Midwest Marketing is celebrating 20 years of providing businesses throughout the Black Hills and beyond with premier marketing solutions that are tailored for their industry and audience. We’ve learned a lot over the last two decades, especially as our approach and strategies have evolved to meet the demands of an ever-changing marketing landscape.
To celebrate our milestone with you, we have compiled a list of our top 20 valuable tips from over the years into a marketing resource guide to help your business thrive as well! ✨
Establishing a clear brand voice, message, and visual identity that resonates with your audience is crucial for marketing success. Recently, we unveiled our new rebranding that more accurately reflects who we are, as well as outlined the essentials of a branding kit – check it out here!
To effectively connect with your customers, you need to understand their needs, behaviors, and pain points. There are multiple ways to accomplish this, including:
- Conducting surveys and polls. This can be done through your website, social media, email, or even in person.
- Evaluating website and social media analytics. By using analytics tools, you can see how customers are engaging with your brand.
- Checking out your competitors. It can be very insightful to see how your potential customers are interacting with your direct competitors and see if there are any opportunities they are missing.
Click here for more tips on how you can identify and connect with your target audience.
Attempting to use every marketing platform can stretch your budget, time, and patience thin. Instead of trying to be seen everywhere, use the knowledge you’ve acquired about your audience to select the platforms they are already on and that will really give you the most bang for your buck. Head on over to our article on how to choose the right marketing platforms for your brand for pointers!
One size does not fit all in the world of marketing. By tailoring your messaging and offers based on customer behavior and preferences, your customers will feel like your marketing is meant just for them and the likelihood of them converting will increase.
Here are some steps to help you personalize your marketing:
- Identify your audience(s), as outlined above.
- Segment your audience into relevant segments. For example, if you have customers across a range of ages, geographical locations, or other demographics, group them together in a way that makes sense.
- Craft messaging that pertains to each segment.
- Use tools in your digital marketing campaigns that allow you to easily customize your content based on your audience data.
“Winging it” is another phrase that has no room in your marketing. Instead, develop a content calendar that includes your monthly promotions and what you plan to distribute through all your marketing channels, including social media, your website, and email. Many social channels and email platforms also allow you to schedule out your content, ensuring you never forget to publish or send out posts or emails on the scheduled date.
Need some help with content ideas for building your calendar? Get some inspiration with these social media post ideas!
We get it – a decent website is expensive; however, the cost is well worth the investment when you consider that a website is your company’s 24/7 storefront and often the first touchpoint for a potential customer. If you’re not sure if your current is up to snuff, go through our checklist of 6 signs it’s time to update your website to get a gauge of how your website measures up.
Another smart way to invest in your online presence is by making sure you have a sound search engine optimization (SEO) strategy in place so that your website shows up prominently in relevant searches. Get the lowdown on how to boost your SEO success with these tips.
High-quality content is time-consuming and expensive, so why use it only once and essentially throw it away? Blog posts, videos, and social media posts are all great examples of items that can be used again in the future, extending the life of your marketing efforts.
It’s fairly simple to breathe new life into your content so you aren’t reposting the same thing over and over again. Here are some examples you can utilize in your strategy:
- Edit professional videos into small snippets that can be used on social media or your website. You may need to adjust formats to fit different platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
- Summarize key points of your blog posts to create infographics that are visually appealing and make for easy sharing on social channels.
- Update and refresh old blogs and social posts with new insights, statistics, or trends.
- Share customer reviews, testimonials, or user-submitted photos to boost engagement and authenticity.
Marketing is constantly evolving, and if you don’t prioritize staying current with trends, you’re sure to be left in the dust. Not only does early adoption of emerging technologies and social platforms give your business a competitive advantage, but it also helps to poise you as an industry leader and shows that you care about being innovative.
Here are some ways you can stay up-to-date on the latest trends:
- Subscribe to e-newsletters and podcasts from marketing experts.
- Attend webinars and conferences. Keep your eye out for free webinars – they’re out there!
- Utilize platforms like Google Trends for help in identifying trends in real-time.
As we mentioned in our recent Marketing Love Languages article, there are many advantages of teaming up with local businesses and influencers, such as expanding your audience reach and enhancing credibility. Here’s another little secret about collaborations: sharing marketing efforts and expenses can lower costs while achieving greater impact.
You do want to be strategic with the partnership you choose, of course. Here are some factors to consider:
- Choose a business or influencer with an aligned target audience to maximize engagement and effectiveness.
- Look for potential partners that complement rather than compete with your products or services.
- Partner with companies and individuals that align with your brand’s values.
- Ensure that there are mutual benefits for both parties in terms of exposure, leads, or sales.
It’s a no-brainer that good design is a crucial aspect of effective marketing, so investing in quality, professionally designed materials is essential. But for many small local businesses with smaller budgets, expert graphic design services can break the bank fast. That’s why we put together this article on graphic design mistakes to avoid for the novice designers who need to put together an attractive marketing piece for cheap.
So, you’ve decided to make the leap and put some money into paid ads. Before you publish your campaign and send your digital message into cyberspace, you should make sure conversion tracking is in place so that you can see what your paid ads are REALLY getting you. Because, after all, clicks and ad views alone don’t always convert to sales.
Conversion tracking is essentially the same across most ad platforms: you simply set up the actions on the platform that you’d like to track, copy the conversion tracking code that the platform will provide you with, and install it on the backend of your website.
Stop wasting your time churning out social media posts that get scrolled past or blog posts that get minimal views – read our guide on conducting a content marketing audit and get on the path to creating content that actually helps you reach your business goals.
Forget the argument about whether you should use traditional or digital marketing – both are necessary for a well-rounded strategy and to effectively reach your entire audience!
Integrating your traditional and digital efforts is easier than you think – get some ideas from this article we put together on the subject!
Don’t make the mistake of sleeping on email marketing, as it’s the marketing strategy with the highest ROI, bringing in $42 for every $1 invested! Like any other marketing strategy, however, it requires planning and a sound strategy to perform at its maximum potential.
Whether you’ve tried email marketing before or you are new to the game, head over to our article on reasons your email marketing isn’t working to get some tips for crafting an effective plan.
Studies show that around 90% of people check Google reviews during the decision-making process, so ensuring that you have plenty of 5-star reviews from your customers is crucial. Make a strategy to gather reviews from your current customers, whether it’s sending them an email after you provide a service, making reminder posts on social media, or even asking the customer during an in-person transaction to leave feedback about their experience.
And those dreaded negative reviews? Take a look through our handy tips on how to respond to those!
Did you know that the average attention span for a human is only 8 seconds, which is shorter than a goldfish’s?! Using video in your marketing helps you better keep your audience’s attention, increase engagement, and drive conversions.
And you don’t have to blow your marketing budget creating high production content! In fact, most cell phones today have decent enough cameras to record sufficient video for use on many platforms. Low production videos also contain an authenticity that causes audiences to better relate to and trust your brand.
Get some points on how to make professional looking DIY video here.
When you think of AI, you may think of those creepy computer-generated photos of people with extra fingers and soulless eyes. But we’re here to tell you that AI can be a very beneficial tool in your marketing arsenal, if used correctly.
For more info on AI, check out our articles on chatbots and ChatGPT to get a taste of the ways AI can add to your marketing.
In today’s crowded marketplace, poising yourself as a thought leader in your industry can help you stand out and establish trust with potential customers and partners. Even better – it doesn’t take much effort on your part, as you simply utilize the knowledge that you already have to educate others through seminars, workshops, and published articles.
For some great inspiration, look at key players in your industry and observe what they are doing. Often times, you can take what’s already done and put your own spin and unique perspective on it to appeal to your audience.
The most effective tool in your marketing arsenal is quite simple – your business’s unique story. By incorporating storytelling into your marketing, you not only stand out from your competitors, but you also build trust and valuable connections with your audience. Share real experiences, struggles, and successes that have happened along your journey in a relatable way that allows your audience to see themselves in your story.
If you’re not having fun with your marketing, you’re doing it wrong. Marketing is all about showing off the best of your brand, whether it’s the awesome products you create, the can’t-do-without services you provide, your hardworking team, or your loyal customers. Showcase your business’s journey, achievements, and customer appreciation through campaigns and events and watch as others join in on the celebration!
Thank you for an amazing 20 years, and 🍻 to 20 more! We’re grateful for our clients, partners, and supporters who have been part of our incredible journey!
