Marketing Marvellousness Must Haves

When I first started Spinning Plates, I wanted to put my corporate life behind me, forget the stress-filled, trauma years and focus on something new – namely ensuring that no one ever felt as overwhelmed and out of control as I did.

However, when you’ve spent years learning something then more years putting it into practice it’s very hard to ignore that conditioning and after a few years of ostrich like behaviour I realised that I wanted to bring my educational and corporate experience into my business to provide a level of uniqueness.

That zone of experience is around marketing and although I always considered myself well informed I’ve made sure I’ve not stopped learning and I’ve recently become a certified social media manager which shows how committed I am.

So, as a result of all of that experience and learning I am confident in presenting you with my TOP 3 TIPS FOR MARKETING MARVELLOUSNESS

1.       Consistency

con·sist·ency

NOUN

consistent behaviour or treatment:

the quality of achieving a level of performance which does not vary greatly in quality over time

Unless you are already incredibly successful with your marketing and online presence the most important thing you need to be is consistent. You need to show up, stand out and shine on the same days every week – you are training your audience to expect you, to subconsciously look out for you.

When that is is very dependent on your audience – aiming for business owners means an early posting time pre work, targeting mum’s with school aged kids means the after school hours, talking to retirees means you’re more flexible about when you can post. Find out when your ideal client is online and aim for that time – you’ll get it wrong but you can change tactic, experiment and find what works best.

Once you know that build a routine around it. It may not be 7 days a week but when you do show up and get results you need to keep showing up.

There is literally no short cut for consistency.

2.       Personality

per·son·al·ity

NOUN

the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive character

People buy from people, I’m sure you’ve heard that before but it’s 100% true. If you want to build a successful marketing campaign – through email, through social or even through print medium you need to put your personality in there so customers can understand who you are as a person.

There are many ways you can do this:

·       Show behind the scenes footage that shows what your daily life is like

·       Give opinions when you talk to customers

·       Be honest and real with language – are you writing how you talk

·       Talk, go live, be present and show the real you – mistakes and all

Think about the people you buy from – what makes you identify with them and have trust enough to buy from them? Are there any hints of tips you can take from what they do?

3.       Honesty

hon·est

ADJECTIVE

free of deceit; truthful and sincere:

In the old days you only bought from people who were local to you, often because they had been recommended. The global, online marketplace has removed that level of locality and recommendation, so customers are looking for another way to find the right supplier for them.

Trust is a key element of the purchasing decision – we’re all wary of scams or false promises and we hate the thought of wasting money. So how do you promote and build trust with your potential customers?

Have a look at the way you speak to people – are you being open about your product or service? Are you sharing all of the details or helping people find the answers?

Have a look at how you’re presenting yourself – are you working hard to put forward a picture perfect version of life or are you showing yourself, warts and all? Mistakes are what make us human and help other people identify with us.

Have a look at how your carrying through – does your customer service live up to your proclaimed values? Is everything you promised up front being fulfilled?

Every touchpoint a potential customer has with you is a chance to build that trust.

In the old adage of marketing the KNOW-LIKE-TRUST factor is what encourages customers to buy:

·       Help them get to KNOW you by showing up CONSISTENTLY

·       Help them get to LIKE you by showcasing your real PERSONALITY

·       Help them to TRUST you by being HONEST all the time