Using digital marketing tools is one thing; using them to stand out from your competitors is another.
Look at the NutriBullet Blender craze as an example. You can lose weight and improve overall health by purchasing one, or not. If you use it as intended, you lose weight, and feel great..
On the flip side, if you purchase the NutriBullet, make a few great smoothies, and then relegate it to a back pantry shelf (or, use it to make chocolate milkshakes...), it won't produce the intended effects.
The same principal holds true for digital marketing goals and the tools - and strategies - employed to achieve them. You have to use the right ingredients, and apply a little patience, before intended results cause your brand to stand out.
Here are 3 of the best marketing tools to get your brand to the top of the list - both on SERPs and in the minds of prospects and clients.
What's the first thing a client does when searching for your products and services, hearing about you via word-of-mouth, or viewing a social media post or blog that piques their interest?
Right! They find visit your website to see who you are and what you're all about. What they discover when they arrive at your home page or relevant landing page plays a huge part in how they feel about you.
Responsive and growth-driven websites are a two-for-one solution, providing a website that's simple, attractive and streamlined (not to mention mobile-friendly) and that allows your pages to morph and evolve in response to how visitors interact with them. The result is a website that continually improves the visitor/customer experience.
Now that you have a rockin' website, you need assess its performance. While a growth-driven design is a fantastic start, it doesn't do all the work for you. Marketing teams need to analyze the right data to make sure money going into the marketing pot is coming back out - hopefully multi-fold.
If you have your own, in-house metrics wizards, great. We find, however, most companies treat data and analytics the way ostriches treat a threat - dig hole, insert head, and hope everything works out. Online ROI calculators make it easy to establish if your ROI is on par with goals. You only need a handful of easy-to-access numbers, the calculator does the rest. Results will let you know what comes next to keep your ROI trending upward.
At this stage in the game, a CRM is an inbound marketing tool requirement, rather than an optional accessory. Yes, there is a learning curve but it's not as large as you think. The key is to choose the right CRM system for your company's needs.
For example, tools like HubSpot's CRM are designed using tools, systems and methodologies that are already familiar to the larger marketing and sales populations - and in a simplified form. Not only does the right CRM save time an money in terms of data input and contextualizing communication with prospects and clients, CRMs can search the web to find qualified leads for you - so you have an easier time searching the populated database for the leads that fit your specific search criteria.
These 3 inbound marketing tools are primed and ready to help your brand stand out. Now all you have to do is optimize them.
