Exploring market: Route to a successful marketer

By Hrishikesh Dubey

Marketing is neither some rocket science nor is it a skill set that an individual is born with. Marketing is a skill that you can learn by simply observing and practicing it every day to get better at it. As a matter of fact, thanks to the internet today there is hardly any roadblock for anyone wanting to give marketing a shot.

Now there are many different strategies and philosophies that can lead to promising results and make one an effective marketer. What matters most is not the style of marketing you choose to engage in but applying the chosen strategies aptly, through research, awareness, flexibility and a continuous effort toward improvement. If you are innovative, execute well, and continue to learn from others, success will certainly follow.

Here are some recommendations on how to match pace with the rapidly changing, ever-shifting trends of the marketing world and be on the top of your game:

1. Do not make any assumptions

You should avoid making assumptions as it is human tendency to not question one’s own assumptions about what will work. A lot of marketers, experts, entrepreneurs churn out solutions to solve their customer’s problems without assessing the thought process and requirements of their customers. Start talking to all your customers and prospects on a regular basis, ask questions and dig deeper to identify the root cause of their problems and frustrations. Not only will this help you in understanding your customers’ mindset and requirements, this will also serve as a free market research. Make use of the social CRM which can provide you the real-time data like leads, prospects and the customer’s data.

2. Concentrate on a specific niche

Choose a niche and then pay full heed to it because being a ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ will do you no good. In today’s competitive world, aim to be a specialist rather than a generalist.  Infuse all your experience, ideas, knowledge, and theories to this calling of yours and routinely create content around it. This allows you to narrow down the focus so it appeals to those that are looking for solutions in that specific area and you will be able to deliver high-value solutions to your prospects.

3. Put emphasis on multifaceted content creation

As challenging as the concept of multifaceted content creation may sound, it does provide formidable results. You might be consumed with finding that one channel that will be the key to success but you may need to manage an assortment of channels and keep them all going to be successful. Along with running a well-designed and well-maintained website, for instance, you also need to add new content regularly and consistently to generate traffic, attract an audience and seem relevant to your clients. Additionally, you can post videos on sites like YouTube to maintain a prominent social media presence.

Repurpose and format the same content for different social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Reusing the same content will help in keeping multiple channels updated with fresh content. It is of utmost importance that you focus on quality content to establish authority. This might need some initial investment but the returns that follow will more than compensate for it.

4. Try to get the drift of analytics data

There is no better way of knowing your customers than to keep a sharp focus on analytics throughout the day. The idea is paying attention to exactly what that data is telling you. Data can provide a thorough insight into customer behavior and the effectiveness of marketing efforts. You can filter social media traffic and use the “Advanced Segments” button to view site traffic. You can also watch for conversions. Social reports and conversions demonstrate the impact of marketing efforts on sales conversion and the content that interests a target audience.

Understand the connection between marketing efforts and sales. You can view Multi-channel Funnel Reports that show how social media interacts with other factors. Utilize the online available tools effectively and efficiently to direct marketing efforts. Identify the channels that are generating consumer data for you. Try the appropriate social listening methods to generate data. Remember that acquiring behavioral data will provide you an edge in the competitive market. So the more data you acquire, the better it gets.


5. Get started with influencer marketing

This trend is fast catching up as influencers are the guards of trust and attention into the market. Almost every industry has influencers which the customer looks up to or is inspired by. Single out the influencers relevant to your industry and approach them. Find out the common grounds between your brand/service and their proposition. If you see that your values and the influencer’s values are in sync, develop a partnership. Don’t invest just for the sake of getting an influencer on board. Building trust in this way will not only add customers but also retain them.

6. Be patient and watchful

Most successful marketing campaigns are not launched overnight for ‘Rome was not built in a day’. The marketing landscape is evolving continually at a swift pace so the efforts you put in do not guarantee immediate success. You need to keep testing your methods and maybe even go for iterations. So you must be patient and observant. It is vital to allocate an appropriate amount of time to your campaign to grow. Allow time to get enough feedback(data) and customize your marketing strategy. Spot the areas of success and those that need improvement. If you immediately identify problem areas of an ongoing campaign, make modifications. Remember that lack of immediate success does not mean that you have failed. Do not chase old trends to recreate a past success because that will certainly not work.  Focus on constant quality and stay updated with the latest trends.