In a recent article from the online marketing gurus at HubSpot, they shared their 20 Best Marketing Tips. When it comes to strategic marketing tips, we tend to offer our thoughts based on industry-specific needs. The data and expert opinions shared in their blog however are focused on a broader, longer-term view of online marketing success.
Both approaches are valid, so long as one applies the tips to their specific marketing strategy and industry.
Now, because we are us, we’ve decided not to share all 20 tips but have chosen our favorites instead. FYI… We may also pick a few of our least favorite tips to share. Why? Well, again, we’re us! (Opinionated, much?)
What is an Inbound Marketing Strategy?
Outbound marketing is all about promoting your products and services to a targeted, or broad-based, audience. Your website, blog, email subscription list, and social media platforms are all examples of an outbound marketing strategy.
“Inbound marketing, on the other hand, “centers around meeting consumers on the channels they’re already on. Employing the strategy follows the ‘attract, delight, engage’ model, helping you create content tailored to your different audience segments at their respective place in the buyer's journey. 80% of marketers plan to keep the same or increase their inbound marketing budget, and 11% of marketers say it will be their biggest investment in the next year.”
This approach requires that you do a little more research to find out where your targeted audience hangs out, whether online or at your local Starbucks, and tailor your marketing message specifically to them. In other words, if you love Twitter but they’re all hangin’ on Facebook, well… Time to de-Tweet yourself.
Brief Videos Generate More Interest
There is no denying the power of video marketing. The question though is, what form should your videos take?
“Short-form video is the second most effective media format … Marketers also say that it’s a worthwhile investment for lead generation (86%). This trend shift aligns with the attention spans of audiences that are much more fast-paced, so shorter forms of content get right to the point and allow audiences to consume and then move on. Hence, TikTok’s popularity, as it relies heavily on short-form video.”
Stated simply, consumers tend to have the attention span of a hamster, so… Give ‘em what they want: brief answers to frequently asked questions and explanations of who you are and what you can do for them.
Audio Can Be as Powerful as Video
We believe the increase in audio consumption such as podcasts by consumers may have less to do with a short attention span than it does with the trend toward multi-tasking. Again, this is a way to meet your audience where they are. That is, many folks are reading, typing, scrolling, or even chatting while also listening to something online. It’s tough to watch a video AND multi-task so they use their ears instead of their eyes.
“Whether it be a podcast featuring your business founders, or different Twitter Spaces discussions about business-related topics, consumers in 2022 will hear audio from businesses more than they ever have before. HubSpot found that 80% of marketers plan to invest the same amount or increase their budget in audio content and podcasts in 2022.”
This is a perfect strategy for the shy online marketer, the person who hates seeing themselves in videos, and so, refuses to use them despite their power as a marketing tool. (See, we gotcha’ here.)
Respect Your Audience
The “information age” in which we find ourselves has informed not only business owners and marketers; it’s done the same for consumers. (Well, a good portion of them anyway.
“David Ogilvy is famously quoted as saying: ‘The consumer isn’t a moron; she is your wife’ … Ogilvy built his advertising empire upon deeply understanding his target audiences. Although his comment may be dated, the core principle holds -- your customers are smarter than you think. It will only serve you to do extensive market research under the assumption that your customers are doing their research, too.”
To presume your clients and prospects are completely ignorant of the interior design process or the value of luxury furnishings is to disrespect them – and lose them as a client. And yet, with the pace of change we’re seeing in various technologies, along with innovations in materials and manufacturing processes, you must also realize that consumers often “don’t know what they don’t know.”
Our Least Favorite Marketing Tip
While we absolutely agree with the HubSpot experts that, “Now, more than ever, consumers lean on trust as a leading factor when deciding whether to do business with a company.”
Where we disagree with them is their suggested approach to building trust. The appeal of “brands that champion social responsibility and take a stand on important issues” is, in our opinion, limited. It can also be downright dangerous.
What do we mean by this? The phrase “social responsibility” has become greatly politicized over the past decade, to the point that it has lost all semblance of ethical value to some half of the country’s population. Because of this, business owners should take care not to be seen as pandering and/or “virtue signaling” to an audience who may resent it.
Just our two cents. (Or, did we overpay?)
Where to Learn What Works
Remember, there’s plenty more where these ideas came from at HubSpot.com.
But, if you’d like to know what actually works in the interior design and luxury furnishings industry, Ted remains available with practical, industry-focused strategic marketing tips. With more than 25 years of experience, he could be an invaluable resource on whom you might rely to grow your business.
To learn more about the lines we represent or for business consulting to the trade… Contact TD Fall today.
