Many businesses have difficulty generating the perfect content for their target audience. Whether you’re a business owner looking for a reasonable return on investment (ROI), or marketing manager under pressure to deliver from above with a tight budget, a bad marketing campaign will be seen as money flushed down the toilet – and if you’re in charge, will look bad on you.
Without the right skills, tools and team behind you, connecting with potential customers (as is the aim for any marketer) is difficult, if not impossible. How do you go about ensuring that your campaign will connect? Well, there are a few components that you have complete control over.
Make sure you hire the right people
You’re only as good as your team – it may be cliché, but it’s true. And so, first and foremost, you need to ensure that they’re qualified. A regular marketing degree isn’t often enough nowadays as we live in very data driven times. Instead, you should be looking for people with qualifications in data science, or even a Master of Science in Business Analytics. Having someone in your team who can pick apart huge data sets to allow you to focus on the right people is invaluable.
Of course, you’ll also need amazing copywriters, fantastic graphic designers and a project manager to pull it all together (if you’re not leading). With somebody setting the strategy and the rest producing amazing content to supplement this, you’ll have a dream team.
What about cost – is marketing expensive?
It all depends on the kind of campaign you’re running and your niche. If you’re looking to jump into the soft beverages game, you’ll need a budget of billions. Of course, you’re not going to spend that much, but here’s a general idea of what’s going to cost you money:
- Trade shows – £500 – £1000 per event
- Public Relations (PR) – £50 for a press release, to £5000 as a retainer
- Print and Broadcast Advertising – up to £500 for a small campaign
- Developing websites – From £1000
- Printing costs – newsletters, brochures, direct mail – £50 – £1000 depending on volume
- Copywriting/Graphic design – from 5p a word and £50 per graphic
Again, your total spend will depend on how much your budget is, who you want to reach and how long it’s running for. People work this out in various ways – percentage of sales dedicated to marketing; a flat-rate approach on what the company can afford; matching the budget of competitors. As the manager of your marketing team (or business owner), it’s your job to identify ultimately what the company can afford.
Don’t set unrealistic expectations
Fired a press release out to all the major newspapers, but got no reply? Don’t fret – tabloids will only often write stories on products that readers will instantly recognize. Brand exposure takes time – so maybe approach magazines that tailor to your niche, as they’re more likely to invest time in writing an article about your product. It’s all about setting realistic goals with not only yourself, but your boss.
