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Have you ever considered how important the topic of relevance is to your brand awareness? Take a minute to consider some pieces of technology, innovations, and fashion, which in their time, were considered groundbreaking, state of the art, trendy, and relevant:
- AOL Instant Messenger
- VCRs and Video Tapes (And nowadays, DVDs too!)
- MySpace
- Cassette Tapes
- Phone Booths
- Bell Bottom Pants
- Skating Rinks
Although some of these items and places can still be found today, they have, in large part, spiraled into irrelevance. Could your service or brand be the next on the list? What are you doing to ensure your business remains relevant in today’s ever-changing, technologically-obsessed society? Thankfully, even if you haven’t thought about the topic of relevance, we have you covered…there's no need to fret. Read on to learn more:
Three Ways to Keep Your Business Relevant
1. Know Your Buyer Persona.
Before moving on to the rest of the steps, it is vitally important that you define your buyer persona. To make it short and sweet, a buyer persona is simply a fictional representation you or your marketing professional creates that represents your ideal customer. This representation is based on real data and thorough market research taken from your existing customers.
The reason this is so important is because without an accurate persona, your business could be wasting time and energy marketing towards a customer base that isn’t ideal for your business. The following are some things you need to know about your customer, which will make up your final buyer persona profile:
- Basic demographics
- Behavior patterns
- Wants/needs
- Their expectations: This includes what they expect from your business, such as products and services, as well as where they expect to find your business, such as email, Google searches, social media, etc.
Thankfully, inbound marketing is one strategy that allows you to both identify your buyer persona and understand what they want and expect from your business.
2. Produce Content.
There's a popular saying that's tossed around a lot (and for good reason): “Publish or perish.” This is simply a reality with today's ultra-educated consumers. The digital world allows customers to make educated decisions due to the wealth of information they have at their fingertips. Therefore, in order to ensure your business is relevant, you need to focus on publishing quality content. Good content educates consumers, empowering them to make purchase decisions. It also solidifies your business as an expert or thought leader within your industry. Inbound marketing revolves around content creation and ensures customers find your business website when they search for relevant information.
3. Communicate Consistently.
Although there are many strategies that you can employ to keep your business relevant, there is simply no substitute for a quality customer experience. Customers must be put first, above all else. To do this, you must communicate with your customers on a regular basis.
Inbound marketing is one way to communicate effectively with your customers. It works by utilizing marketing automation software, like HubSpot, which allows you to track and monitor your conversations with your prospects and/or customers. Tools like marketing automation allow you to communicate with your customers in real-time and give you important information, such as a customer’s or prospect’s past behavior on your website. This data allows you (or the automation speaking for you) to communicate with them on subjects that you know are relevant to them personally. Note that inbound marketing requires marketing automation systems in order to fully function.
You might have noticed that all three steps required to keep your business relevant are solved by inbound marketing. This strategy checks all of the boxes and provides an array of solutions to help you either create or maintain relevance in the eyes of your consumers. Hiring a professional who understands how to properly orchestrate an inbound marketing campaign on your behalf is a great way to ensure your business remains relevant for the long-haul.
