Kate Gingold / Monday, July 29, 2019

You Need More than Tech to be Successful at Marketing

The Sprocket Report

Business coaches, graphic designers, content writers – we partner with all kinds of professionals when building websites. And they all share the same problem: unprepared clients sabotaging their own success. Does this sound familiar?

It starts with a terrific product or service or event. A lot of work has already been logged to get this far and usually a lot of money as well. “Now,” the organization figures, “all we need is to design a flyer, build a website, connect on social media and bam! Success!”

To their credit, plenty of businesses and not-for-profits realize that to do these tasks well, it’s best to get professional help. As needed, they find a graphic designer, web developer or social media manager with the appropriate technical skills. But too often one expert service is skipped, a most important step between client and tech pro: Marketing Strategy.

Yes, your graphic designer is happy to create an eye-catching flyer, but whose eye are they supposed to be catching? Your web developer can build a cutting-edge site, but who has planned out the buyer’s journey? Your social media manager will schedule and reply to posts, but to what end? Anyone in the marketing field worth their salt has general knowledge about best practices, but your business, regardless of what you are offering, is unique.

Companies that have the budget for it conduct extensive market research, analyze their results and experiment with options. They use tools such as heat maps, interviews, eye-tracking, historical reports, competitive analysis, live testing and more to carefully craft a marketing strategy that whole team follows.

Companies that don’t have that kind of budget for marketing research tend to default to the “best practices” approach. Which is why going that extra step can really make a difference to your success.

So what can the budget-strapped business do? We’ll put a plug here for your local business librarian. They can teach you what resources are available and how to use the tools needed to conduct your own marketing research.

The other expert to consult is YOU. Presumably, you know your target market and the goal of your marketing efforts. You may have written a business plan. Or maybe it’s just in your head. Wherever that information is, share it with the marketing professionals with whom you are working. You’ll save time and money and get much better results.

Here’s what to share:

The Goal

What do you want people to do for this particular marketing campaign? Call your phone number? Provide an email address? Buy the sale item? Be very specific.

The Audience

“Everyone” is not a target market, so who is? Create a profile, including age, gender, interests, geographical location, income level, etc. to really identify your buyer.

Other branding details should be shared, too, in order to properly portray your business’s personality and value proposition, but The Goal and The Audience are absolutely essential. If organizing your thoughts is a challenge, then be prepared to consult with a marketing professional. It may be an extra step, but imagine how much more successful your marketing will be when everyone is working with the same strategy in mind.

As our name implies, Sprocket Websites builds websites. Over our years of business, however, our expertise has grown to include many aspects of marketing. “Best practices” are just second nature by now, but we love taking the time to work with a client and craft their unique marketing strategy. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.

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Tags: Marketing Social Media Marketing Content Marketing

Kate GingoldKate Gingold

I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.

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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.

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