I’ve been in this business for a long time now but I have to admit that I’m still constantly learning new things.
I make mistakes, because I’m not perfect.
And sometimes, I have to relearn even the really basic things – stuff I learned a long time ago, but somehow forgot along the way.
It happens. Not just to me, but many others as well.
With that said, let me remind you about some of the best marketing advice you might be forgetting to follow:
1. Listen proactively.
If you’re doing social media marketing, this is something you need to remember.
Proactive listening is one of the most underused online marketing strategies.
Lots of people seem to think that social media monitoring is just about waiting for someone to say something bad about their business or products, or answering customer service questions.
Proactive social listening is about keeping watch for marketing and sales opportunities and stepping in front of demand, not just going with the flow.
2. Fill out your ‘About Us’ page.
I don’t actually know why more people don’t do this, especially now that consumers are all about connection.
When people support a product, they want to connect with the company and mission behind it.
But for most businesses, if you go to the ‘About Us’ section on their website, you’ll find a freaking long wall of text that’s just boring. It’s professional and sterile and it doesn’t exactly help customers to connect with the company.
The ‘About Us’ page should reflect your company’s culture and tell the story behind your mission. If you don’t have a company, then it should reflect your website, and tell your story.
Take for example, my About section for this site.
3. Stop arguing with people.
Seriously, shut up.
There’s no point in getting into heated debates with others about whose idea is superior and what the best way to do things is.
Instead of wasting time and energy by getting into a huge fight, be the better man. Take a step back, put your ego away, and test your theories out.
If you’re wrong, move on and learn from what your data has uncovered.
If you’re right, you now have the data to back up your theory, and nobody can argue with you anymore.
Then, use your data to drive your decisions. Don’t rely on gut feelings and instincts, even if you have years and years of experience as an online marketer.
4. Measure your marketing efforts.
You should be tracking all your campaigns.
You need to know whether whatever you’re doing is impacting your revenue and growing your business, or whether it’s doing the opposite.
It would help if you had a clear objective and a timeframe for achieving it.
Then, put metrics in place, so you’ll know whether or not you’re getting closer to your goal.
Basically, you need to always have a way to measure your success.
5. Remember that your customers are human beings.
Your audience are people, who have lives full of commitments, stress, activities and deadlines.
They’re not thinking about you and your brand 24/7, no matter how much you want them to.
So you have to insert yourself into the conversation and offer value to their lives – every aspect of their lives, not just the part that affects your brand.
