Running any business is challenging, whether it be big or small. There are so many roles you have to take on and so much to calculate without knowing whether it will be effective or not. Running a business is already a big risk in itself, so you must be ready to go all out on promoting your business. As a company that runs their own business in Los Angeles, the hub of all things digital and social media-related, we have learned a few tricks on how to make things work. Read below to find out some of the tips on how to promote your business in the modern-day from some of the highest-rated marketing agencies in Los Angeles.
1. Know your audience to Promote your Business
In order to figure out where you should promote and how you must know your target audience. Your customers are what your business is based on, and they are essential to the success of your business. If you don’t know who your promotion is aimed at, it will basically become a giant waste of money. Before you decide anything, you must first find your target market.
How to find your target?
Start finding your target audience by asking yourself what problems your company’s product or service solve. Generally, this means understanding why your products exist and why people need it. Your product should have a purpose, which will be portrayed in your promotion. You must also research who your current customers are. It is important that you categorize your customers into segments according to needs, budget, age, location, and other factors. Your competition is also something you should be up to date on. Research their websites and the “About” sections to find out who your competition really is and what they are doing with their business. It is really easy to find your competitors; all it takes is a simple keyword search that has to do with your industry. Now that you have your current customers and competition down, you must try to understand what you must do so that these customers choose you and not the others. What will they gain by choosing you instead of anyone else on the market? Try to find your advantages and the features that put you above the rest and focus your promotion on that. A quick trick that top marketing agencies in Los Angeles would recommend doing is building marketing personas. These personas should include the people you hope to reach with your products, their age, location, budget, hobbies, and so on. Building a few marketing personas will help you in the future when building your promotion strategy. Try to also accept the feedback from your current customers in the form of comments or survey responses, to understand if you are achieving what you hoped you would.
2. Social Media Content Marketing
Chances are, you don’t know anyone who doesn’t use at least one social media platform. One in every two people in the entire world has at least one social media account, and many new accounts are opened every day. Many marketing agencies in Los Angeles would tell you that it is nearly impossible to have a successful online marketing campaign without the social media aspect of it. But, this does not mean you must be on every single platform out there. It is better to choose the social media platforms most used by your target audience and focus on keeping that account active, instead of having a bland and mediocre page on all platforms. Invest some time and money into market research, or find some research online on what the age and budget group of your customers tends to use more. Once you have your platforms ready, you must produce high-quality content. Content includes photos, memes, videos, blog posts, and more, depending on what platform you are using. Your content must be engaging, interesting, and should promote your product, but not too much. If every single post you make links to your products and presents like an ad, customers will get bored or annoyed and will unfollow. A tip from a top marketing agency in Los Angeles is to use the 80-20 rule. 80% of your content should be content that doesn’t directly promote your products, and 20% should be an ad and should directly link to your products. A great idea is to produce a “how-to” video that will show how to use your products but will not look like a blatant ad. Generally, opening a YouTube account for your company, where you can make instructional videos about your products, answer any frequently asked questions, and where you can hop on the latest trends while also being witty and showing your products is a great way to promote your business.
– Interactive content
In a whole world of constant content, it is important that you produce content that will engage your audience. Content that requires participation from the customer will surely have your customers stay on your page for a long time, and it will also be memorable and stay in their minds. Los Angeles marketing agencies highly recommend interactive content, as that is what stands out among everything else. On Instagram, a poll can be made on your story, where the user will get the opportunity to choose their option, or a live Q&A type option. Interactive content is new, fun, and different, so it should definitely be in your social media marketing strategy.
– Follow up
Another important step in social media marketing is the analysis that comes after. By reviewing the statistics gathered, you will start to understand whether you are going in the right direction or not. This analysis will show you whether you are reaching your target audience or not, how effective your posts are, and if you are making revenue from them or not. According to these results, you can start to tweak your strategy so that you reach the audience you want or embrace the audience you have gathered. There are many online analytics tools you can use to gather the information you need.
3. Shoppable Posts
Social media platforms are one of the biggest forms of digital marketing, and usually the most effective if done right. One marketing agency in Los Angeles reports that 72% of Instagram users have purchased at least one product from Instagram. 70% of users on Pinterest, specifically to search for new and innovative products to purchase. This means social media is a big opportunity to gain new customers. These platforms have made social media marketing very easy, with updated marketing features every day. Instagram has the “swipe up” feature on stories and posts if you are a business account with more than 10 000 followers. This means you won’t have to convince people to exit the post and click the link in the bio but will make the process of accessing your website so much quicker and easier. You can also tag your products on your own pictures, so one click will show the product name and price, and if clicked again will go straight to your website. Another cool feature on Instagram is when announcing a new launch, customers can also click on the countdown to set a reminder on their account so they will know when they can purchase these new products. Facebook, Pinterest, and other platforms all have their own social media marketing options, and you should select the one that you think best fits your brand and target audience requirements.
Call-To-Actions
Remember, people usually don’t have a lot of time on their hands. Marketing agencies in Los Angeles noted that the average person on social media only spends around 2 seconds on each post as they are scrolling. If they like something they see, they want to be led to the purchasing or related products immediately. If your links and forwarding buttons are hidden, you are going to be losing customers. No one is going to use their time to find your website or product, and the time they could be spending on your website will be taken up by a competitor. That’s why it is important that your call-to-actions are visible and easy to access. Place them in your bios, under the posts, in email signatures, and so on.
4. Make your customers feel special
Personalization
2020 is the year where personalized marketing is going to make it big. People can now easily tell that an ad is generic and doesn’t have any connection to them. So, traditional advertising formats are becoming less and less effective when it comes to promotion. According to a survey conducted by a marketing agency in Los Angeles, 90% of surveyed people found personalization highly appealing. 80% admitted they would rather spend their time and money on a business that offered them a personalized experience, as opposed to a business with a generic one size fits all ads. So you must create targeted ads that will fit your target audiences’ needs and likes, and this is where your marketing personas will really come in handy. For example, if your business sends out email lists, then try to segment these lists according to customer needs and personalize the email content being sent. This way, it will catch the attention of a customer and make them feel noticed by the company. Personalization is a great opportunity to really connect with your audience, so don’t miss out.
Customer Service
Customer service must become one of your top priorities as a company. Even if your product is the only one in the world and works perfectly, if your customer service is iffy, then customers will not come to you. You will have to do everything in your power to make your customers feel valued and special. If they have any problems, don’t ignore or block them. This can lead to them posting about it or telling all their friends, and not only will you lose potential and existing customers, but you will also earn a bad reputation. Instead, reply as quick as possible and help them through their problems. Even if they are dissatisfied with the product, they will surely come back if they are treated well, and their issues are resolved. Their comments and feedback is also a good opportunity for you to see where your business is lacking and has space to improve. Instead of spending tons of money on market research, you can just read your comments!
Answer any and all questions that you receive, even if they seem repetitive or irrelevant. When answering messages or comments, try to reply with “Dear and the name they have on social media” to make your conversation seem more personal and less formal. Your customers may indirectly become brand ambassadors because they will recommend your business to other potential customers, increasing your exposure and revenue. A trick many Los Angeles marketing agencies recommend is sending your new or loyal customers some samples of your product or coupon for your service. This will surely make them feel highly appreciated, and if they like it, they are very likely to purchase more and recommend to their friends.
Keep in mind that these are only tips to help you promote your business.
There is really no formula for a business promotion that works for everyone. Every business, target audience, and product is different, and every promotion strategy will also be different. Never be afraid to experiment with different platforms and ads to find what works best for you. It is important that you analyze the results after trying something new, to see who you are reaching and how effective your method is. If it isn’t getting the results you want, then change it up and keep moving forward. If it works, then use it as a starting point and develop and improve your strategy. Finding the perfect promotion method for your target audience is going to take some time, but once you find it, you will only need to maintain it for the long-term, and everything will become much less stressful.
