You Asked. We Answered. (Part 2 of 3)
At the last Plastics News Women Breaking the Mold conference, I had the privilege of speaking to many professionals about How to Lead Marketing as an Everyday Habit. Toward the end of the session, I asked the audience to huddle around their area with others to begin the networking process with questions about what marketing challenge they are currently trying to overcome, in order to seek new ideas and elevate the discussion about today’s marketing trends and best practices. See below for several of the questions and my professional response.
What helps drive customer engagement in this digital era?
Focus on personalized content marketing to drive customer engagement in the digital era by curating blogs, e-blasts, videos, and social media posts relevant to your customers. It is also important to establish a social media presence and actively engage with customers by responding to their comments and messages. You can even build a digital community where customers can connect and have meaningful discussions with other like-minded people. Lastly, organizing events and meetups can help to connect with customers in person and engage them with your brand. For a deeper understanding, read Jared’s July ’22 blog on Effective Digital Marketing Strategies.
How do you put a positive spin on plastics with branding and social media content?
Branding and social media content can create a positive perception of plastics in many ways. Establishing a brand voice and tone is an essential first step. This can include developing a brand persona, company catchphrases, personality traits, and vocabulary that align with the company’s values and messaging. Creating a voice and tone guide can help ensure that all social media content is consistent and on-brand. Specific ways to put a positive spin on plastics in social media content include highlighting the benefits and innovative uses of plastics and emphasizing a company’s commitment to sustainability by showcasing efforts to reduce plastic waste.
How do you drive your company’s leadership to put more focus on marketing?
Get leadership involved! By involving them in the marketing planning process, keeping them informed of progress and results, and educating them on the latest marketing trends and best practices, they’ll better understand the value of marketing. Sharing success stories from other companies in the industry also demonstrates the impact marketing can have. Knowing the value of what marketers and a strong marketing plan bring to the team allows the company leadership to understand where growth in their business can sprout from.
How do you decide when to migrate a marketing CRM to a new one with minimal issues?
If your current CRM is no longer meeting your needs, it might be time to consider migrating to a new marketing CRM. If so, you’ll want to consider various factors, including the features and capabilities of the new CRM, what the migration process would be like, and how the cost of a new CRM fits within your budget. Contemplating these aspects will help you decide when to migrate your marketing CRM to a new one with minimal issues.
For a global company, how do you establish company alignment across borders?
Establishing company alignment across borders requires clear communication. Regular virtual meetings foster a collaborative mindset and keep everyone up to date on the company’s progress. Additionally, establishing consistent branding and messaging across all borders creates a cohesive image and sense of unity. Identifying the gaps and potential issues caused by cultural differences also helps ensure success and continued alignment as a global company.
How does a company overcome its biggest marketing challenge – budget?
Companies can focus on getting the most out of their marketing budget in several ways. Focus on the most effective marketing strategies that will provide the most significant impact on your company. Utilize low-cost marketing tactics such as social media and email marketing; and always be sure to measure the success of marketing campaigns – adjusting them accordingly – so you can focus on the marketing strategies that are working and amend or disregard those that aren’t. Learn best practices in Vive’s prior blog, Organizing a Social Media Calendar.
How does a company overcome the marketing challenge of teaching an old dog new tricks?
Getting employees to embrace new marketing strategies can be challenging, but it isn’t impossible. Fostering a culture of learning and offering training or professional development opportunities can motivate employees to learn new skills and stay up to date with the latest marketing trends. Starting small by introducing new marketing strategies at a slower pace can help build confidence and momentum. Clearly communicating the benefits of new marketing strategies and offering open communication and support to employees can also help.
How does a company overcome the marketing challenge of incorporating more marketing in the sales process?
There are many ways to reach customers, so it’s essential to identify which campaigns and strategies are the most effective. By tracking metrics on all campaigns and advertising platforms, you can understand how your campaigns are performing, eliminate inefficient marketing methods, and invest in better strategies. Marketing tactics such as search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media marketing, and email marketing can generate leads that can be passed on to the sales team. It’s also important to align sales and marketing teams to ensure they are working together toward generating leads and closing sales.
Stay tuned for Part 3 of Teresa’s 3-part “You Asked. We Answered.” series. In the meantime, if you have any of these same questions and would like to chat more about them, contact us today!