Marketing is at the forefront of the technological revolution going on in the world today. Today’s fragmentation and proliferation of channels is mind-boggling. It’s a virtual explosion of options, each with a thin slice of the overall audience. These include a wealth of niche-oriented cable networks. New-media channels like YouTube, Facebook, Groupon, LinkedIn and Foursquare. Thousands of special-interest websites. Along with 200 million blogs.
The “old ways” of marketing are overly simplistic and becoming less and less effective in generating positive returns. Using Web 2.0 tools like those mentioned above in addition to search engine optimization, social networking, blogs, email and video-sharing is mandatory – even for small business. And having a website that doesn’t encourage interaction, collaboration and communication is near fatal.
So how do you keep pace with this marketing revolution and not fall behind? How do you stop wasting money on tactics that don’t work? How do you keep current, in addition to running your own business? How do you not become a dinosaur in the changing landscape? It’s time to get frank, focused and fit. Consider these 10 questions honestly. If you can’t answer, “Yes” to at least eight of them, we should talk – and soon!
| 1 | Is your website optimized for search with title tags, header tags and Meta tags? If not, you are most likely getting lost in the shuffle, and not found by anyone. |
| 2 | Do you have a centralized database with valuable information about your customers? Do you have a list of prospects? A list of inactive customers? Detailed notes on the conversations you’ve had with each client? If not, put TribalVision on your list. |
| 3 | Do you use email to keep in touch with your customers on a monthly basis? We don’t mean emails that sell, sell, sell. We mean emails that inform, entertain and update. |
| 4 | Is your company blog interesting, informative, optimized for search engines and updated at least twice a week? What’s that? You don’t have a company blog? TribalVision can fix that, and fast! |
| 5 | Are you using free social media monitoring tools to mine information like gold? You’ve got to tap into all the valuable information from all the online conversations taking place about your product or service. If you competition across the country introduces a new product, you should be – and can be – the first to know. |
| 6 | Do your website and marketing materials entice your audience to read more, find out more and potentially spend more? If your only focus is listing product features, you’re missing the point. Instead, you should be telling compelling stories, presenting lively customer testimonials and putting your product in a context that is uniquely you. |
| 7 | Is your mission statement your marketing plan? That’s like going into battle without having a plan of attack, knowing your enemy, or how to use your artillery. It is, quite literally, a losing battle. A thoughtful marketing plan is your infrastructure, and it’s what long-term success is built on. |
| 8 | Are you still seeing your customer’s experience through your own eyes? If so, just blink, and they’ll be gone. Today’s vital companies have a culture that’s 100% end user focused, from the customer’s point of view. In a marketplace that’s crowded with options, you should have a near reverence for your customer’s experience and strive to create a ‘wow’ at every touchpoint. |
| 9 | Do you measure everything you market? What’s the cost per lead for every channel you’re using? Which yields more, your email marketing or your social network presence? How many visitors are on your website daily? Did your special promotion result in more customers, higher sales, or both? Isn’t it time to turn all these questions into data? That’s just one of the benefits TribalVision delivers. |
| 10 | Are you fluent in Foursquare, Yelp, TweetDeck, Mailchimp, WordPress, Basecamp, Google Analytics and Flickr? These free, business-friendly Web 2.0 tools should be a big part of your arsenal. In a world that changes in a heartbeat, keeping informed of trends – in marketing and in your own industry – is crucial to survival. TribalVision is in the trenches for you serving as your trusted guide. |