For some businesses, the evolution of their marketing strategies has been slow. It is understandable: a business owner may be hesitant to introduce a new element to a formula that has been successfully promoting his or her company for years. But for an organization to enjoy a long life cycle and create sustainable growth, it needs to constantly push its boundaries and seek out ways to improve, not just maintain its current standing. Rest assured that competitors are developing new strategies and processes. The activities that have you running with or ahead of the pack today may be inadequate tomorrow.
This indicates that for any entrepreneur to truly be a business builder, he or she has to assess functions such as marketing and constantly question how those aspects can be improved. The Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs recently released a study indicating that more organizations in the business-to-business sphere are adding content to their marketing mixes. Approximately 90 percent of companies are using content to spread awareness of their goods and services, and are embracing a variety of channels to broaden their audience. Newsletters, posting articles on company websites, writing blogs and using social media are among the most popular tactics that responding organizations are using.
Companies in some industries may be reticent to start using social media as an advertising tool, due to sector-specific regulations or a lack of familiarity with the platform. However, these factors are no longer adequate excuses, as 87 percent of B2B marketers said they have distributed content through social media.
Expanding your marketing horizons
Marketing is a creative and functional process, and there is no reason for you to feel that you must follow a certain formula as you work to engage prospects and existing clients. You may be of the mindset that pursuing a new form of marketing will divert resources and energies from the tactics that have proved effective.
Resist this kind of thinking, and focus more on how the online channels of marketing can advance and enhance the more traditional styles of paid advertising; such as printed ads, direct mail and seminars. Consider the opportunities for marketing your business through video, infographics, company events and more. Marketing has never been a two-dimensional undertaking, so I would encourage you to seek ways to add depth to your current promotional strategy. How will you advance your company’s marketing? What steps will you take to stay ahead of the curve?
