The next step in developing an effective marketing strategy — after setting your goals, identifying your ideal clients, narrowing your niche, and defining your core value — is selecting your marketing tactics.
Marketing tactics are your actual avenues of communication. These are the tools, mediums, and methods by which you connect with your prospects.
This is the part of the process that’s often the most exciting. This is when you get to do and make stuff, stuff like:
- Launching or redesigning your website
- Creating and publishing ads in print, online, and on social media
- Launching email marketing campaigns
- Sending direct mail packages to thousands of would-be clients
- Sponsoring promotional campaigns
- Participating in tradeshows and other promotional events
- Courting media exposure using PR (public relations)
- Running radio & TV ads
- Posting display advertising (billboards, bus bench ads, building signage)
- And so on…
But with so many options available (in truth, many more than listed above), what are the “right” tactics for your business?
The answer here is, of course, it depends.
How so? Several factors come into play:
Active Channels
First and foremost, your messaging needs to be where your would-be clients are active. Thus, this is where you turn to your ideal client profile, which tells you WHOM you’re trying to reach and where you’re most likely to find them.
Are your ideal clients active on social media? Or is email communication a better bet?
Are the folks you’re trying to reach more old-school? If so, is direct mail a more effective option?
In short, wherever your clients are most likely to see your messaging and respond is where you need to be.
Time Available
Next, you must consider how much time you can dedicate to your marketing efforts. Can you handle everything on your own, or will you need to outsource some (or all) of the work?
Budget
And finally, what’s your budget? How much can you spend, not only on the tactics themselves but also on bringing in additional support if necessary?
The Convergence Point
Tactics, time available, and budget ultimately collide at a convergence point.
What does this mean?
Certain marketing tactics require more time. For example, building your brand organically on social media can demand a great deal of time and effort. Meanwhile, paid promotion can build a strong presence in short order. But paid promotion can be very pricey.
Thus, if you have neither the time to build your brand organically on social nor the budget to pay for promotion, social media may not be the tactic for you — Even if your ideal clients are active on social media.
Here’s a more straightforward analogy: If you could run TV and radio spots, post billboards, and place banner ads on heavily trafficked websites, your business will likely gain significant traction due to mass market exposure. But you probably don’t have the budget to pursue any of these campaigns, so you need an alternative approach.
Ultimately, the “right” tactics your business are those that drive maximum results with the lowest possible investment.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t spend time or money or that spending a great deal of time and money isn’t effective. If you have the time to post on social all day long or you can afford radio spots and TV ads and those tactics drive strong results, by means, post and spend away.
The point here is that finding the right tactics comes down to striking a balance between results, time invested, and cash spent.
Need help marketing your business?
Let’s discuss:
- Launching or updating your website
- Improving your website’s SEO by starting a business blog
- Launching an email newsletter or other keep-in-touch campaigns
- Increasing your online presence with social media marketing campaigns
- Launching a PR campaign to gain media attention for your business
Sound like a plan?
Get in touch here: 310.466.7893 | ryan@ryananys.com
