Your marketing works better when it works together

Recently, I’ve been advising a lot of clients and business owners on what’s working with their marketing and where they should be putting their time and effort.

Something that keeps coming back into those conversations is consistency, along with having a clear idea of how everything fits together.

So I thought I’d put a few thoughts down in an article that businesses at any stage can take something from. Whether you’re doing the marketing yourself or have a team around you, there are things here you can start applying.

I’ve kept it to less than a five-minute read, so you can have a look over a coffee and send it on to a business partner, your team or anyone who might find it useful.

Think about how you get to know a business.

You might meet someone at a networking event and connect with them on LinkedIn afterwards. Over the next few weeks, you see a couple of their posts, watch a video and get a better understanding of what they do.

Then you notice one of their adverts on Facebook or Instagram.

A little further down the line, you need the service they offer. You search on Google, recognise the name and have a look.

By the time you enquire, you already know a bit about them.

That’s an example of how marketing can work together. People get to know you in different places, at different times, before deciding whether to buy from you.

That’s what I mean by taking an omnichannel approach.

It sounds quite technical, but the idea is straightforward. Your content, advertising, networking and emails should all help people understand the same business.

For me, LinkedIn is a good place to show people how you think.

Share what you know. Talk about what happens in your business. Answer the questions customers ask you. Give people something they can take away and use.

And have conversations. If someone comments on your post, reply. If you see a discussion where you can help, get involved.

The same applies when you’re networking.

Take an interest in the people you meet. Find out what they do, what they’re working on and what they need help with.

Then keep that relationship going. Connecting on LinkedIn gives you a way to stay in touch and learn more about each other between events.

Your advertising can support that too.

Meta ads on Facebook and Instagram can introduce your business to new people or show more of what you do to someone who already recognises you.

Google Search ads can help people find you when they’re actively looking for a service or product you offer.

Email gives you another way to stay in touch with people who have chosen to hear from you. You can share advice, explain something in more detail or let them know about something relevant.

The point is to give each of those activities a purpose and think about how they connect.

If you’re talking about a service on LinkedIn, make sure someone can easily find out about it on your website.

If your advert makes an offer, make sure the page people land on explains that offer clearly.

If you’ve had a good conversation with someone, follow up with something relevant to what you discussed.

Those connections matter because you’re making it easier for people to understand you and decide what to do next.

It also gives you more to work with.

One question from a customer could become a post, a video, part of an email or something you explain on your website.

A conversation at an event might help you realise that people are unsure about a particular part of your service. There’s something useful to talk about in your next piece of content.

You’ve already got knowledge and experience inside the business. Your marketing gives you ways to share it.

Over time, that can help people become more familiar with you, understand your work and feel more comfortable getting in touch.

It can also help existing customers discover other things you offer.

Of course, you still need to pay attention to whether it’s leading anywhere.

Are you having more useful conversations? Are the right people enquiring? Is that interest turning into work?

Ask people how they heard about you and what made them get in touch. You might find they’ve seen you in a few places before making that decision.

Choose the channels that make sense for your customers and the time and budget you have. Give them proper attention, learn from the response and keep improving.

That’s the approach I’d encourage any business to take.

Be useful. Be recognisable. Keep the conversation going.

And make it easy for someone to take the next step when they’re ready.

If you’d like a hand working out how that could look for your business, send me a message.