The toothbrush you are gifted on the airplane is designed to be used once… and then discarded. Same with the paper cup at the gym. Other products like a Stradivarius violin, denim jeans, leather boots or cast-iron pans are meant to last a lifetime… and are said to get better with age.

The tools you use in digital marketing should also get better with age. You should use methods and solutions which are tried and tested. There’s no ‘quick fix’. And yet we often hear accountants claim, ‘if only I were active in social media, the leads would flow in’ or, ‘my sales will grow as soon as I redo my website’.

Let’s examine some digital marketing best practices (and why MarketingHub is adding value in many businesses):

1. BUILDING THE DATABASE

This is most important but often neglected. Simply put, a large database will result in more sales opportunities than a smaller database. So what processes are in place to grow the number of targets? This can be as simple as asking team members to submit, on a weekly basis, contact details of any new acquaintances. MarketingHub makes the management of contacts easy.

2. CLASSIFYING YOUR TARGETS

It’s not only about size but also how much you understand about the targets. There’s a lot of talk about demographic profiles based on age, e.g. Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers and Over 70’s. But how relevant are these in your business? Perhaps you should classify targets based on income, location, attitude, goals, needs or other factors. And you should be willing to learn about your targets over time.

The MarketingHub database structure enables you to profile targets as you learn more about their behaviours and attributes.

3. PERSONALIZATION

Customers and prospects respond favorably when we feel a marketing message is tailored to our needs. That means someone has listened. By observing behavior, such as a response to a questionnaire or purchase of a product, you can personalize future messages. Marketers should always seek to learn more about their audience. Even more simple is to address the recipient by name and to include some news of your business or a seasonal greeting. MarketingHub allows you to customize all outgoing communication to increase personalization.

4. USER DEVICES

What you are sharing should be suited to consumption on smartphones, which continue to grow in popularity (compared to desktop and tablet visits which have declined in recent years). MarketingHub enables distribution of content to all devices.

5. USING MULTIPLE CHANNELS

Marketers used to be confined to channels such as TV, radio, billboards and print. But digital marketing opens channels such as email, social media, blogs and internet advertising. MarketingHub enables your marketing content to be repurposed through multiple digital channels thereby expanding your reach.

6. CYCLICAL TRENDS

Email marketing continues to be prevalent but open rates will vary by industry and by time of the year. You should always be analysing how your audience is responding and tailoring your approach. MarketingHub provides analytics on a host of key metrics to aid your understanding.

7. VIDEO CONTENT

It is an oversimplification to say that video makes for better content. The Adobe Digital Insights Summit (2018) published interesting data on video completion rates varying by geography and by device. But there is certainly a place for compelling video content and MarketingHub enables this.

8. TIME

Most accountants don’t have a large marketing department nor the time to tinker with a variety of marketing approaches. MarketingHub enables you to set your marketing plan and then focus on other aspects of your business since it’s easy to use and low maintenance.

9. RELEVANCE

Content creation takes time and is an acquired skill. Many people who attempt this realize it is better outsourced. MarketingHub comes with ready-made, relevant content which is suited to your audiences.

10. LET’S NOT FORGET STRATEGY

The fact is that no matter what tools you use or what content you distribute, digital marketing won’t succeed without a sensible marketing strategy. Panalitix can help you craft that strategy and then introduce tools such as MarketingHub to automate processes.

It’s true that a fine wine gets better with age but sometimes we need advice on WHICH fine wine to choose!

Please get in touch to discuss your marketing approach and how MarketingHub can help.