3 Marketing Keys For 2014
If you are a small business owner, marketing is the lifeline of your business. If your prospective customers don’t know who you are, what problem you can solve, and the value that you bring to the table, then you won’t be in business for very long. Even if you do have a strong marketing program, statistics show that the average person gets bombarded by over 3500 marketing messages every day, and it takes an average of 26 impressions to move someone from complete apathy about your product or service to ready to buy. So, what can you do to ensure that your marketing message cuts through the noise and generates business for you? Here are 3 key things that you need to be doing in 2014 to generate great results from your marketing efforts:
Key#1 – You Need to Write a Book
Writing a book is a great way to cut through the noise and get out your message. Having a published book immediately provides you with credibility, and showcases your given expertise. Additionally, it sets you apart from your competition, and gives you a marketing platform that you can work from. Furthermore, with the advent of Kindle and online publishing, it’s easier and more cost effective than ever before to do this.
A book allows you to effectively present the value you bring to your customers, establishes your expertise, and provides you with content that you can leverage across all of your other marketing efforts. All things being equal, if a consumer is choosing between you and one of your competitors, and you have a published book, you’ll win that business more often than not. This is even more important if you are a professional service business, and should be the #1 tool in your marketing toolbox. Keep in mind that amazon.com is the world’s largest e-commerce site, so wouldn’t you want to have a presence there? Absolutely!
Key#2 – You Must Leverage Video
When Google bought You Tube earlier this year, it was predicted that 90% of web traffic would be video by the end of 2013. The reality is that Google changed all of their search algorithms to center around video content, so if you want to be found on the web, you better have video, and lots of it! Video is tremendously effective, as it allows you to get out your message in a very compelling, visual way.
Videos on social media and websites get exponentially more clicks than any other types of marketing, and can be the most effective way to drive traffic to your website. Since it’s now super easy to create videos that look great even off of your cell phone, this is a no brainer and a must if you want to compete in 2014. Since 80% of people go to the web when they are looking for a product or service, you need to tap into this trend, or your customers soon won’t be able to find you online.
Key#3 – You Need a Podcast and/or Online Radio Show
Podcasting has been around for a while now, and is a great way to promote your business, as well as your expertise. With iTunes being so easy to use, millions of people are downloading podcasts to their phones and listening to them in their cars and on the train on the way to work. Just like publishing a book and videos, podcasting provides you with a low cost, simple way to get your message out to millions of people. Additionally, it also establishes you as an expert, provides great content for your prospective customers, and gives you massive social proof! Google also loves iTunes, and having content on there will increase your web traffic.
It’s so easy to create a podcast right from your laptop computer with a simple microphone and some editing software, or even via Skype. You can choose an interesting topic to talk about, interview your customers or people that would be interesting to your customers, and build a strong following with subscribers. Again, this is a great way to promote yourself and get out your message!
If you follow these 3 marketing keys in 2014, you’ll take your marketing to a whole other level, and your business will benefit from it!
