The internet is chalk full of every conceivable marketing tip, tactic, suggestion, method and strategy to grow and advance your business. Some of them are unique – out of the box. Some of them are brilliant and proven. Some of them are a little too out there. Some of them are truly helpful. Some of them are business-changing! Some of them are just hot air:
- Don’t give away the farm. Give away the farm.
- TikTok is essential to reach younger generations and grow your business. TikTok is not essential to grow your business and reach younger generations.
- Email marketing is outdated. Email marketing is still essential to growing your business.
The list goes on and on and on and on.... and on.
But the truth is, at the end of the day, the best marketing strategies are going to be relevant to your specific offering, location, size, target audience and industry (to name a few). It all depends on you and your unique business, plus a million other details that make it very difficult to offer general advice that’s applicable to everyone.
So here, we too, are adding to the madness of marketing advice and thoughts. BUT – we have collectively over 25 years of marketing experience behind our suggestions and top tips. Take it or leave it! It won’t apply to everyone – but we hope these little slices of marketing morsels bring value to you on your business journey.
So, without further ado, here is the best marketing advice from yours truly.
Frequency is key.
The market (both from a product/service and advertising perspective) is saturated. To get cut-through, you need to be in the right place at the right time to sustain brand stickiness. The challenge is finding a balance: solidifying your presence in a relevant and meaningful way without over-advertising and causing fatigue. The perfect balance is not the same for everyone, with dependencies on factors such as the nature of the product/service, the target audience, platforms and avenues you decide to invest in, and so on.
Or just create a great snappy jingle that lives on in consumers’ minds and, of course, Youtube. (head over to our Staff picks article on our favourite ad/jingle/commercials for ideas!)
Sylvia Tran, LenovoPRO Community Manager, Australia
Be authentic.
Be authentic, consistent and spend time where your target market is. In a world where photoshopped ads, too-good-to-be-true claims, deep-fake images and filters crowd the internet, finding authenticity is no small feat. People can tell when they aren’t getting the real thing – whether that is you as a person, your business, your services or your product. There are likely endless competitors vying for the same market you are in. But there is only one you. When you are your best self, when you speak truth and use compelling invitations, it’s less about selling and more about helping. Be helpful, be authentic, be consistent and the business will find you. Plus, it goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway): be smart. Find your unique value proposition, develop a strong marketing strategy, gather reviews, consider your branding, etc. - you know all the stuff to do.
Beth Knittel, LenovoPRO Community Manager, US
Connect emotions to your business
What I've learned in my studies as well as seen in my career over the past few years is that one thing almost always works in marketing: Emotions! Whether your ad makes people laugh, sad, or even angry (but hopefully not at your product or company, but at, for example, a problem you're calling attention to) - people will remember your campaign because you've invoked an emotion! The best examples of this are the Christmas TV commercials from Edeka and Co. (German grocery stores) who always hit the teardrop a bit in their sentimental spots where you point out the lack of grandparents’ involvement in everyday life or the neglect of family in stressful day-to-day life, and the Christmas feast with all the delicious delicacies from said grocery stores makes everything right again. What a happy ending! But it works, otherwise I would not have thought of this as the first example.
Diana Löchli, LenovoPRO Community Manager, Germany
Remember the customer perspective
Working in cafés is essential for me, as I often work remotely. Over the past few years, there have been an increasing number of cafés with wi-fi and power sockets where I can work in a relaxed environment. I often use Komeda Coffee. The warmth of the wood and retro design makes me feel like I’m in a lodge in the forest. It's less than a 10-minute bike ride from my home, but it's as if I'm on a 'workcation'. That's not the only thing that makes it so attractive. Good coffee and a seasonal menu are essentials done right. And there's even a QR code at eye level on the wall that says, 'Tell us what our customers say'. It's not quite traditional marketing advice, but after all, the 'customer perspective' is still the core of marketing, now and in the past. Remember the customer perspective.
Mari Babikova, LenovoPRO Community Manager, Japan
Don’t try to “boil the ocean”
This is a piece of advice I’ve heard often in my career recently, and I think it’s an incredibly powerful sentiment that really boils down to (pun intended): Don’t try to do too much; don’t try to do more than you and your staff can handle.
Keep in mind that marketing is about getting your message across clearly in a way that resonates, so as excited as you may be about trying every marketing idea that you and your staff have, you’ll want to only focus on what you can do well. When setting out on any marketing initiative, ensure that you have a clear strategy (including an understanding of your overall goals), execution plan, and that you know how you’ll measure your results. If you don’t have time or bandwidth to be tactical about every stage of your marketing plans and instead focus on pumping out campaign after campaign rapidly, you’ll likely receive worse results (and lose money in the process).
Sean O’Leary, Lenovo SMB Content Strategist
Enjoy more small business marketing content during Marketing MANIA!
What are some of your top marketing tips? Share with the community in the comments below and let us know what you want to see in our next staff picks piece!
For more on community staff suggestions and picks, you might enjoy LenovoPRO Staff Picks: Most Memorable Marketing Ads & Jingles, What is your go-to WFH accessory?, What model do you have?, LenovoPRO Productivity Staff Picks, & LenovoPRO NPO Staff Picks.