I have a big secret to tell you. But you can’t tell anyone.
Marketing is not a science.
Now, you’ve promised to keep all of this quiet, right? But let me warn you right now that what I’m going to say is probably going to make you question my sanity and why I’m sharing it with you, as a member of a marketing company.
The secret to marketing is that there’s no secret sauce, formula, phrase, or even strategy that always works. You’ll find marketing books touting one strategy, then another will come out debunking it. You’ll read articles from start-ups and strategists that claim this will work for you. And you know what, it might. But it also might not.
Market Where Your Buyer Is
Here’s why – marketing is all about testing. Yes, there are core pieces that will stay the same. But if you’re say a realtor who is trying to attract buyers for a home you’re selling, you’re probably not going to be advertising that house on Craigslist and Twitter. No, you’re going to make sure the listing is on all the major home-buying websites (Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com), on your own website, and maybe post about it on Facebook with those great, professional photos for voyeurs to scroll through. Then again, that strategy doesn’t really work for someone who’s selling an advanced computer program for engineers, does it?
Your buyer is different and unique. What might attract one type of buyer isn’t going to attract another. On top of that, what you might think will work might not convert the way you’d thought.
But that’s kind of the beauty of marketing – there’s really no one right answer. Testing is key to see what works for your audience, what engages people and makes them connect with you. You get to try out new and exciting methods all the time to see if it works better. Behaviors change, too, over time at the advent of social media sites that come up.
Take Snapchat. A couple years ago even, no one would have really thought you’d be using the sketchy-reputation app for businesses. But people were flocking to the app in droves, and businesses found a way to reach their target buyers by using the app.
It’s a little daunting with the way the world and buying habits tend to change at the drop of a hat anymore, sure. But just as chemists experiment in the lab, marketers experiment with your target audience to find what works. It’s a delicate game, but if you play it right, really pays off for you and your company.
Not sure what will work for you? Contact us and schedule a free consultation with us. We can help you find the marketing strategy that works for you.