phone, to the core values of the company. Knowing this, in turn, can help you discover who your target audience is, the way to get their attention and how to retain their custom. This allows you to focus on your preferred audience and prevents your business having to target everyone.

Choosing the correct methods to reach a potential or new client is an essential part of creating your strategy. There are various marketing channels you can use to communicate to customers. Explore how they get their information and ask: what publications do they read? What social media do they use? Are there any blogs they follow? Do they attend any events?

Once your audience has been chosen and you know how to reach them, the next key aspect to planning a successful marketing campaign is develop the message you want to present. The message needs to be relevant to your target audience and grab their attention. If you provide numerous services to multiple sectors, you can build this into your campaign and tailor it appropriately. 

However, whatever the message that you decide to use, it’s important from a brand point of view to present it in the best possible way. Don’t overcomplicate your message and keep the branding clear in order to create a lasting campaign. An easy mistake to make is to convey too many messages, which means your customer will lose track of the key message. On average, you have three seconds to stand out and persuade a potential customer to click or buy into your idea.

Additionally, it’s worth bearing in mind that video and imagery can be much more effective than words. There are plenty of stock photography sites out there that allow you to buy licensed images. Alternatively, you can show your service or product off to it’s best by hiring a professional photographer or videographer to take bespoke images or video, something that will have much more of an impact and convey a more professional image. It’s often very easy to fill your marketing tools with as many images and text as possible but remember less is more and white space is good. Also, make sure to keep quality in mind and look to hire a design agency or freelancer to keep standards high if you don’t have design skills in house.

Throughout your marketing campaigns and strategy, it is also important to keep everything consistent. Your brand identity should follow the guidelines set by the creator. Using the logo alongside the right fonts, colours, imagery styles and tone of voice creates a brand that will be more memorable, recognisable and professional. Whatever channel you use to target your audience, they should all look the same.

Creating an effective marketing strategy can be a daunting task. However, maintain a consistent brand, keep your target audience in mind, remember your goals and convey a clear message and you will build a strong campaign. In turn, this will build your brand and ultimately attract more attention, engagement and customers. 

This article comes courtesy of Claire Jenks, a graphic design consultant specialising in creating brands with impact and personality.

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