I’ve got an answer for all your marketing questions. You may not like the answer, but I think if you hear me out, you’ll find some insight. What’s the answer? Two words: It depends.

What’s the most effective marketing channel? It depends.

How much information should I include on my web site? It depends.

How often should I post on social media? How many emails should I send per month? It depends.

Should I worry about SEO, SEM, CRM, CMS, PPC, CPC? Maybe. It depends.

I don’t mean to be vague or sassy. I’m not trying to give you the impression that marketing is something you couldn’t possibly understand (just leave it to us experts!) In fact, quite the opposite. There’s no magic in marketing. Every marketing plan – every strategy – begins with an in-depth understanding of your brand, your industry, and most importantly, your customers – all information you’re in the best position to know. This is what I mean when I say, “It depends.”

Here’s an example:

In nearly every type of business, staying in touch with your customers is a good idea. It leads to loyalty, recommendations, and repeat sales. You can keep in touch through many different means, including social media, email, or postal mail. So how do you decide which will be the best investment? You guessed it – it depends.

First, ask yourself what your customers would want. Are they happy with a timely visual reminder on social media, or would they prefer something in the mail they can hang on to? You may need to test a few things to see what works. You may also find that several different tactics combine to produce the best results.

There’s also the question of how often you should “touch” customers with a marketing message. The answer is: Just the right amount. It makes sense if you think of a couple scenarios. On one end of the spectrum would a sports team. It would be very difficult for a team to communicate too much to their fan base. Die-hard enthusiasts might be perfectly happy hearing from their team several times a day during the season.

On the other end of the scale would be a bank or credit union. Sure, it’s nice to hear about new products, rates, or promotions – especially if it means saving a chunk of money. But if a financial institution communicates too much, they risk turning off their customers – and having customers turn them off by opting out.

I think you can see how the “It Depends” school of marketing requires you to start with an understanding your company – and your world – before spending money or time on marketing. Otherwise, it’s easy to pick strategies just because everyone else is doing them. Every new-fangled thing isn’t necessarily with your customers want or your brand needs.

So, if you’re wondering about what kind of marketing you should be doing, I’d tell you the first thing you should be doing is learning, planning, and preparing. This means gathering and synthesizing information that will help you identify the most impactful ways to reach and motivate your target customers.

Need help you creating the best marketing and communications plan for your business? Let’s get in touch!

Copyright 2019, Liz Behlke