How to master the marketing game in 2019

Emma-Jane Flynn, managing director of The Supper Club, found out the tips scaleup leaders have for others looking to make an impact in the new year

How to master the marketing game in 2019

The last digit on the calendar may have changed but as we move head first into 2019 business owners are after the same goal year on year – to reach more customers, whilst spending less. 

With new social media platforms popping up every few weeks and algorithms changing overnight, how can we stay one step ahead? 

Luckily at The Supper Club, we have plenty of brilliant minds to guide you through the minefield. Recently we asked them for their best advice about how you can win the marketing game in 2019. 

Derek Moore, founder and CEO of visual media company Coffee and TV, insists that careful consideration of what you post on social media and where are more important than ever. “It’s not as simple as a weekly re-tweet or throwing a quick picture of a product or service up on your feed,” he said. “Social content has to be bespoke and have a distinctive style to have a chance of capturing your audience’s attention. Users scroll, on average, the equivalent distance of the height of the Empire State building through social feeds every day, so you must have exceptional visuals that adhere to your house style and branding throughout.” 

With marketers competing against scrolling thumbs, Moore emphasises the importance of a good strategy. “Take time to brainstorm and map out a campaign timeline and carefully consider what you could post and where,” he advised. 

It’s safe to say that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to social media. Chin Gregory, the founder of The CGM Group, the digital marketing agency, has some great tips for clever content that engages and doesn’t just sell. “If you’re a recruiter targeting businesses in the £1m [to] £2m range, you could make a 90-second video on three reasons to outsource your HR,” he said. “You could then re-target everyone watching 50% of that video with an offer for a personal evaluation. The video is useful, valuable and concise which increases awareness about your business, while your offer is only sent to the most engaged people increasing conversion rates and reducing your ad spend.” 

Clever creative that stops thumbs in their tracks and builds your brand is one thing, but investing budget in future technology is another, according to Chelsea Blacker, co-founder of Resignal, the content marketing agency. “Audiences spend even more time in apps, experimenting with voice commands and testing out augmented reality – identify utilisation opportunities matching your brand and start pitching for the 2020 budget now to run experiments in these new channels,” she explained. 

However, Blacker raised a word of caution when it comes to just going ahead with new ideas before thinking about outcomes. “Most companies fail to benchmark marketing performance and set clear KPIs for teams,” she continued. “Instead, try a  templated approach with pre-campaign and post-campaign metrics. For example, comparing ‘estimated ROI’ and ‘estimated utilisation hours’ against final report ‘actual ROI’ and ‘actual utilisation hours’. This will quickly direct marketing team attention to driving the most bang for buck.”

We can clearly see that creativity, the right platform and measuring success are hugely important, but what about the consumer? Ben Knight, the founder of Croud, the digital marketing agency, has some insight on this. “If you want to win the marketing game, plan campaigns to serve the customer, even with the very first ad a person sees,” he said. “Get out of the ‘target’ and ‘hit’ mindset. Set brand goals – not just awareness, but trust and usefulness too. With your performance data, and targets, favour lifetime value over CPA. Almost any product is offered as a subscription now, and your unique first-party data assets will be key.”

At past dinners the Supper Club’s members have discussed how the days of sales and marketing being separate are long gone. Traditional sales techniques like cold calling are a dying beast. Sales teams must collaborate with marketing to help drive revenue. In 2019 your team needs to be multi-disciplined; clued up not only on traditional tactics but data, social media as well as being creative to boot. This year invest time, money and creativity to build long-lasting customer relationships to win at marketing. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emma-Jane Flynn
Emma-Jane Flynn
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