4 creative ways businesses can work smarter not harder — Marketing efficiency checklist
Times are tough for everyone right now, and marketers are no exception. They’re increasingly expected to deliver the same results with lower budgets, fewer resources, and smaller teams — and that often means making tough choices.
So, as a business owner or marketing professional, how do you know which choices to focus on? And how can you squeeze every last drop of value from the tools and processes you’re already using?
You just have to get a little creative!
1. Revamp your content
No matter how good your content may be, sometimes you need a breath of fresh air, and businesses committed to competitive marketing know that you need to add new voices and new approaches every now and then.
Inviting guest bloggers to take over your content for a post or two, or putting a fresh spin on how you talk about your product or service can make your audience sit up and pay attention again.
So reach out to industry friends and contacts to see whether they’d like to come on board or seek external opinions from other professionals to help you view your content and your marketing strategy through a different lens.
2. Don’t be afraid to try new things
Yes, I know we all LOVE our webinars. But not everyone is on the same page. Some people have never liked them, some just can’t help rolling their eyes when they see yet another webinar offer, and some are crying out for something new, something different.
For example, have you ever thought about securing a spot on a podcast that speaks to your target market? Or how about developing an educational session with an association or organization that might be indirectly related to what you do?
Your audience could be hanging out in a whole load of places you hadn’t thought of so it’s worth shaking things up and trying different approaches to connect with new customers.
3. Focus on customer experience and engagement
Customer experience is a core concept in B2B marketing strategy and, while it’s a best practice no matter what you’re doing, it’s especially critical for demand generation.
Some things to consider: how is the content on your site organized? What is the customer’s experience when they first land on your site? And what do your metrics say? Do your visitors stay on certain pages for a decent length of time or do they bounce around?
If you want to improve your visitors’ experience with using your site, and ensure that they stick around long enough to consider buying your product or service, it’s worth looking at how your content supports this.
Consider whether your current content is relevant to the people you want to attract — and if you want to attract multiple different types of people, create detailed buyer personas that’ll help you create the right content for the right audience.
4. Enhance your virtual events
There’s a lot to be said for virtual events — attending from the comfort of your own home, no travel costs, no childcare issues…
However, after a year of being completely inundated with more Zoom meetings and webinars than we can count, the novelty is starting to wear off.
In fact, countless clients have told me recently about how frustrated they are by virtual exhibit halls and the fact that they just aren’t getting the value they once had from face-to-face meetings, and larger in-person events.
Of course, your hands might still be tied here, virtual meetings might well be the only option for you right now, depending on where you’re based and how you need to run your events.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t rethink your approach to your online events. And if you feel like what you have been doing isn’t working, try something new.
You could think about adding music to the beginning of your webinars, or try engaging your audience with a survey or a quiz before your sponsored session. You could even try sending your clients a book of cocktail recipes ahead of the virtual happy hour they’ll be attending.
This year has forced us all to think outside the box in so many ways but with a little creativity you’ll find it easier to make those tough choices, to keep connecting with your customers — and to keep making them smile!
Connect with us and see how we can help you breathe new life into your marketing strategy, however squeezed you might be feeling.