Mediaboss Marketing

This article is written by a member of our expert contributor community.

Pick up any contemporary marketing book and you'd think that marketing has completed changed over the last few years. Online marketing, social marketing, conversation marketing, traditional marketing; there are so many angles, it is easy to feel like you are constantly behind the curve. So here is a back-to-basic approach that helps you focus on what you need to do to be successful.

The core of any marketing program entails only three goals lead generation, brand building, and thought leadership. You need to achieve all of these to some degree, so it is important that you understand the purpose of each marketing activity. Here is a short description of the three goals:

To make that hat trick happen, you could use any of these traditional or emerging techniques.

Event marketing:examples include exhibiting at a trade show, sponsoring a conference, or hosting a partner meeting. Although these are classic lead generation activities, I urge you to take a broader view. Think about how you can use an event to build your brand: run contests to generate fun, post infographics or give out ebooks to provide valuable information, or give away items related to your product or service. Just make sure these activities are closely associated with your brand and the image you wish to create. Hiring a magician might be good fun, but if it doesnt connect with your brand, dont do it.

I once worked at a company where the event manager hired two models to stand in our trade show booth. He brought a camera so he could take pictures of attendees with the models. We did get thousands of leads, but they were all junk. I am amazed at how many companies waste money at shows with such silly promotions. Another good idea is to secure speaking opportunities for company executives at industry events. Have them speak as experts, not as salespeople.

If they are willing to stay away from your brand, they can establish themselves as go-to people for information by sharing experiences, insightful anecdotes, or market trends. Just remember, the topic has to be related to your business. Getting hundreds of people to attend an event is worthless if the attendees cant tie the persons expertise to the companys business.

Pay-per-click advertising:examples include Google Adwords and advertising on Facebook or LinkedIn. This is a classic lead generation activity, but it can also be used to build the brand and create brand awareness. Many companies run contests or promotions using paid online advertising to get people aware of a new product or service.

Social media:examples include creating a blog, using Twitter to communicate with your ecosystem, or maintaining Facebook pages. This is one type of activity that very few companies get right. Social media channels are not usually good for lead generation. The worst abuse is sending out product messages by Twitter to followers several times a day. Its a major turnoff. Rather, these channels should be used to exhibit market expertise and highlight topics that interest your market ecosystem. Blogs are a wonderful way to tell a story in your own, unfiltered way.

Originally posted here:
How To Score A Marketing Hat Trick