In a twist on the traditional Christmas tale, we bring to you the gift of truth from Three Wise Women this festive season. Truths that will enable you to remain ahead of the competition. Truths that will enlighten and prepare you to face your target audience with gusto. Truths that will propel your marketing into 2023 and beyond.
In the little town of Altrincham, the first of our Three Wise Women to bestow upon you their gift of truth, is Leah Brotherton, Accounts Director for Marmalade Marketing.
“My marketing truth is that it’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity in turbulent times. As a business owner, you put your heart and soul into your product or service; but unless you are communicating with your target audience about it regularly, with quality messaging and a content strategy, you will remain a well kept secret.
Don’t think of your marketing budget as a cost that you can eliminate. Think of it as an investment in the future of your business. Even though your target audience may not have the funds to purchase from you right now, you still want them to be able to find your product or service. This will keep you top-of-mind for when they do have the resources to purchase from you.
Take the time to consider who you want to reach, what you want to achieve, and how you’re going to do it; and if you need any advice or support, we can help!”
Leah’s gift could see your business turning over high profits whilst your competition suffers through periods of economic uncertainty. Take, for example, media giant Netflix who, in the 2008 recession, was a name not yet known to the extent it is today. Their product innovation and hugely successful marketing campaigns during an unforeseen crisis, led them to be the media streaming champion they are today.
The second of our Three Wise Women to bestow her truth unto you is Debbie Howsam, Senior Accounts Manager for Marmalade Marketing.
“My marketing truth is that content marketing is often confused with a sales message. You should be creating different types of content for your audience based on where they are in the content funnel. Your content should be useful, engaging and interesting for your audience.
For example:
Awareness = Articles and blog posts
Interest = Videos and presentations
Evaluation = Webinars and guides
Purchase = Live demos and consultation
I often get asked by my clients why we aren't using blogs to sell a particular service, but that isn’t the purpose of a blog. A blog should be used to position the company or an individual as a thought leader on a particular subject. The topic should be genuinely interesting to its audience and ideally help them to solve a problem or offer valuable information on a topic.
The purpose of content marketing is to put yourself or your business in the front of the mind of your audience so when they are finally ready to purchase - your company is the first they think of because you have been the one providing them with interesting articles for the last few months. It’s not an easy win, it’s a long game but done probably has multiple advantages.”
Debbie’s truth calls for innovation, which is where products and services begin to thrive. Well known brand, Go Pro, took advantage of the increasing popularity of video content and used real-life videos to raise awareness and attract interest from a larger audience. Go Pro included its customers in its marketing strategy, compiling and editing videos uploaded by the customers and then uploading it under the title, “People Are Awesome”.
Their success comes largely from tapping into the fact that peoples’ emotion drives their desire to share their experiences with the world. Go Pro made its users upload more and more videos, thus giving them a better platform. In turn, they got a better reach and lured more customers into buying their products.
Our third and final of our Three Wise Women to share their truth with you this Christmas, is Jo Perrotta, Managing Director of Marmalade Marketing.
“My marketing truth is that marketing does not equal leads. It can do, eventually, but much of marketing's return isn't quantifiable. The good news is that a lot is measurable. The one thing massively challenging is the level of expectation from companies with such lean marketing budgets.
The reality is, marketing is a highly skilled profession - it's both an Art and a Science. Having a website doesn't mean that you'll get loads of forms filled out. Having a marketing function is a similar process to building a house. You need a good architect, a builder you can trust and a quality interior design team to make it the best house on the street. Many recruitment businesses have one or two elements but not all three.
For example, what's the point of having a website if you don't write great content to add value to the user? Why would you expect, by having a registration page on there, you've built enough confidence for a client or candidate to trust your brand over your competitors.
2023's marketing reality check is that if you do this right then you'll reap the rewards; but scrimp and your brand will suffer for it.”
Much like Leah and Debbie, Jo’s truth also calls for effective and innovative marketing if your brand is to survive a difficult economic period. Most businesses underestimate how much a marketing team can do for a brand, and don’t realise that marketing includes innovation: revising products and services to meet consumer needs.
Nokia was the first to create a cellular network in the world. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Nokia was the global leader in mobile phones. The company overestimated the strength of its brand and believed it could arrive late to the smartphone race and still win. In 2008, one year after the first iPhone release, Nokia finally decided to compete with Android, but it was too late. Their products weren't competitive enough.
Don’t arrive late to the party. Contact Marmalade Marketing to discuss your recruitment marketing needs.
Wishing you all a very happy holiday season from the team at Marmalade Marketing.