\nIf you\u2019re serious about seeing significant growth in your business, here are the 12 most important marketing tactics to focus on in 2017:<\/p>\n
1) Smart Goals<\/h5>\n
It is not enough to set goals and simply believe that they will happen (we\u2019ve tried it and been there), we need to set goals that we are fully committed to and passionate about.
\nIn our inbound marketing methodology we use \u201cSMART GOALS\u201d as our compass for the client’s success journey. The SMART goal framework stands for:<\/p>\n
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- S<\/strong>pecific – Your goals should be clear to your team, so that everyone understands what needs to be done and who is responsible for what.<\/li>\n
- M<\/strong>easurable – You should be able to check if you have reached your goals exactly by numbers, and not by assumptions.<\/li>\n
- A<\/strong>ttainable – You should set realistic goals that are actually achievable. . It is very frustrating to fall short of a goal every time – don’t set yourself up for failure!<\/li>\n
- R<\/strong>elevant – Your goals must be related directly to your business.<\/li>\n
- T<\/strong>imely – Your goals must be mapped out within a specific timeframe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Without clear and measurable goals your rocket might fly high but actually miss the target! Know what you want to achieve by breaking down your goals \u201cSMARTly\u201d – with details!<\/p>\n
2) Quick Wins<\/h5>\n
Half of all new businesses fail within the first five years<\/a> –\u00a0which is why you want to see positive results in your company as soon as possible. You must not depend only on strategies that take months to see progress. Instead, look for marketing activities that can get results fast in order to fuel and motivate both your team and yourself.<\/p>\n
Every business has an opportunity to see fast interactions with its audience. The most common tactic is PPC advertising, yet you could find many other options such as flash sale to your email list, viral contests on Facebook, etc. No matter what you\u2019re planning to do this year, start seeing your potential results as fast as possible, in order to build confidence and meet your goals for the year.<\/p>\n
3) PERSONALIZATION<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teamstepup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/personalization-example.png\")
<\/p>\nYour prospects are becoming less patient to marketing messages that don’t talk directly to their specific problems. In 2017 you should be much more aware of this, and adapt your marketing system to this environment.<\/p>\n
For example, if you used to manage direct lead generation campaigns with PPC traffic, in 2017 it is going to be more challenging to get results. There are more and more ads on all digital platforms, the competition is getting fierce and expensive, and the people are more wise and aware of it.<\/p>\n
With new technology and smart strategies you can send the right message to the right person at the right time. You need to segment your audience with more specific targeting and personalize your message to their state of mind. For example: Don\u2019t advertise your service or product to the general audience, but instead send relevant and great content, segment them by their interest and interaction and then send them a specific offer, relevant to what they were interested in.<\/p>\n
With today’s technology, it\u2019s easier than ever!<\/p>\n
4) Multiple Conversion Points<\/h5>\n
Many companies rely mainly on just one sales funnel, and try to sell the same thing to the same audience over and over again. This can be repetitive, and ineffective.<\/p>\n
If you want to see exponential growth this year, you must create several different offers that can be delivered to your prospects in case they don\u2019t convert on your main offer. Once you create different conversion points, you will significantly increase your sales opportunities and therefore your income.<\/p>\n
5) Automation<\/h5>\n
Today\u2019s marketing efforts can seem huge, and overwhelming. If you don\u2019t automate some of your tasks, half of them may not even get done.<\/p>\n
So – what are the main things you should automate? Here are some ideas:<\/p>\n
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- Lead Nurturing:<\/strong> With a well-planned email automation process, you can nurture cold leads and turn them into real sales opportunities.<\/li>\n
- Post Scheduling:<\/strong> Whether it\u2019s blog posts or social media content, most of this can be scheduled far in advance so you can let the computer do the work, and focus on the distribution of the content<\/li>\n
- Content curation:<\/strong> Use tools such as Google Alerts, Buzzsumo or others to help listen to conversations online that would be of interest to you, chatter around your brand, and industry-related content that is applicable to your audience. This makes it easy for you to share with your listeners.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
6) Mapping Your Buyers Journey<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/teamstepup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/buyers-journey-1024x372-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThere are three stages your prospect goes through before making decision to buy from you. The stages are: Awareness, Consideration and Decision.<\/strong><\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t want to flood prospects with the wrong content and offers, you must map your buyer\u2019s journey very clearly and organize your content planning and campaigns based on his or her buying stage. This makes it easier for you create the right content and lead your prospect through a smart pipeline until they are ready to buy from you.<\/p>\n
Overall, a smart sales funnel will help you sell more easily, without being too pushy or aggressive in any stage of the sale.<\/p>\n
7) Structured Sales Funnel<\/h5>\n
Your team is the most important yet most expensive asset in your business. Build a rock-solid sales funnel that will provide your sales team with high-quality leads, thus allowing them to work faster and smarter.<\/p>\n
8) MULTI-CHANNEL TRAFFIC SOURCES<\/h5>\n
You can\u2019t rely solely on one source of traffic. A strong and long-lasting business is always searching for new traffic sources that intelligently interact with one another, creating an unstoppable lead machine.<\/p>\n
Each traffic source you use must be analyzed and tracked with a clear ROI report. This sheds light on which one has the highest benefit and where to focus your efforts on.<\/p>\n
Multi-channel traffic sources are crucial for sustainable business and must be planned into your growth strategy.<\/p>\n
9) Blogging<\/h5>\n
Research shows that businesses that use blogs generate higher traffic and significantly more leads than those that don\u2019t.
\nHere are some stats to support it:<\/p>\n- \n
- Business blogging leads to 55% more website visitors (Source: Hubspot<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Small businesses that blog get 126% more lead growth than small businesses that do not blog. (source: Impactbnd.com<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- B2B marketers who use blogs generate 67% more leads per month than those who do not.<\/li>\n
- B2C companies that blog generate 88% more leads per month than those that do not.<\/li>\n
- On average, companies that blog receive 434% more indexed pages. (Source: Hubspot<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What more reason do you need to start blogging now?<\/p>\n
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\n - Small businesses that blog get 126% more lead growth than small businesses that do not blog. (source: Impactbnd.com<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Post Scheduling:<\/strong> Whether it\u2019s blog posts or social media content, most of this can be scheduled far in advance so you can let the computer do the work, and focus on the distribution of the content<\/li>\n
- M<\/strong>easurable – You should be able to check if you have reached your goals exactly by numbers, and not by assumptions.<\/li>\n