8 Rules of Marketing that your Business Model must consider

In fact, the rise in technology, mass communication, and social media messaging has changed the landscape of how you communicate. That’s why we’re giving you the Great 8 Rules of Marketing.

The following eight topics will help you ring true to your consumers without falling into the pit of noise brought about by most of today’s brands.

1. Content Marketing

One of the biggest reasons clients clamor to find good digital agencies is an agency’s ability to grasp and execute content marketing.

So what exactly is this content marketing? Think if you could wear a magical amulet, and in so doing, have the ability to tell captivating stories, give platinum advice, and prove to anyone that you’re irreplaceable, all while inspiring others to tell your story for you.

In a nutshell, an agency worth its salt will work with your brand to do just this! Tell your story in an authentic, educational, and magnetic way.

This content could look like ANYTHING — videos, blogs, podcasts, streaming and live casting, infographics, data visualization, polling, stats — you name it!

Chances are if you’re thinking about buying something new to your mental wish list, it probably started with an interesting, yummy helping of content.

2. REAL Email Marketing

“But we’ve been using email in our CRM system for decades! What do you mean REAL email marketing?”

REAL email marketing is harder than simply clicking “Send all” and blasting all the folks in your basic Rolodex.

REAL email marketing addresses the segmentation of your product or services. Then, construct unique email marketing communications based on interest (and ideally a preconstructed persona of your ideal customer).

REAL email marketing will also piggyback off your social media, events, and related trending communications to further bolster support and credibility.

3. Paid Social Media

Paid advertorial placement is a business that maintains that the channel (i.g. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) remains an accessible medium. If you want to get new eyeballs, your most effective tool is a strategic paid placement and partnering with content marketing specialists.

“Can’t I just do this myself?” Yes! In fact, unlike most agencies, InApps loves savvy clients.

Why? Because then you know, when you see the result we get you, that it’s worth the investment. We all think we can build a house, as long as we’re given instructions — the truth is often very different from the experience.

4. Paid Digital Search

The next stop on our journey down the path of “oh, I wish I would have done this a long time ago” is paid search.

Within this bucket are various critical areas of consideration, such as:

• Search Engine Marketing (SEM) — think of the term SEM as a collective when describing paid and unpaid initiatives focused on search engines representing your website or call-to-action.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) — creating content, copy, coding, and another wizardry to make your website rank higher without buying placement through “Ad Words.” The truth is, it’s not magic — it’s the science of lions, tigers, and algorithms “oh my!”
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) — research, implementation, and ongoing optimization of paid placement, based on keywords and audience profiles typically through search engines like Google and Bing.

Remember that ALL marketing is sowing seeds. Some seeds will grow incredibly fast, and others slower, but they must be attended to like all crops. There is NO “set it and forget it” in today’s modern marketing spectrum.

5. Google My Business

Often overlooked by businesses (but never unloved by InApps) is the Google Business page!

Guess what, internet: we’re not all Amazon. Most of us sell a product, or service, at a location(s). Therefore, your Google My Business Page can reap various rewards if you maintain it properly.

With that said, you should remember there is more to a Google My Business page than a link to your physical and online address. When engaging and maintaining your page you can:

•  Maintain and engage reviews
• Post news, updates, and special offers
• Add your locations (important to note that you’ll need to create a “location group” within your primary account.)
• Add photography
• Outline category-specific features of your location
• You can even link up a booking component

“A location group is a select group of business listings collectively managed by an organization or user group. Sorting your locations into groups makes managing multiple locations easier and keeping them organized. You can apply changes and share access to multiple listings at once.”

6. Landing Pages

Most brands have a website; not all brands have “landing pages” that support their products and services. What’s the difference?

Think of a website like a complete book of all the characters, chapters, and linear (and in some cases not so) storyline. Now think of a chapter as pulling out characters in the book and giving them their standalone page where we can focus on everything you ever wanted to know about them, but without the distraction of the rest of the book.

Landing pages work similarly – you often will focus a whole landing page on one product, offer or service, and with great detail.

Having these pages allows you to do many things:

• Spotlight a product/offering in its voice, allowing you to drive attention
• Driving this attention is often done so creating an event you wish the user to go through, such as (but not limited to) filling out a form, downloading a whipper, booking an appointment, and of course, making a purchase.
• Use paid SEM for one specific page – often used to launch products
• Landing pages are also often created to A/B test copy, imagery, and offer.

7. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Quickly becoming the “wunderkind” of the fine-tuning world of digital marketing is Conversion Rate Optimization.

Think of CRO as an amalgam of techniques with the directive of improved performance. This can take the shape of analysis and testing, website design, copy, imagery, layout, colors, and tone of voice.

Next, you can use CRO to test things like how you’ve built your forms and the nature of your offer or call to action. Breaking it down — you want a conversion (in most cases a sale), but how do you know your current website/landing pages are most effective? Quite succinctly — you don’t.

“Running a CRO campaign helps to identify and address such bottleneck issues and significantly contribute to improving the site’s conversion rate.”

Remember, consumer-facing factors are in play, plus behavioral, UI/UX, and many others — all compiled into a steady rhythm of A/B, split, or multivariate testing scenarios. For growing brands that feel they have peaked in their current digital marketing iteration, CRO can be a worthy investment to break out and up to the next level.

8. Ratings, Reviews, & Reputations

It would appear that controlling your brand’s reputation would be the most straightforward aspect of a digital marketing campaign. Nonetheless, you should heed this warning: would you allow just anyone in your organization to represent your fundamental beliefs, history, product, and support knowledge to customers?

Not to mention that they should provide empathic customer service, education, and public relations.

“That sounds extreme. Answering a review is THAT important?”

After you’ve found your product/service, let us ask you what will most likely be the first part of your research before purchase? (insert “ah-ha” light bulb).

That’s right, reading those reviews — and more importantly, reading those responses.

BONUS POINT! User Testing & Optimization

Before you question how this differs from other types of optimization, understand that user-testing is the foundation of user interface (UI), user experience (UX), and even customer experience (CX) that connects digital and real-world encounters.

Consider how often you have gone through an e-commerce “buy-flow” checkout procedure and wished there were fewer (or more) stages to purchase.

As a result, the human connection comes to the rescue! You should watch and optimize utilizing user-testing technologies that show real people having genuine experiences (preferably in REAL time).

The Great 8 Rules of Marketing – Conclusion

With complete transparency, we at InApps specialize in all of these approaches. We understand the countless complexities brands and consumers face with digital media, and we’re here to help.

Don’t hesitate to let us know if you’d like a free website audit or want to understand how a data-driven digital marketing firm can work on behalf of most of your critical needs.