10 Marketing Tactics That Will Help You Win More Customers. (Without Spending a Cent on Advertising)

Transcription

1 10 Marketing Tactics That Will Help You Win More Customers (Without Spending a Cent on Advertising)

2 The Singapore business arena is one of the most competitive in the world. If you are not constantly on top of the latest marketing tactics, you will lose customers to your competition. Worse, you may not get enough customers to sustain your business. John D. Rockefeller Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing. Over the past 9 years, we have been running high performance marketing campaigns for our clients. The marketing campaigns have given us more than 100,000,000 data points. We have discovered what marketing tactics it takes to grow a company to the next level. Read and implement the following 10 marketing tactics and watch your company get more sales.

3 Tactic #1: Focus on Marketing to Reach Your Target Audience First What is this tactic about? marketing is all about using to reach out to your target audience. When our clients have access to an list, we find that marketing is the most effective (cheapest and best) way to reach their target customers. Think of marketing as the prime way that potential customers can get to know your company better. This could mean hitting the Reply button to make an enquiry, or visiting your website to find out more. It works like Google or Facebook to provide quality traffic to your website; but better. Google or Facebook can change their rankings or algorithms as they wish. But when you own an list, you have control over your reach to your target audience. No one can take that away from you. is almost 40x better at acquiring new customers than Facebook and Twitter - McKinsey & Company (2014)

4 Tactic #1: Focus on Marketing to Reach Your Target Audience First Why does this tactic work? Your inbox is one of your most private and closest possessions. How many times have you checked your inbox so far today? Compared to noticing messages in advertisements, we are much more likely to notice the that hits our inbox. If you send them something that is valuable, fresh and entertaining (non-boring), your target audience will pay attention to your s. Sometimes they may even look forward to receiving and opening your s. How to implement this tactic? First, set up a way to collect addresses on your website. This can be in the form of: 1. Box on a side column 2. Pop-up on the page 3. Form on the page To entice people to leave their addresses, you would want to offer something valuable for it. We cover this idea in Tactic 2. What should you send them after collecting those s? We cover the content in Tactic 3.

5 Tactic #2: Give Away Something Valuable to Collect s What is this tactic about? You need to build an list for your marketing efforts. But an address is something personal that people hold close to. Why would someone give you their to add to your list? What is in it for them? Think about something valuable that you can offer in exchange for that address. This could be in the form of a: 1. PDF ebook 2. Video content 3. Free trial of your product Why does this tactic work? Firstly, there is always a draw towards FREE things, especially when it has a perceived value to your target audience. And if your freebie contains some really good ideas or content, it is a further chance to cement in your prospect s mind that you are an expert in your industry or niche.

6 Tactic #2: Give Away Something Valuable to Collect s How to implement this tactic? A good freebie should do 2 things for your prospect: 1. It should have good content that is valuable to the prospect 2. It should soft sell and point the prospect towards your product Along with the freebie, you need to use good copywriting to get someone interested enough to download it. Just because it is FREE does not mean you do not have to sell the freebie. Your freebie can have the best content in the world but only you know that. You created the freebie and you are aware of its value, but your potential customer does not. Use good copywriting to build up its value, and give them good reasons to leave their with you to get the freebie. Note: If you are in the B2C (business-to-consumer) market, be sure to include a disclaimer that mentions the purpose of collecting these s (future marketing updates) and that you assume consent to send these updates in the future. This is to adhere to the latest PDPA rules that came into effect on Jul 2nd, 2014.

7 Tactic #3: Set up an Marketing Sequence What is this tactic about? Once you have built up your list, you will need to know what to send. You have put in effort to build this list so what you do next is important. Create a nurturing system where you pump out good content to this list. Why does this tactic work? This tactic works because you are building a relationship with a potential client base (your list) over time. As you send good content, you will have more chances to soft sell your product. You can also fix your product s positioning and your value proposition (why they should buy your product or service) in their minds. At any one time, only a small percentage of your market are ready to buy your type of product (less than 5%). This is your chance to maintain a relationship with them when they switch to buying mode.

8 Tactic #3: Set up an Marketing Sequence How to implement this tactic? Plan a series of s using content or information related to your product. There are many ways to do this. Here is one example of the potential sequence of s: 1 2 Send the freebie that you promised Introduce your product and its unique selling point 3 Show success stories and include client testimonials 4 5 Helpful tips or articles relevant to your subscribers Exclusive promotions for your subscribers You can mix up the flow of the s as you wish. If you are out of ideas for content, find a relevant article that your audience find helpful and add in your opinion. Professional insights are considered valuable content too. Remember to always start with your target audience in mind when writing these s. There has to be a clear benefit to reading your s, otherwise the recipients will stop opening them after awhile. By creating and publishing remarkable content in the form that educates, informs, inspires and entertains, marketers can begin to build relationships with prospects early on in the buying cycle. - Jonathan Lister (VP Sales Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn)

9 Tactic #4: Make Full Use of Your Signatures What is this tactic about? You probably send 20 business s a day on average. These s go to many people: potential customers, vendors, and friends. It is a good idea to make use of this and put details of your company in your signature. Why does this tactic work? s are one of your company s most read materials. Many times your s get forwarded to other recipients, further increasing your reach. Each eventually reaches more people than you think. It is the perfect chance for you to reach someone new and introduce your product to them.

10 Tactic #4: Make Full Use of Your Signatures How to implement this tactic? signatures are a chance for you to introduce your product, but avoid writing a lengthy paragraph. Ideally, you should use a tagline that explains the unique selling proposition of your product in one or two sentences. Your value proposition is how your product is different from your competitors. Example: The French Cellar Singapore is a wine subscription service that sends your 2 bottles of wine chosen each month by a 3-star Michelin sommelier (someone trained and knowledgeable about wine) in France. They solve the problem of wine drinkers not knowing what wines they should buy to try out. Hence, their tagline is Your Sommelier at Home. You can try something similar with your brand. Commit to a niche; try to stop being everything to everyone. - Andrew Davis (Founder of Monumental Shift)

11 Tactic #5: Use Trust Factors What is this tactic about? People really want to buy products that can solve their daily problems or make their lives better. But they are wary. They are wary as they risk being scammed or making a bad purchase, especially if they are a first time customer. While they are interested in your product, they may be hesitant to contact you to find out more due to the lack of trust. You can reduce this occurrence by putting trust factors on your website or marketing materials. Why does this tactic work? Trust factors make you look more credible in the eyes of your target audience. Their skepticism is reduced when you use trust factors to establish yourself as a credible business.

12 Tactic #5: Use Trust Factors How to implement this tactic? If your company has been featured in the media, you can include a line on your website listing the media that you have been featured in. You can also add your phone number to the top right corner of your website, your physical office address on the front page, etc. This helps to make you look like a legitimate company that really exists. Many ecommerce sites place their telephone number or physical address in less visible places. This can make the visitors nervous when they have to submit credit card or personal details when making an online enquiry or purchase. Also, consider adding a human face on your website. Ideally, this should be a face that directly looks at the visitor of the website. This gives them someone to relate to. (Refer to screenshot on the next page) Lastly, you should use any customer testimonials that you have to boost the confidence of your target audience. Establishing the trust factors above can boost a person's trust and willingness to buy from you. Reduce the barrier for them to do so. Online consumer reviews are the second most trusted form of advertising with 70 percent of global consumers surveyed online indicating they trust this platform, an increase of 15 percent in four years. - Nielsen (4 Oct 2012)

13 Tactic #5: Use Trust Factors Contact number Client logos and accreditations Human face for visitors to relate to Case studies for proof that your product has helped previous customers

14 Tactic #6: Do Not Display Pricing Before Value Is Properly Conveyed Your Product What is this tactic about? Unless you run an ecommerce website, you may not want to list your prices online. This is particularly true for a high priced product (above $500). This is because you may not have had the chance to fully explain the value proposition of your product yet. Why does this tactic work? Without creating a price focus at the beginning, you are in a better position to explain the value and benefits of your product to prospects. Ideal: More Value than the Price What to Avoid (in your Prospect s Mind) This gives you a better chance to capture their attention and drum up interest, while demonstrating your product's value. The more interested prospects are in your product and the more they understand it s value, the more likely they are to make a purchase later. Avoid: More Price than the Value

15 Tactic #6: Do Not Display Pricing Before Value Is Properly Conveyed How to implement this tactic? Unless you run an ecommerce website, remove any form of pricing from your website where possible. An exception is if your product s price is your unique selling point. For example, when it has a lower price than your competitor s for the same features. Another exception is when your website has great copywriting to build up the perceived value of your product before the sale. (E.g. By explaining the benefits of your product and how it directly improves the life of your prospect.) In this case you may be able to slip in your product price at the end of your copywriting because you have built up the product s value. This is also a good reason why copywriting is important. Good copywriting builds up the desire for your product or service. Once that desire is strong enough, the price point matters less. So when should you introduce the price of your product? Pricing should only be mentioned after you ve fully introduced the value and benefits of your product. This applies to the end of face-to-face meetings, phone conversations, or an conversations with the prospect. Another way to introduce price is during the sequence in Tactic 3. For example, you can set up the first 5 s to explain the value of your product and finally introducing the price in number 6.

16 Tactic #7: Use Case Studies As Proof How to implement this tactic? What is this tactic about? When going through your website, your target audience is always looking for proof that your product can really solve their problems or make their lives better. By using case studies, you are increasing their confidence and trust in you. Why does this tactic work? Case studies show your target audience how you already have achieved results for your existing clients. They also help your target audience to imagine a better future for themselves after using your product. There is no fixed way to write a case study. Outlined below is a suggested format you can use when you write a case study on a successful client: Background What industry was your customer in? Challenge What problem or challenge did your customer have? Approach Specifically how did your product solve this problem? Results What was the outcome after your product was applied to this problem? Did it improve their situation by 70%, 100%, 150%? Here s an example of one of our case studies:

17 Tactic #8: Use Landing Pages Instead of Websites What is this tactic about? A landing page is a more tactical and concise approach compared to a website. If your main aim is to get your online visitors to perform a certain action, landing pages will give you better results. Believe us when we say that landing pages are the way to go. We ve created more than 200 of them. When it comes to getting the visitor to perform a certain action, we have found that a landing page beats a website s performance. Every. Single. Time. Landing pages are especially crucial when you are running advertising or promotional campaigns.

18 Tactic #8: Use Landing Pages Instead of Websites Why does this tactic work? Websites today look like corporate brochures. All the information is spread across a few pages. A landing page has all the essential information about your product concentrated on one page for maximum impact. A landing page can also lay out your sales pitch in the best possible sequence so that you can build value (Tactic 6) before you sell your product to your customer.

19 Tactic #8: Use Landing Pages Instead of Websites How to implement this tactic? Think about your value proposition to your target audience and write persuasive copywriting to cover these points. Think about the logical flow of your target customer s thinking. Position your pointers in the best possible sequence to get them to complete your desired action (E.g. make an enquiry, sign up for your event or purchase your product) If you are running a promotional campaign in advertisements, drive them to your landing page. Include the same information at the top of your landing page where it will not be overlooked. If you would like to harness our expertise in this area, clicktrue offers landing page creation services (check with last page for contact details). HOT DEAL Conversion HOT DEAL HOT DEAL

20 Tactic #9: Put Your Tagline or USP On The Top Fold on Your Website What is this tactic about? Your product most likely has competitors in the market. A prospect that visits your website would want to quickly understand the essence of your product. Why does this tactic work? You have an average of 8 seconds to catch your web visitor s attention* from the moment they land on your website. If you are unable convey your value proposition fast enough, the visitor will exit your site and visit your competitors' sites instead. Often the difference between a sale for you or losing a sale to your competitor is a poorly designed top fold. The top fold is the first part your website that a visitor sees when he or she lands on your site. *U.S. National Library of Medicine 8

21 Tactic #9: Put Your Tagline or USP On The Top Fold on Your Website How to implement this tactic? Think about your product s value proposition: 1. What value does it provide to your customers? 2. How is it better than your competitor s product? 3. Can you explain the value proposition in a simple and concise manner (in a sentence or two)? Place your product s unique selling point in a prominent place to capture your visitor s attention. This is likely to be top part of your website when a visitor first loads your website. The rest of your website could be awesome, but if your audience leaves before they scroll down, it would not matter. Example: The top fold of The French Cellar s website has their value proposition. It is clear and impactful to their web visitors. Discover and enjoy unique wines every month at your doorstep From $79 per month, receive 2 French wines with our sommelier's tasting guide This was designed to catch and hold the visitor s attention when they first land on the website. It also reduces the number of people that exit the website before they scroll downwards.

22 Tactic #9: Put Your Tagline or USP On The Top Fold on Your Website Value Proposition above fold Value Proposition above fold Fold Below Fold Fold Below Fold

23 Tactic #10: Use Sharing Functions What is this tactic about? Make use of social sharing widgets or sharing to spread your brand efficiently. Word of mouth is the marketing method that s the easiest on the pocket. Remember the freebie that we talked about in Tactic 2 to collect s? If it s good enough, people would want to share information about it. This tactic is about leveraging on that effect to spread your brand. Why does this tactic work? Think about it, why would someone want to share something? They would like to be seen as someone credible who provides value to others. If your content is valuable, novel, and interesting, they would would want to share it with their friends or colleagues. Also, your ideal customer profile is made up of a certain set of characteristics. Since similar people share the same social circle, a sharing mechanism could spread word of your product around your target customer base very quickly.

24 Tactic #10: Use Social Sharing Functions How to implement this tactic? Make it easy for people to share information on your product. Install sharing functions on your website. The best time to get someone to share is after they have indicated their interest in your product or free content. Once they have exchanged their details to download free content from your website, direct them to page where they can share it. E.g. social media or . It is the best time to get them to spread that interest to their friends. What s more, their recommendation helps increases credibility and trust in your product too. Social media will help you build up loyalty of your current customers to the point that they will willingly, and for free, tell others about you. - Bonnie Sainsbury (2013 Forbes Top Women Social Media Power Influencers)

25 Recap of all 10 Marketing Tactics 1. Focus on Marketing to Reach Your Target Audience First 2. Give Away Something Valuable to Collect s 3. Set up an Marketing Sequence 4. Make Full Use of Your Signatures 5. Use Trust Factors 6. Do not Display Pricing Before Value Is Properly Conveyed 7. Use Case Studies As Proof 8. Use Landing Pages Instead of Websites 9. Put Your Tagline or USP On The Top Fold on Your Website 10. Use Sharing Functions If you would like to learn more about us, Do visit us here: Or call us at: (65)