Hooray! Your business is still going strong after another year! Hopefully, you made the marketing updates in “It’s Been [1 Year]: What Marketing Should You Be Doing?”
Because you’re about to take these marketing concepts to the next level!
Last year, you made some great investments in your marketing strategies. Your website, blog, and social media now provide engaging content. You’ve built an email list and send valuable content. You’ve adjusted your product strategy.
But is that all you can do? Nope!
In your second year, you took major steps that promoted your brand awareness. And you didn’t even have to be an expert on marketing terms! This year you’ll take an introspective look at your business. You’ll focus on your brand’s identity, personality, and the value it can bring.
Your Second Year Marketing Updates
Finding clarity on your brand, business strategy, and what you have to offer will set you up for a great third year! Then you’ll be ready for the HUGE marketing techniques you’ll learn about in the final article of this series.
Improve Your Brand Identity
Since you started two years ago, a lot has changed. Maybe you changed or brought on new leadership. Maybe you merged with another business or made an acquisition. Maybe you had to rework your business model.
Does your brand strategy match the current focus of your company? Does your brand still set you apart from your competition? Make sure your customers understand why they should choose you and what you do best. At this stage, many business owners will change their original logo design and opt for one that is more professional and aligned with their future goals.
Give Your Business Personality
Your customers are now familiar with your brand. When businesses start out, they often take on a serious tone. Webpages and marketing material are full of professional-speak.
But now that your brand has some credibility, your company can show some attitude. Add a fun video or some photos to your website. Let your customers know that actual people run your company!
Revisit Your Core Values
You pored over your company’s values when you started your company. Now that you’re in your third year, it’s a good idea to compare your business to those values. Values shouldn’t change.
Your customers count on you to stick to them. It’s a major factor in how they connect to your brand. Identify processes, products, or cultures that conflict with your values. Then eliminate them.
Look at Your Pricing
Price sells. You’ve heard that before. Nonsense! You can’t always compete on price. But when considering your product, pricing is often an important factor for consumers. Sometimes it’s a deciding factor.
Make sure that your pricing provides the value your customers require. Now that you’re more established, negotiate better pricing with your suppliers. Consider raising prices. As trust in your brand grows, so does its value.
Create Promotions
You now have two years of sales data available. You’ve identified some trends in your industry. Customers have given you feedback on your products, pricing, and processes.
You know what they want. Now give it to them. Create discounts, bundles, and add-ons that surprise them. They have to have them! For a limited time only.
Run Contests
Contests generate a lot of buzz. Social media is a great place to launch a contest. Customers can share social posts easily and express excitement.
Ask your influencers to promote your contests. Get them involved. If you offer your own products as the prizes, it may not even require a large investment. Consider collaborating with other businesses and offer a bundled grand prize.
Improve Your Products
Have you released a new product since your initial offering went live? Marketing something new and trying to ship existing products is hard work. Well, here’s a task that might be even tougher.
Improve the old. Changing a product is emotional, but rewarding! It can create renewed interest in your product line. Be careful though! You have to be sure that customers will see your changes as improvements.
Drive Traffic to Your Website
Last year, you gave your website a refresh. Hopefully, you’ve been keeping it up to date. And you’re incorporating some killer SEO techniques. You’ve got pages that convert.
Now it’s time to get the most out of that site. Put the URL over the place. Put it on your marketing materials, your vehicles, your buildings. Talk about it in every business conversation. And don’t forget to invest in systems that serve those pages up fast!
Love Your Customers
When you made your first sale, you sang that customer’s praises! Someone actually valued your product enough to pay for it! Go tell it on the mountain!
In time, sales become more commonplace. The excitement fades. But your current customers likely love you more than the first. Love them back. Create a community. Find meaningful ways to show thanks.
Be a Resource
You’ve learned a lot in the last two years. Now it’s time to share that information! Share valuable technical info on your website. Open a forum where your business can respond to comments, questions, or requests.
Offer training classes, webinars, or conference calls. Distribute PDFs, eBooks, and white papers. Not everything has to be free either! Many customers will pay for valuable information.
Name Your Brand Ambassadors
Find those customers who love and promote your brand. Then reach out to them with an offer to take it up a notch. They’ll be thrilled about the opportunity!
You don’t have to reward a brand ambassador with cash. You can offer products for them to use, review, or promote. You can team up with them on projects or contests. One day they might even join your team!
Design a Strategy For Your Business
Hooray! You made it to year three! Take a moment to reflect on last year. Why not do even better in the next? Use these marketing updates to create a plan for your business today!
With these strategies in place, you’re now ready for marketing updates that will have a HUGE impact! Learn how to grow your business with “It’s Been [3 Year]: What Marketing Should You Be Doing?”
