No matter what industry your company operates in, you’ve got competition. It’s impossible to offer a product or service to people without having to worry about what actions other companies are taking (or will take in the future) to take a slice of the pie. It can be difficult to fight for your spot in the industry and make sure your company is getting the attention and customers you need to thrive.
It’s for these and other reasons that companies embrace a wide array of advertising strategies. A few decades ago, traditional marketing was the only option available, but today there are many different advertising strategies. Generally speaking, it’s a matter of using a combination of strategies, not just one.
If you’re ready to up your company’s advertising game, the following strategies will help you stay ahead of your competition.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing can be an incredible advertising tool for businesses across most industries. It can be especially helpful for companies that are trying to build brand awareness and set themselves apart from the competition. Many travel booking and online casino real money platforms, as just two examples, do this to stand out in their respective crowded markets.
The way affiliate marketing works is that the company offers compensation to a partner for driving traffic and sales to them. This is especially common with social media influencers who discuss a product or service and provide a link for their viewers and followers to use. Every time someone clicks through and makes a purchase, the influencer gets compensated, and the company benefits from growing its customer base.
This is a relatively cost-effective form of digital marketing, and it can be highly effective.
Podcasting
Podcasting may not be the first advertising strategy that comes to mind, but don’t write it off just yet. It can be ideal for the right company and relatively inexpensive to pursue. You’ll need to invest some money into basic podcasting equipment, and there will be a learning curve, but then it’s off to the races.
This form of marketing gives you a chance to engage with your audience and have them interact with you through live chat features. You can bring industry experts in, other podcasters, social media influencers, and more.
Statistics show that podcaster listenership has steadily increased over the past decade. What this means is that if you’re not offering a podcast, you could be missing out on a great opportunity. This is your chance to inform potential customers, answer their questions, discuss trends, and more.
Content Marketing
Content marketing can be described as a more discreet form of marketing. It’s not as overt as some other strategies, and for that reason, it can be extremely useful.
Potential customers don’t feel like they are being sold to, so they can be more open to suggestions. Companies of any size (and in just about any industry) can use this technique.
One of the biggest advantages of content marketing is that it’s inexpensive. For a new company or small company growing their business, it can be a go-to solution.
The entire focus of this strategy is to create original content intended for a targeted online audience. The idea is that the content catches the attention of people, who then take an interest in the brand or company. The content should be engaging, helpful, informative, and provide value to the reader.
Blogging
Blogging, which falls under the umbrella of content marketing, is another subtle form of marketing. Whether you’re discussing news, new techniques, new types of products that fulfill a specific need, or how-to tips, the reader feels like they are getting value from the blog.
Effective blogging takes practice, especially since it needs to feel organic. This means skillfully placing keywords and links throughout the piece but not overdoing it. These are described as search engine optimization tools (SEO tools). Using SEO tools can help your website rank higher on the first page of Google search results, which in turn increases the volume and quality of the traffic your website gets.
A few tips you can use if you want to try blogging is to plan out an editorial calendar and always look at it from the reader’s point of view. If need be, consider hiring a marketing company that specializes in blogging.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most popular advertising strategies companies use. The great part about this strategy is that it can target specific audiences.
When you provide website visitors with a way to subscribe to your email newsletters, you can also collect basic information. This information can then be used to personalize the emails and who the emails are sent to.
One thing to be careful of when using this strategy is not to go overboard. You don’t want to send so many emails that they feel like spam to recipients. If that’s the case, they may not bother to open the emails and could even get annoyed with your company.
Another tip for your email marketing campaigns is to ensure you have a high-quality contact list. Email addresses must be accurate and up to date, or you will not achieve the desired results.
It’s Worth Embracing a Variety of Advertising Techniques
The big takeaway message here is that it’s worth embracing a variety of advertising techniques. Each of these strategies reaches a different demographic and can deliver real results in different ways. Just be sure to track your efforts, metrics, and results so you can determine if adjustments are necessary and, if so, what needs to be changed.
