This post will answer some of the most common questions about marketing a Penelope Trunk business online. We’ll cover everything from search engine optimisation to content creation, and much more. If you’re just joining us, don’t worry – we’ll start at the very basics and work our way up. So, let’s get started.
Marketing Plan
Before you do anything else, you need to put together a comprehensive marketing plan. You’ll need to consider everything from SEO to social media marketing to paid ads and more. By doing this, you’ll ensure that you’re not missing out on any channel. It’ll also help you figure out where you should be spending your time and effort.
It’s a good idea to work with a marketing expert. There are plenty of top-notch freelancers out there who can help you develop a solid marketing strategy for your brand. Don’t be afraid to spend a little money on talent – you’ll be glad you did. A good marketing strategist can help you figure out the best mix of inbound and outbound marketing to maximize your efforts and get the most out of your marketing channels.
Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is all about attracting and engaging customers through content, and curating content that helps consumers discover your product or service.
The goal of inbound marketing is to ‘own’ the customer’s journey. You want to make sure that they understand what you offer and can’t help but find your brand when they’re looking for a product or service like yours. You want to create helpful, informative content that answers questions and solves problems. You also want to establish yourself as an expert in your industry. This way, when consumers are seeking information about your niche, they’ll come across your content first.
To develop inbound marketing strategy for your brand, you’ll need to look at everything from SEO to content creation. You’ll also want to identify key competitors and determine how you’re going to position your business in the market.
Outbound Marketing
Outbound marketing is all about bringing in new customers and encouraging them to buy your product. You can think of outbound marketing as ‘traditional’ marketing with a small ‘b’. Outbound marketing is usually carried out through advertising, social media, and salespeople. It’s usually considered ‘old’ school marketing, but we’re living in a new world. A good outbound marketer can help you connect with your audience, build trust, and encourage them to take action – like making a purchase or subscribing to your email list.
Key Differentiators
What makes your product special? What makes your service different from your competitors’? Differentiators are the differences that make your product unique and stand out from the crowd. They can be features, benefits, pricing, packages, or anything else that makes your product special. When you have a clear picture of what makes your product unique, you’ll be able to incorporate this into your marketing message. The more you can do to stand out from the competition, the better. Differentiators must be consistent throughout your entire website, social media, and all of your marketing materials.
Goals & Objectives
What do you want your business to look like in the future? Where do you see yourself in five years? Goals and objectives serve as the roadmap to help you get there. They can be both short and long term, and help you figure out where you should be spending your time and effort. If you have a clear idea of what you’re trying to accomplish, you’ll be able to set a more precise course in your marketing strategy.
To help you figure out your goals and objectives, you’ll need to consider what you’ve already implemented in your business. What are your current customers saying about your product or service? Are you getting satisfactory responses to your marketing efforts?
Product Differentiation
Differentiation is when you try and distinguish your product from your competitors’. Let’s say you’re a caterer and you want to market your business to cooks. You might want to differentiate yourself by proclaiming that your products are ‘finger-friendly’, because your diners might be scared to cook using metal utensils. You could also try and create a unique taste for your product. Some caterers sell steaks, others offer seafood or chicken wings, and still others offer crepes or waffles. Each of these types of caterers might have slightly different recipes and flavors, so they could all be considered unique products. They’re all differentiating themselves from each other by providing a distinct taste experience to their customers.
Creating a unique taste for your product is usually done through food pairing. For example, if you want to pair Thai food with a particular wine, you might end up creating something special. You could also do the opposite, and pair a cheeseburger with a sparkling wine to create a completely different flavor profile. You should aim to pair food and drink that doesn’t usually go together, but in this case, it’s the best of both worlds. Every meal and drink combination is a win.
SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of getting your website to show up on search engine results when someone searches for your product or service. If someone is looking for a dog walker in Seattle, they’ll most likely type ‘dog walker Seattle’ into the search bar on their phone and receive a list of results.
You can have the best website in the world, but if you don’t rank well in search results, potential customers won’t find you. To optimize your website for search, you’ll need to focus on three areas; content, structure, and links.
The first step in the SEO process is to create content for the web. If you run a web design company, you might already be creating content for your clients. Maybe you’ve been asked to contribute to a blog article, or provide some insights for a podcast. Whatever the case may be, make sure that you’re creating content for the web. In today’s world, content isn’t ‘broadcast’ – it’s accessed from the web whether through a phone or a laptop.
The next step is to optimize your structure. One of the most overlooked aspects of a website is its structure. After you’ve written your content, you’ll need to take a look at how to put it together. Is it a clean and simple design that lends itself to being easily indexed by search engines? Or is it cluttered with unnecessary features that make it harder for web crawlers to find and index your content?
In today’s world, people are searching for what you offer online before they even think to call you. If they find your website difficult to navigate, it could hurt your business. People hate struggling with web pages, so if you want to optimize your chances of being found online, make sure that your website is set up in a way that encourages and helps potential customers. This means looking at everything from the way you incorporate images into your design to how easy it is to find what you’re looking for.
Links
Backlinks are references to your website or social media profile in someone else’s content or web page. When someone creates a page on the internet with a link to your website, social media profile, or product page, it’s known as a link bait. When you’ve got a lot of backlinks, it means that people are creating content about your product or service and linking to your website or social media profile. This is a sign that you’re doing your job as a marketer and are successfully driving traffic to your website.
Attracting & Engaging Customers
Now that you have a clear picture of how to position your product, you can start designing your website. Keep in mind that the layout of your website will be what promotes your product in the first place. Make sure to use visual elements and easy-to-understand language to attract and engage customers. Research has shown that customers prefer websites that are easy to navigate and understand. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that everything on your website is relevant to one another. If you can, make sure that your website is mobile-friendly and accessible from all devices. Having a truly responsive website is important if you want customers to visit you from all types of devices.