How often are you talking about a topic and, the next time you check your smartphone you’re getting ads for that exact thing?
The primary goal of marketing is to create and communicate messages to groups of people that offer exceptional (and often irresistible) value. There’s more to it than just advertising. You must develop a strategy that is relevant to your business.
Image from: SiteMinder
Types of Marketing
Today, Marketing is one of the most popular jobs in the world. Without it, businesses are likely to fail. Your average joe must learn the basics just to stay afloat!
Marketing is becoming more and more digital by the day, and the fast-paced and highly competitive nature of it is leading to Marketing Managers being more creative than ever.
Let’s dive in:
Outbound Marketing
Outbound refers to more “old school” strategies. This includes TV, Radio, Billboard and Sales. Outbound marketing is designed to influence customers awareness, and even alter your preference for a brand.
This example of Hells Pizza is an example of great Outbound marketing, with this advertisement statement:
“Stalking the weak-willed with Satan’s Sliders”.
This type of poster is centred around “planting a seed”, which runners would mull over during their run and influence their buying decisions.
Image from Bcfdentsu
Pros
The wide reach of viewers.
Brand awareness increases.
Easier to create and manage.
Cons
Not specifically targeted.
Not as easy to measure success.
We’ve learned how to “tune out” to advertising.
Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is where customers engage or contact your business. It’s created through your content posted, email campaigns, events hosted and even by customers browsing your website! Having a steady flow of inbound marketing is a great sign that your marketing efforts are working!
Image from Hill Country Wine & Music
If your marketing efforts are driving the right traffic to your site, and these people are engaging with your campaigns regularly they are likely to be juicy leads for your sales team, it would be a big mistake to miss out!
Pros
Your business seems credible and trustworthy.
It can be cost-effective if done correctly.
Less invasive than outbound marketing.
Cons
It takes a long time to create this stream of inbound leads.
You must build trust with your viewers.
People don’t always know what they want, they might not know your product or service even exists!
Influencer Marketing
Instagram, Tik Tok, LinkedIn and YouTube are all highly engaging platforms where industry leaders, personalities and even pets can influence our buying behaviours. People are more likely to watch content focused on how to improve or entertain skills that relate to interests they have. Content creators such as athletes, musicians, artists, celebrities can influence our decisions when they talk about their preferences and opinions.
Image from Neil Patel
You can get in contact with influencers in your industry to promote your products and services, or you can lead the charge yourself to create a network of loyal followers.
Pros
Huge impact on buying decisions.
Your brand awareness increases for a relevant audience.
You don’t need a huge budget.
Cons
Can take time and effort to find the right group.
Not easy to DIY and become an internet sensation overnight.
Can be detrimental to your business if not careful!
Relationship Marketing
Relationship Marketing focuses on customer loyalty and long-term engagement. The goal is to build strong connections, with emotional resonance to your brand in the eyes of your customers.
Retaining customers over the long term increases the chances that they will purchase more than once. Some of the techniques used involve creating a database, behavioural advertising and using analytics.
Image from Tech Target
Pros
Creates customer loyalty, which has countless benefits.
Word of Mouth advertising created from positive customer experiences.
The more data you gather the better your other marketing efforts will be.
Cons
Must be highly involved in supporting customers who may switch to your competitor's products at the drop of a hat.
Sending too many emails or follow-ups may reduce loyalty.
It takes time to nurture these relationships.
Viral Marketing
Viral marketing is content or a message that gets passed from one person to another faster than a cold can spread around your household.
Social platforms have made it faster than ever to share news or messages. The content could be surprising, shocking, funny, or unique, or a combination of all the above!
Image from RouteNote
Baby Shark as of June 2021, is the most viewed video on YouTube with 8.7 billion views! That’s more than the entire earth’s population!
Pros
May open a lot of doors for your business.
Low cost, if the content goes viral, whatever money you put into it will likely pay in dividends.
It’s not invasive. Users are choosing to engage with your content.
Cons
The viewers will ultimately determine the success of the message
Takes more than creativity and preparation, you need a bit of luck.
You shouldn’t rely on going viral as a means of getting exposure.
Green Marketing
Green marketing is self-explanatory, it focuses on promoting the sustainable and environmentally friendly elements of the product to increase its perceived value.
Whether the production, packaging or efforts of the promotion follow this green marketing ethos, they all cater to the sensitive nature of current ecological issues.
Image from Behance
Pros
Proof that you’re aiming to make a positive impact.
Your brand has more leverage because of the positive connotations associated.
Makes for a great unique selling point.
Cons
It is expensive to receive your green certification.
Your target market will be quite a niche group.
Lots of brands claim to be green. However, a lot of their practices are not!
Keyword Marketing
This is an extension of SEO, which we will cover at the end of the blog. Keyword marketing places messages and ads in front of users based on the keywords and phrases they are searching.
You can focus your marketing efforts on targeting the right people at the right time. Which can lead to impulse buying or can even alter a user’s decision-making process!
Look at the above screenshot, Dominos pizza has an advertisement that tops the Google search with a deal that is hard to resist!
Pros
Boosts traffic to your site, boosting leads and revenue.
Increases credibility by getting more real estate on search.
Ads instantly get the top spot-on search.
Cons
Extremely competitive, having the top spot on Google is a must!
It’s expensive if using PPC, the cost can vary depending on keyword popularity.
Have to consistently spend to maintain that top position
Guerrilla Marketing
Guerrilla marketing is an unconventional way to increase publicity. Generally, are public displays, or announcements in surprising ways to stand out. They are used as a tactic for maximum results with a small number of resources.
Examples can include Treasure hunts, flash mobs, publicity stunts or even using stickers effectively.
Image from WordStream
Pros
An inexpensive way to market your product.
Don’t need to feel limited. You can be more creative with your approach.
Chance to go viral and increase word-of-mouth for the brand!
Cons
Can receive backlash from audiences if they don’t approve of your message.
Potential to get in trouble with if you don’t gain permission first.
Can’t trust the weather to be perfect on the day!
Search Engine Optimisation
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can send shivers down the spines of people who have done their own. However, it’s not as bad as people think! SEO focuses on creating a strategy that will increase your businesses rank on search engines.
Internally, the code, headings, content, links all need to be indexed correctly to help be discoverable by crawlers.
To use SEO as a marketing tool, you can target specific keywords around your niche.
This is done by keyword placement and using SEO tools such as Ahrefs, Moz or Neil Patel.
Image from Oberlo
Pros
The traffic you can generate by becoming an authoritative site is a free lead generator!
Conversion rates are high.
The traffic to your site is targeted specifically to your niche.
Cons
Incredibly time-consuming. Entire careers are built around SEO!
It’s not an overnight job, it’s an ongoing commitment.
Nothing is 100% guaranteed. Traffic with no conversions is not a good thing.
Content Marketing
Content marketing focuses on creating value for your target audience through eBooks, videos, entertainment, and webinars.
Creating content is easy but providing something new and exciting is where you gain your success. Content marketing tells stories and builds emotional connections with its audience.
Image from Martech
GoPro has a fantastic content marketing strategy. Their unique sales proposition focuses on the high-quality video and photo capabilities of their tech. Their Instagram page has over 18million followers, and it’s nothing short of incredible.
Pros
It’s cheap and relatively cost-effective in comparison to other marketing methods.
Once you have built a portfolio of quality content, it’s always going to be there.
You can involve your audience, and post challenges for them to engage with.
Cons
It’s a long-winded approach, people can engage with your content but that doesn’t always qualify them as a lead.
Your network takes a long time to build up.
Requires a strategy to keep things fresh.
These are some of the top methods of Marketing in 2021, hopefully, you have gained some inspiration on how to promote your product or service. If you have any ideas that you need help launching, get in contact with jp@rove.agency or click here to book a call with one of our staff.
Thanks for reading! 😊
