Did you know that small businesses account for 97% of all New Zealand businesses?
So how do you make sure you stay ahead of direct competitors?
Brand visibility and customer engagement are a few of many indicators of marketing success. To achieve them, decision-makers must use the most effective marketing strategies possible. After doing so, they'll be able to attract more first-time consumers. They'll even be able to keep customers coming back for more.
Here are a few strategies that have proven to be effective in helping companies stay ahead:
1. Targeted Advertising
For customer retention, businesses must understand their target audience. They'll only do so once they start researching their current consumer base.
Through this research, they'll understand what consumers they're currently attracting. This is first done through demographic research. Demographic analysis categorizes consumers based on factors such as age, race, or sex.
Businesses will then conduct market and industry research. They will then know if their current consumer base is their target audience. Their target audience comprises of people with a particular interest in their services.
Attracting more target audience members means attracting more first-time customers. Target first-time customers are also more likely to revisit the business's products/services than other first-time customers.
Customer loyalty is great for revenue. Loyal customers will continue contributing to your business without recurring ad exposure. In fact, it's estimated that 65% of a company's business comes from existing consumers.
2. BOFU Strategies
BoFu stands for "bottom-of-funnel." It refers to the content in the closing stage of the marketing process. The marketer is close to finishing their sale and is most likely to make contact with the customer.
Marketing funnel (BoFu) strategies include product demonstrations, sales calls, and personalized consultations. Sales representatives can physically show their audience the product/service.
The consumer can even interact with it themselves. Such interaction examples include food product sampling and dress fittings.
These strategies offer businesses a chance to showcase their products without imposing commitment. The sales rep's positive attitude could also persuade consumers to buy their products.
Many consumers are now concerned with cleanliness and may be less keen on physically touching merchandise that's not theirs. That's why 360 product photography trends and AR technology are key BoFu tools in a post-pandemic world.
With a "virtual fitting room" or digital furniture demo, consumers can understand their prospective products before buying them at all. Employing these BoFu strategies can also encourage more consumers to consider a product. Otherwise, they may not do so due to the product only being available in stores.
This can be a crucial part of lead generation. BoFu strategies can help consumers humanize brands and understand their products. Putting a positive face on the brand could also improve its reputation.
3. Improve Your Website
It's difficult for new businesses to thrive without a robust digital presence. So they must modernize and streamline their online business presence.
If a business's website looks outdated, people might assume that its services are too. A website that's too inaccessible to navigate can result in customers not being able to finally engage with its products. So fix up your website and ensure that even those who aren't technologically literate can still navigate the site.
Then, update its information and pad it with content. Start uploading articles and update readers on upcoming events or brand changes. If you link it with email subscriptions, your website's subscribers get consistent content from your business.
Consumers will be continually reminded of your brand's digital presence. This will increase their overall awareness of your brand, which can encourage them to buy from it.
4. Direct Mail Advertising
When engaging with customers, you don't have to go only digital. Contrary to popular media, research has proven that print media is not dead and dying. In fact, even younger generations still trust print media over digital!
Print marketing efforts also see a higher return for engagement. Consumers are inundated with thousands of ads a day, but most people only get a few pieces of mail a day. They're more likely to notice a mail ad in their mailbox stack than an ad on social media.
They're also less likely to ignore mail advertisements. They can't just scroll past them. Even if they don't open them up immediately, the ad will remain until they decide to open them or throw them away.
Digital advertising is still an effective option, but combine your efforts with print advertising. Doing so will cover all your advertising bases and earn a better sense of trust from those you advertise to.
5. Discounts and Sales
Most consumers love discounts and are attracted to businesses that advertise them. They could even inspire consumers to complete their purchases. This is especially true if they were hesitant to do so at full price.
One of the best ways to entice first-time customers is with first purchase discounts. If consumers were debating between several local choices, they might opt for those that offer immediate financial savings.
If that first purchase makes them appreciate your product, they will likely come back. As mentioned before, loyal customers are crucial for business. So hook in first-time consumers by offering discounts and sales they can't ignore.
You could put out digital advertisements to showcase your brand's sales or advertise these sales through aforementioned print advertising. Even word-of-mouth is a great tactic to spread the word to local, enduring consumers.
6. SEO Understanding
SEO is one of the most vital of all digital marketing tools. Search engine optimization (SEO) is meant to score higher on search engines' results pages. Since Google is the most-used search engine, achieving SEO success could seriously boost brand visibility.
This strategy can create more opportunities for digital visibility. Otherwise, marketing businesses online produce weak results. Brands can leverage consumers' most-used keywords to attract their attention.
Marketing Strategies for Thriving Businesses
For newer, small businesses, solidifying your marketing plan is essential. So follow these marketing strategies to take your brand to the next level!
At Metrics Marketing, we know the importance of a great marketing strategy. That's why our team of experts offers essential marketing services! You can also check out and follow our blog for more intelligent marketing advice.