How To Put Together A Solid Marketing Plan… Even If You Hate Marketing

As a Yorkshire digital marketing agency, we work with businesses across multiple industries – often industries that are traditionally ‘offline’ – to help them expand into the digital space.

 

But when we then talk about promoting these websites to drive traffic, we’re frequently hit with a chorus of ‘oh, no, we hate marketing - it doesn’t work for us’.

 

 

Marketing perceptions

 

Digital marketing has become a minefield.

Today, there are so many different channels available for reaching audiences, and so many different techniques ranging from website design and content planning to SEO and PPC.

It can be a lot to think about, especially when you’re trying to focus on your core business at the same time.

But the truth is that most of the businesses that say they hate marketing don’t hate marketing at all. They hate what they think marketing is. They dislike the complexities of it. They’re annoyed by the jargon.

But ultimately, they still love what marketing can do for them, and how it can help them grow and expand.

And that’s why, at myCloud, we approach marketing in a different way...

We set out to disrupt the typical definition of marketing. We show our clients just how easy it can be to put together a solid marketing plan.

No crazy ‘out there’ ideas. Nothing confusing. Just a great strategy that covers all the core fundamentals of marketing. This can help you achieve more from your business website and online presence.

 

 

 

Building an effective marketing strategy

 

While a marketing strategy can be as complex as you want it to be, at its core, any good marketing plan covers five basic aspects. Here’s a simple guide to putting together a solid strategy that delivers results.

 

1. Know who you are

The first step in any good marketing plan is to know what sets you apart from the competition.

For example, there’s not much point in building an entire strategy around promoting a specific product if all your competitors offer exactly the same thing. Instead, think about what makes your business unique in your industry; what’s your USP?

Know who you are, and what you have to offer your audience. That will make it easier to build the foundations of a strategy that sets you apart, and gives you a competitive edge.

 

2. Know your audience

The second step is to have a good understanding of who you’re going to be marketing to; who your marketing plan is expected to attract and engage with.

Developing a buyer persona can really help with this. A buyer persona considers all the different characteristics, needs, and preferences from your target audience. It combines them to create a fictional buyer around whom you can build your marketing plan.

By knowing what your audience wants, it’s easier to create a strategy that gives them just that.

 

3. Know what you want

As well as understanding what your customers want, it’s also important to know what you want. Ask yourself what exactly you want to achieve from your marketing plan.

Do you want to drive more traffic to your website? Or improve brand visibility and recall across your audience pool?

Do you want to highlight your expertise within the industry? Or are you looking to boost sales and profits?

Perhaps you want to do a little bit of everything. What you want will play a big role in what techniques you choose to employ.

 

4. Know how to get from A to B

So imagine you’ve decided that you want to improve your online visibility.

Right now, if you search Google for what your business offers, you’re listed on the second page of results, underneath all your competitors.

So what tactics are you going to use to get from where you are now to where you need to be?

In this specific case, it could be that you work on your SEO. The types of marketing activities you utilise should be shaped by what you want from your campaigns.

 

5. Know what to look for

Once you’ve started employing marketing techniques and your campaigns are in full swing, you might think that you can take a step back.

But that’s a mistake (and it’s a mistake many businesses make). Instead, you should be keeping an eye on your campaigns, and you should know what to be on the lookout for.

It’s always a good idea to identify some key performance indicators (KPIs) that can give you an idea of how things are going. This gives you a chance to adapt your approach for optimal results.

 

 

 

Overcoming roadblocks

 

Who knew that getting started with marketing could be so easy?

But sometimes, easy isn’t quite enough. Busy, growing businesses don’t just need marketing to be easy; they need it to be quick as well.

And that’s not always the case.

Paid methods, like pay per click marketing, can deliver rapid results to get you moving. But content marketing and organic SEO are what’s going to bring you long-term success.

Getting these tactics right means research; it means content planning, keyword research, and more.

That’s where we come in. At myCloud, our strategic support services can help to give you everything you need to develop a tailored, personalised strategy that’s right for you.

We’ll also leave you with time to focus on your core business, and develop the operational side of your organisation.

 

Don’t let your efforts go to waste

 

Most organisations today are investing in a business website. They know the benefits that come with being online, and they want to experience these benefits for themselves.

What they don’t always realise is that a website isn’t always a self-supporting entity. It needs to be held up by a strong digital marketing framework that ensures the website gets in front of the right eyes, at the right time.

If you’re going through the effort of creating a website, marketing can help to ensure those efforts aren’t being wasted.

Subscribe to the myCloud blog for more helpful hints on building a solid marketing plan that works for you.

Book a meeting to learn more about how we can help you to start marketing with confidence.