Marketing advice from the experts

SALLY SMITH

Marketing Director at Cross Productions

PROMOTING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

With many professionals using online platforms such as social media, blogs and video promotion, now’s the time to think about what your personal brand says about you.

Companies work hard to ensure their products and services are appealing to search engines for optimal results, and to attract new customers, but ultimately, people still buy from people.

Think of Gordon Ramsey. He is known for his foul mouth. He doesn’t hold this character trait back and works it well to gather a large following.

Richard Branson is known for being a forward-thinker who’s unafraid to share his opinions. He segregates himself and distinguishes himself as a thought leader, and one to follow.

Find the person you love or are inspired by, and style yourself on them. It may feel strange, but many successful people have done it, using it as a psychological tool to get ahead. Many have even had alter egos. Take Beyonce, she presented us with Sasha Fierce; and Eminem – born Marshall Mathers – gave us Slim Shady.

It’s OK to springboard your own brand from those who already exist, and the best ideas are often those pirated from something that already exists.

Tips for self-promotion:

◆ Post your industry knowledge on social media to show you’re current and in-the-know ◆ Be active online and be seen as the face of the business ◆ Use images or – even better – videos of yourself in real life surroundings ◆ Share your passions and don’t be afraid to let your audience know who you really are. you can increase the effectiveness of your marketing communications by tailoring your messages.

Demographic data has been a regular feature in audience segmentation, but in today’s digital age, we are armed with so much more insight to target the channels that our audience is most likely to respond to, based on the type of devices they use to browse the web and much more.

To utilise audience segmentation to its optimum, a good CRM platform will help collect the specified data and sort the audience into your specified groups (segments). This allows for the monitoring of communication patterns and buying behaviours, providing easier opportunity-spotting and quicker turnaround to make the most of them.

Don’t close your eyes and hope for the best… start reading those ‘waves’ for more business opportunities.

MAKE YOUR MARKETING MORE SUSTAINABLE

Increasingly, businesses of all sizes are choosing more environmentally sustainable marketing methods to be kinder to our planet.

Nearly one in three consumers have claimed to stop purchasing from certain brands because they had ethical concerns about them (Deloitte, 2020). And 88% of consumers said they would be more loyal to a company that supports social or environmental issues (Forbes, 2018).

Here are a few of our favourite eco-friendly marketing examples.

Rethink your promotional products:

Traditionally many promotional items are made from single-use plastics. Many promotional merchandise suppliers (like us) have now diversified to produce many eco-friendly alternatives. These sustainable promotional products go beyond simply getting your brand name out there and are items that your prospects will use time and time again. Greener mailings: Many sustainable advertising direct mail options can help you ensure your mailings are kinder to the planet. These eco-friendly CHRIS

GOODMAN

Managing Director at Soar Valley Press

advertising mail options include: ◆ Printing your communications onto sustainable paper. ◆ Printing on both sides of your sustainable direct mail postcards. ◆ If you use plastic coverings, look for wraps that are biodegradable. ◆ Use the correct envelopes – recycled envelopes and envelopes without plastic windows are better for the environment. ◆ Ensure your direct mail is targeted and regularly maintain your list to reduce print overruns. Partner up: Who you work with reflects on you and your business. By switching to greener print, you can help boost your business’ green credentials by ensuring ecofriendly processes are implemented throughout your organisation and its supply chain.

AUDIENCE SEGMENTATION

REMY CLARKE

Director at Cymer Marketing Solutions

Watching the waves coming in at the Dorset coast as my sons attempt to jump over the breaks, they started reading the patterns… but always manage to get caught out sooner or later!

It got me thinking about how we do this with business: patterns of seasonal buying behaviours, triggers caused by current affairs or large marketing campaigns to drive demand.

Treating every wave as the same will see my boys drinking a lot of sea water – just like treating all your audience as the same. It’s hard to cater for every prospect and client, but with some simple audience segmentation,