5 Marketing Success Tips for Everyone

These past few years, markets have seen volatility across the board. When markets are tight, consumers tend to be just as tight with their money, and natural disasters only magnify the problem. And yet, times of crisis create opportunity. Downturns are the perfect time for marketers to focus on the future and how to get their message to the masses. Whether you're an owner or a salesperson, here are five marketing tips that will help your organization thrive.

1. Elevate Your Digital Technology

Computerization itself is revolutionizing marketing and business in ways that go beyond just the offerings of the internet. Artificial intelligence, whether application-based or fueled by cloud computing, is excellent at performing tasks that human workers find tedious or mentally taxing (such as data analysis). Machine learning can be used to augment our own ability to synthesize market demographics information in order to gain more accurate predictions of what an optimal business plan should be. Don't be ashamed to consult the experts regarding tech upgrades like this. Digital transformation consulting is just one more way for businesses to evolve.

2. Leverage Social Media

Few things are more vital for marketing these days than an active social media presence. The contemporary equivalent of billboards are the vast array of media channels on which our social lives increasingly play out. Engage customers on multiple platforms. Remember that some of these, like Pinterest and Instagram, are specifically geared towards visual marketing. Social media is now a cutting edge tool for customer service as well. People enjoy the sense of connection that comes with being able to contact a company via Facebook and get a timely response. Make sure to update your social media regularly also. It's not enough to just update your sites often; new content should be put out on a consistent schedule.

3. Embrace Digital Marketing

Did you know that almost two-thirds of customers believe that businesses should use text messaging to communicate to consumers more often? Studies also show that the number one reason why people opt in to a company's text messages is for coupons and other deals. An overwhelming majority of customers also prefer text messaging as a form of customer service. Email marketing is another surprisingly effective strategy. In 2019, a study by Litmus Research found that email marketing has an average return of $42 for each $1 spent on it. With the advent of ubiquitous smartphones, email and text marketing can now be combined in a truly powerful way.

4. Turn Customers Into Advocates

Brand loyalty is a game changer for companies trying to get themselves known. One of the best ways to engender loyalty is simple consistency. Deliver on your promises that you make in advertisement, and make sure that the product or service that you're marketing is dependable. Another thing to remember is to be real. In our postmodern age of agendas and fleeting trends, businesses have the opportunity to not just market themselves as authentic, but to be authentic. Research is showing that integrity tops the list of must-haves for the modern consumer. Try creating live podcasts or online happy hours where you and your business can interact with the public and show them that you exist and are genuinely responsive to them. Have a company vision that's about something more than just making money. If you earn that level of respect, customers will soon be doing the advertisement for you in their daily lives.

5. Diversify Your Brand

Success isn't always about how you market, but about what you market. If one product you're selling fills a niche well, ask yourself how it could evolve to do so more effectively and what other needs you could potentially fill. Listen to customer feedback, but also do your research on the culture of the public you're trying to reach. Keep up with the trends and you'll win with the people.

Marketing is both an art and a science, and an inexact one at that. However, If you have a product or service that can make a difference in the world or just make people happier, the result of successful marketing will be worth the learning curve.