Yes! sales pitches are a thing of the past. Today, it is all about connecting to an audience through education.
But, while many have been saying that for the past 10+ years, it can only really be done if you have some tools, strategies, and resources in place to help you get started.
We know what it’s like!
You hop on Google or other search engines to find some information about marketing in 2023. You then get bombarded with an overwhelming amount of advice, sales pitches, and available courses for you to sign up for so you can “learn the best ways to promote your business”.
You end up however spending hundreds of dollars while asking yourself if that was really necessary.
Nothing makes us happier than guiding marketing teams and businesses in the right direction. And, even better, we love letting people know that marketing a product or services and educating an audience should not have to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
So, what now?
How should we market in 2023 and beyond?
Well, while that is a loaded question, we are confident the following will help.
But prior to looking through resources and tools to help you do so, ask yourself the following:
Who are your target market and audience?
Where do they spend most of their time online? Answering this question will ensure you are placing your efforts in the right places.
What marketing have you done to date?
How have the demographics of your audience changed over the years and where will they be in five years time?
Answering those questions is a great start
Free and affordable resources to help build a marketing strategy in 2023
Keyword research tools and content
The most efficient way to really reach your audience is by understanding what questions they are asking and what information would be of value to them. Value is crucial!
Answer the public – a free version and paid version are available. This website is a great one to get an idea of what the audience are looking for and what questions they are asking online.
Semrush – A great tool to assist with market analysis and many other marketing campaign factors.
ChatGPT – some would say a replacement for Google but there’s still plenty of time until that happens. That said, ChatGPT is an extremely powerful platform and tool. It is a chatbot that is able to provide the user with an answer to any (or most at this stage)question or query. It means that one could type in any question related to their industry, and within a matter of a few minutes, generate a blog from the information provided. That of course is just an example of its capabilities. It can do plenty more.
You.com – known as “the search engine you control”. This platform is great for assisting in helping write blogs, social media posts, and summarises web results for users.
Graphics, design, videos, and music.
Canva – graphics and design – the platform these days offers a lot more than just graphics. The platform no doubt is a strong asset to be used by marketing teams and individuals. Canva offers both a free version and paid (professional) version. For around $20 per month, the pro version is certainly worth it. Canva has an incredible ability to help design anything. From social media posts to logos, newsletter, and pretty much anything a marketing campaign needs.
Pixcleaner – will remove any background from one or more images at once, making all your images transparent.
Taketones – Royalty free music for download.
Websites for images and videos
It is highly recommended to use original photos and videos for your marketing – those of your company, team and products. However, there’s always the option of finding stock images from websites like the following.
Coverr.co – Free stock video footage
Unsplash – free stock images
Pixabay – free stock images
Unscreen.com – remove the background from any video.
No doubt you will find plenty more websites with free downloads by searching online.
Social media
The following channels may not be new to you but it is crucial they appear on this list. Now, keep in mind, when it comes to the following social media channels, in all of them you have the option to build an organic platform. You also have the option to use paid advertising.
Facebook – still a relevant channel for businesses to be able to build a community of followers and showcase themselves as industry thought leaders.
Instagram – a great channel to build a following and showcase products and services. Their latest reel feature is one to certainly use.
TikTok for business – fast becoming an extremely popular channel for businesses looking to reach their audience.
YouTube – as powerful as ever, YouTube has the ability to not only rank your videos on Google and other search engines, it can attract your audience directly from the platform.
Marketing and strategic planning
You can build and download a content planner from Canva and download a free S.W.O.T Analysis template from several places online by hopping on any search engine.
Content Creation
Content can mean many things. Focusing on educational content for your audience will allow you to build relationships, gain the trust, and position yourself as an industry leader.
Sure, some companies have major production equipment, but, you could easily be producing and publishing content with a smart phone and a lapel mic. If you can’t find a lapel mic, that is also fine. Remember, an audience will click and follow your content because of the value you provide, not the production you showcase.
Keeping track
Google Analytics – make sure the analytics is set up and connected to your website. It will allow you to track the activity on your site and provide a great indication of what is working on your site and the user journey, amongst other things.
Google Console – this tool provides great information regarding how your website and content is getting found online and what keywords are used to find you.
While there’s plenty more to chat about, the information above provides some direction and a starting point for building a digital marketing strategy.
For any further information or if you have any questions, please contact us at A Digital Marketer.