Maybe you’re launching several digital marketing campaigns. Maybe you’re knee deep in customer engagement plans. Maybe you’re caught up in the nuts and bolts and many different channels of your marketing deployment.
When things are moving fast, it can be easy to lose track of the essential components of marketing. Let’s start a refresher course to make sure you’re keeping your eye on the fundamentals.
Marketing Basics #1: Brand Awareness
Sometimes your greatest marketing weapon can be positive word-of-mouth chatter. That’s your reputation talking for you. That’s your brand at work.
Yes, it’s difficult to tie branding exercises to ROI. But, in a crowded digital infrastructure market, customer loyalty is crucial – and compelling brand messaging can build that loyalty. Do you have a well-defined brand message? One where your company’s vision and values are woven into the brand experience?
In the industry many competitors’ pricing and products are very similar, and market share is tight. Sometimes the difference is a resonant, aligned and purposeful brand message that matches a great customer experience.
Marketing Basics #2: Content Marketing
You may have content, and it may be marketing content. But, do you have a true content marketing strategy? In digital infrastructure, most readers are tech-savvy. They want to stay up to date with the latest in a dynamic industry.
Are you creating and publishing material that engages, educates and attracts? Digital Infrastructure professionals are reading new content all the time. You need to make sure that your company’s content is stuff they truly want to read. If you’re not thinking about your audience, it’s all just white noise.
It’s also worth considering what formats and channels appeal most to those in the digital infrastructure industry. There’s blog posts, search engine ads, native advertising, events – where is the best place to put your message? For social media, for instance, the digital infrastructure marketplace is very active on LinkedIn, for instance, but Pinterest? Not so much.
Is that piece of information best delivered as a white paper, survey, video interview, podcast, webinar? It’s not enough to have content; you need a content marketing strategy for your marketing efforts.
Marketing Basics #3: Target Audience
There are several obstacles in effectively delivering a marketing message to the right audience. Oftentimes the most prominent challenge is pinpointing the right audience in the first place.
What kind of information does your organization have about your desired customer demographic? Age, gender, occupation, interests, location? How about buyer personas, where you define a target group by describing a composite ideal customer?
Your team may not have the same group in mind when constructing a marketing strategy or campaign. In that case you might be in for a startling surprise. If you’re not targeting anyone in particular (the more particular the better), then you’re not targeting anyone at all.
Marketing Basics #4: Thought Leadership
Your marketing efforts will be easier if you have established your reputation as an industry expert. You want to be someone who can offer guidance and influence in the marketplace. This is especially important if your target customers expect the latest in technology. Your marketing strategy can aid in this image building in a few important ways.
First of all, you can forge relationships with key publications in the industry. Choose publications where you can publish guest author articles, secure interviews and submit news releases.
Secondly, you can participate more noticeably at key digital infrastructure industry events and conferences. Perhaps you could even secure speaking opportunities on panels or sessions.
Visibility in leading trade publications and at prominent industry events is advantageous. With these appearances you can be part of the conversation with new industry topics and trends.
The Marketing Sweet Spot
When you’re in the weeds aligning your marketing and sales goals, sometimes it can be easy to get away from the core elements you need to be focusing on to reach potential customers. Not only that, but digital infrastructure companies are a unique subset of B2B work, so sometimes you need to tweak your efforts to make sure you are aiming in the right direction. Remember to stick close to the fundamentals, and let your efforts be guided by a strong strategic core.
Interested in learning how JSA can support your company with a comprehensive public relations, digital marketing and event strategy? Let’s schedule a complimentary brainstorming session – reach out to [email protected].