In a world with endless marketing opportunities, your budget has to be strategic. Having a smart marketing plan involves investing in marketing assets you own, like your website and email list.
A smart marketing plan invests in a website.
Your website is full of owned assets, especially if the content is ranking high in Google search. Since the content you write on your website is entirely your own, and AdWords are merely rented for a premium, this makes your website very valuable. If you don't have a good SEO strategy, that's the first place you can invest for a return. Remember that relevant and fresh content should be part of any SEO strategy.
Here are some other ways to invest in your website:
- Have your site coded for a mobile-friendly experience
- Consider the user experience on your site; pair down content for readability and make sure navigation is simple and clear
- Build a buyer persona so that your content is reaching your target market
- Bring in a photographer for authentic imagery
A smart marketing plan invests in an email list.
Email still brings an average of $44 in return for everyone $1 spent. It's popular to believe that email no longer works. But, it's still bringing far more conversion than social media. Having a list of contact information (compared to faceless likes on Facebook) is absolutely an asset you own.
Here are some ways to invest in an email list:
- Begin segregating your lists based on interests, demographics, geography, etc.
- Think through the kinds of emails your contacts are getting; build a series of valuable emails that will get their attention
- Create auto-responders that interact with your website; if someone reads your blog, buys a product, or asks for more information, you can build out their next several emails for a personalized experience
A smart marketing plan invests in video channels.
Building a channel on Youtube, for instance, allows you to publicize media that you own. Remember that YouTube can be SEO'd just like your website. This will help you continue ranking on Google for important keywords.
Here are some ways to invest in a video channel:
- Set aside a time to record a video series; be sure the series is helpful to your audience and does not include a sales pitch of any kind
- Find keywords that work for both your website and your video series; use those in your video description
- Find ways to be as genuine as possible in your videos while maintaining a high level of excellence in the production value
