MARKETING
TIP #093
Top 5 Solutions to your Sales Challenges
North Star Marketing asked people from very diverse sectors – including manufacturing, food, B2B and lifestyle – what their biggest marketing, branding and sales lead challenges were.
About 1,500 people responded and here are their Top 5 Challenges:
- Integrating online and offline Campaigns
- Inconsistent messaging; both internally and externally
- Lack of measurement
- Not having or following the plan
- Lack of brand awareness
Having a strategic plan and communicating it consistently with your people is the best way to meet and beat these challenges. Once you’ve determined your strategy, the next step is to outline a Tactical Roadmap to reach the goal. The Top 5 tactical solutions are:
1. Maximize the Web
Website: Keep your website interactive, informative, updated, optimized and easy to navigate. Since search engines create “ads” from your webpages, your website should contain keywords that your prospective clients are likely to search.
e-Direct Mail: Deliver your newsletter electronically or consider an HTML Direct Mail. The HTML Direct Mail delivers a short “teaser” email which drives the recipient to a landing page with more information or to your website.
Blog: Engage with current and potential clients in a direct and informal way. This is a no pressure way to communicate your strengths, expertise and experience. By the way, according to MarketingSherpa, blogs were voted the No. 4 tool for gathering sales leads.
2. Public Relations
P.R. creates buzz to keep your name and business in front of your public. With editorial placement there is implied credibility for you and your organization. Also, editorial product placement and corporate mentions help to establish you as an authority.
3. Relationship Marketing
Work on building long-term relationships with your customers. Long-term relationships will help you better understand their needs and develop your product. Strong relationships with the media, public organizations and suppliers of products complementary to yours can also increase your company’s market awareness and generate sales leads.
4. Events
Participate in or produce events such as Seminars, Tele-seminars and Webinars. These allow you to deliver a pitch to a prospect very early in their buying process.
5. Advertising
Make sure your messaging speaks directly to your audience. Ads should have a call to action, such as driving them to your website with a unique URL.
The most important step in marketing, branding and sales initiatives is bringing all of the tactics together in a roadmap for success. North Star Marketing has the experience and expertise to develop and implement an effective Public Relations, Marketing and Branding plan that supports your sales efforts. Give me a call, 717-392-6982 to discuss how we can develop a Tactical Roadmap for your company.
Talk to you soon,
Bowen Smith
Executive Vice President