How to make the best targeted online marketing campaign

We’ve all heard the term you need to spend money to make money, right?

But it’s never that simple, is it? A lot of us are actively spending money to market our businesses, but we may not be seeing a return on it.

Why is that?

Many of us see marketing as a sure fire way to put money in and get more money out, since marketing (when done correctly) will attract more customers and more profit.

So that's what we do.

We put some money into Facebook ads, and some money into SEO, and some money into sponsored listings on Yelp, or Amazon, or whatever other platforms relate in any way to our business. We pay someone to set appointments. The list goes on. And on. And on.

The scattershot approach usually means we aren't doing enough in any one place at actually see any results. At the end of the month, we've spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on marketing for zero results.

The work of bringing new customers into your business is not a one-and-done thing. It requires consistent effort over time. I've yet to see a smaller business who has the resources to adequately commit to all the marketing channels they're trying to use. 

In How to focus on who matters most to your business we talked about the importance of going an inch-wide and mile deep instead of the other way around when appealing to potential customers. You need to do the same with your marketing efforts, go all-in on 2 to 3 channels instead of skimming the surface on a lot of channels.

If you've done the work to know exactly who you want to reach, you'll have a good idea of where they’re going for information. Start targeting those places.

Tailor your content to your platform!

Know the strengths of each social media platform: Instagram is known for visual media, Linked-In for networking with professionals, Facebook for reaching a broad spectrum of people with reich media, and Google for reaching people actively searching for what you do. Are you using them to your advantage?

You must tailor your message to shine on the platform you’re posting it on.

That might mean adding more visuals to your post and trimming down the text or beefing up your posts with supplemental links and resources. Do what you can to make your post the most effective on each individual site.

Are you tracking your returns?

One great aspect of digital marketing is that everything is measurable and trackable. So track your results! It's never been easier to do, and it is critical information for the success of your marketing efforts.

Use the data to get feedback on how effective each specific marketing campaign/message was and what channel is getting you the most traffic, leads, or sales.

Many of the online platforms have decent to excellent tracking and measurement data built-in. You have access to it by virtue of the fact you're advertising on the platform. Use it!

Also, there are many 3rd party tools you can subscribe to for tracking and measurement. Most are built to overcome limitations of the built-in tracking tools. One or more of these tools could be useful.

Stock your tool belt with the right things!

All sorts of apps and websites offer services to enhance your marketing presence. So know your needs when it coms to graphics, videos, blogs, social media posting, and measurement.

Just because tools exist or some respected marketer or person in your field swears by them, doesn't mean they're right for you.

So how do you know which one is right for you?

Unfortunately, you probably won’t know until you try it. Fortunately, a lot of these companies let you test their software over a trial period or or offer a free version. My advice to you: don’t be afraid to try out a few different software options or sites. You can always cancel a subscription if it’s not a good fit.  

When you’re ready to put these and other great marketing tips to use, give us a call. We can help you establish a lasting brand and reputation for your business that will earn you a devoted and impassioned customer base.