Someone wise once said, “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it."

Everyone knows the power that effective marketing can have on a business. Regardless of whether you prefer traditional marketing methods or more modern, digital campaigns, you know the importance of marketing to potential clients.

 

When used correctly, marketing tells the world who you are and what you represent, bringing in prospects while simultaneously keeping your current clients up to date on your latest products and services. It turns companies into brands by providing a personality of sorts for your business and can help build connections within industries that stand the test of time.

 

When used incorrectly, marketing can come across as confusing, insensitive or outright inaccurate. It can push prospects away, be the catalyst for why a client leaves and leave your audience frustrated and uncertain about your products, services or business as a whole.

 

Before you post, tweet, email or run an ad, I'd recommend asking yourself a few key questions to ensure that your program runs smoothly and is as effective as possible.

1. Who am I? Or rather, who is your company? Is your marketing campaign in line with your brand? Do the colors, tone, design and overall message fit in with the personality of your company? Would this sound weird to consumers, coming from your organization? If the campaign is not in line with your brand, it can lead to confusion for your customers as well as any potential prospects who may see it.

 

2. Who is my ideal customer? Who do you bring the greatest value to? Who would most benefit from working with you? Furthermore, what is the average demographic that your company appeals to? By knowing who your ideal customer is, you can then create various ads that would appeal to that specific customer. Things like memes, fonts, the choice of words that you use, call to actions — all of these things must be in line with that particular type of customer. If you were in their shoes, with their mindsets, what would you be most open to responding to? Now do that.

 

3. What am I trying to get the customer to do? How are you trying to make the customer feel? What is your call to action? Are you attempting to get them to sign up for a demonstration? Are you looking to educate them on some recent changes you made to your products or services, or are you simply trying to get them to consider working with you to begin with? You have to know what your goal is; otherwise, you won’t ever reach it. Make sure that your goal is clear to yourself, your team and the customer.

 

4. What separates us from the rest? Is it the quality of your product or service? Is it the cost? What do you do so differently from your competitors that sets you apart from the masses? Don’t be afraid to elaborate on your strengths. Be passionate about what you do. Take pride in your work, and let people know that you are the best option for A or B reason. This confidence should be exemplified in all that you do. Don’t shy away from it; use it to your advantage.

 

5. Understand that not everyone is your customer. You don’t have to appeal to everyone, and that is 100% OK. Focus on the small piece of the market who truly would benefit from working with your company and seek to display value to those select individuals. You don’t need to work with everybody, only those who you can help. This willingness to be open and to focus on your real customers will make them feel more confident about their decision and shows them that above all else, you truly want to assist them.

 

Marketing takes practice. No one gets it right on the first try. It requires a lot of trial and error. But if you are willing to study what works for you and what doesn’t and then learn from your mistakes, you can go from guessing game marketing to high-quality, targeted marketing strategies. You can avoid wasting time on what doesn’t work so that you can focus on what does. And most importantly, you can tell the difference between the two.