Being More Efficient with Your Marketing

Everyone has the "shiny penny" syndrome, when it comes to marketing. You see the latest marketing trend, and try to adjust your entire marketing strategy, based on that. Here are 5 tips to help you become more efficient with your current marketing efforts:

1. Determine Platforms
2. Identify Where Your Customers Live
3. Gather Data
4. Spend Resources on What Works
5. Stay Narrow and Consistent
6. Rinse and Repeat

[via Business2Community]

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Using Social Media at Tradeshows

Tradeshows are an animal that requires a lot of planning to be effective. It is not about popping open a booth, spreading brochures on the table and hoping people come. There is a lot of planning, preparation and personality [3 P's...that wasn't even on purpose :)]. One of the areas to consider in your planning is social media. Your three main goals with social media for tradeshows are:

• Promoting your brand
• Meeting existing and prospective customers
• Enjoying yourself

Below is a link to a great article that further explains this in detail:

 

[via Marketing Profs]

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How to Gain Subscribers Without Buying Email Lists

Are you getting no where buying lists from the same people? Are the lists you are buying the same lists that your competitors are buying?

Try something different. There are ways to gain prospects without having to purchase a list...it just takes some effort. I know...manual effort is a crazy concept, but to find the gems, you need to do some work.

[via MarketingProfs]

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Five Reasons Why Marketers Fail to Get the Best ROI From Trade Shows

Ahh Trade Shows...these are the hidden gems for leads if done right, or a big black hole if done wrong. It is important that you have a plan of attack, not only from a marketing standpoint, but also a presentation, and logistics standpoint. This is a great article on some tips to follow:

1. Not knowing why they are at a trade show: If your reason for going to a trade show is anything along the lines of “because we always go,” then you need to sit and rethink that reason. What you do for your marketing depends on your objectives.
2. Not doing any pre-event marketing: Trade shows are packed with companies showing off their latest and best wares. So, why should the attendees make an effort to visit your booth rather than your competitors’ booths? The answer isn’t tchotchkes, despite what some people think. 
3. Having bland exhibition booths: You’ve given people a reason to find your stand—but they keep walking past it. Why? The two most likely reasons are your staff or the booth itself. Though exhibition stands can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, businesses can still make them stylish and effective. Even basic shell schemes can be made to stand out by using good graphics and a clear message. 
4. Lack of people skills: Manning a booth is hard work, especially if you’re doing it well. Staff members will need extensive knowledge about the company and its products. Plus, they’ll have to work long hours. I’m sure everyone who has been to trade shows has encountered reps desperate to tell you all about their company and what they do. How often do those reps keep your interest compared to the folks who listen to your problem and explain how they can solve it? 
5. Not following up: It’s shockingly common for staff members not to follow up on leads that they get at trade shows. That reflects a serious lack of planning. A simple solution, such as creating a table to record and score leads during the show, make the follow-up far quicker and more efficient.

Given the cost of attending trade shows, not fully preparing for one seems bizarrely self-defeating.

Why do you think marketers often fail to get the most out of their trade-show experience?

[via Marketing Profs]

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Five Tips for YouTube Promoted Video Campaigns

If you are using, like to use, or never thought of using YouTube for promoting video campaigns, I urge you to give it a shot. An interesting statistic:

"Last year, YouTube surpassed Yahoo as the world's second largest search engine. In the UK alone, it attracts 17m unique users each month, with each of these users spending an average of an hour on the site."

I use YouTube often when I need a video explanation of something...it is a great How To tool.

The five tips are:

•  Create a comprehensive Package
•  Consider your keywords carefully
•  Managing your bids
•  Remember to include an overlay
•  Interact with your audience

What are your ideas??

More details in the article by Econsultancy's Rebecca Momberg

[via Econsultancy]

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