Marketing isn't easy.
It's always evolving to meet the demands of new technology.
And that means if you want to be an expert in it, you need to know what you're doing:
You have to study it.
Where the problem comes is that for every change in new technology or search engines like Google, there are 50 blogs sites, books, and podcasts talking about it. It can feel all feel a bit overwhelming if you don't know where to begin.
So, who do you trust?
Where do you find the best information to educate yourself on the broader aspects of marketing AND the hyper-specific?
Here are 11 Marketing Resources That Will Transform You Into a Guru in No Time.
- Books -
Building a Story Brand
Everything has a story. Even brands. It's how we process complex information.
Look at our lives. We see the trajectory of our lives and careers in chapters, the people in them as characters, and the events that occur as developments. Story is in our blood. And the key to capturing your audience's attention is to give them a story to care about-their own.
Building a Story Brand by renowned copywriter Donald Miller is about reframing the messaging of your products and services to be about the journey of your client. How will your product/service be used to serve their needs, get them where they want to go, and ultimately bring them a better life?
That's the foundation of a story brand, and that's how you'll win more customers.
Pre-Suasion
Pre-Suasion, Robert Caldini's sequel to Influence, is a master class in understanding the way humans make decisions. Using real psychology and experiential anecdotes, Caldini dives into the why of persuasive marketing, and how to capitalize on it to make your audience more receptive to your messaging before you even deliver it.
If you want your customers and clients to simply say "yes," this book is a must-read.
Hacking Growth
Hacking Growth, by Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown, is a book about growth hacking.
What the heck is growth hacking, you ask?
Growth hacking is a technique of using rapid testing to figure out the best marketing message/product/service combination out of multiple variants. It's been used to build great teams, develop irresistible products, and determine what works and what doesn't as quickly as possible.
Want to retain more customers? Great.
Want to improve your business results? Awesome.
Want to make more money? Even better.
Pick up this book and start growth hacking.
They Ask You Answer
They Ask You Answer is by Marcus Sheridan, otherwise known as the Sales Lion. Sheridan is famous for using content marketing to revitalize his failing pool company. How'd he do it? He answered questions. In his seminal book, he speaks on how to put this strategy to work for your own business, gain the trust of your prospects, turn them into fans, and improve your online presence overall. This is a great way to build the credibility of your business through digital marketing and to expand the base of your customers.
- Platforms & Technology -
MailChimp (Email Marketing)
If you're a business with an online presence, you need to be doing email marketing -- one of the most powerful ways to drive conversions.
It's that simple.
Why? Because to this day, email marketing is one of the cheapest and most effective forms of digital marketing there is.
Build a subscriber list and leverage it for years to come to market to your warm leads.
This is where MailChimp comes in. It's an email platform that allows you to build a subscriber list, send mass emails, and check the analytics of who's opening them and responding. MailChimp is so popular amongst email campaign marketers because of its simple interface that allows you to set up seamless templates, target your desired subscribers, and test your campaigns. Plus, email marketing is easily customizable and works well alongside other tactics, such as social media marketing.
And the best part is that it's free for up to the first 2,000 subscribers.
Trello (Task Management)
Do you work with a team?
Do they have various tasks and projects within their day?
Then welcome to Trello.
Trello is a task management software that allows users to create task-lists and projects and share them with other users. Trello is immensely simple and lets users take ownership of their projects while feeling confident about their workflow. This creates a greater share of transparency when working on projects solo or in a group, and can greatly improve your business's efficiency overall.
Google Analytics (Tracking & Analytics)
Let's start here:
Google Analytics is free.
And here's why that's important:
Google Analytics is an internal system that tags itself to your website and studies the traffic you're generating-and more specifically, whether your visitors are engaging (clicking links to other pages) or converting (filling out a contact form or buying).
The ability to track these stats, such as customer behavior, user experience, online content, and more. compared to a previous practice of operating in the dark can mean a night and day difference in decision-making.
Is that landing page failing to convert but showing strong traffic?
Change the copy.
Do you have a high-performing blog that's killing it?
Great. Be sure to repost it often.
The most important thing about Google Analytics is that it gives you the power of choice, in knowing what's working and what's not, allowing you to make better decisions for your business and bottom line.
No matter which marketing resources you want to utilize to meet your goals, what is most important is that you are reaching your target audience, including customers and potential customers, with messages that showcase the services that your business can provide them.
If you’re ready to get more business from your current marketing, give us a call at (866) 344-8852 or message us directly for more information.
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