10 Marketing Tips to Help Your Business Succeed in 2023
In the economic uncertainty of 2023, we’re offering 10 marketing tips that you can use right now to strengthen your market position, build your customer relationships, and get noticed.
And we’re not above taking our own advice. Our team spent last fall working to strengthen our own position with a brand refresh. It was time to update Indalma’s visuals and messaging to reflect who we are now, and how our services have evolved. Our goal was to design something fresh, confident and creative, with content that highlighted our expertise as thoughtful strategists and brand-builders.
We launched our brand refresh at the start of 2023, and this newsletter is the first one to feature the new look. To see the full refresh – and read some of our new content – head to our homepage.
10 ways to strengthen your market position – even in a recession
1. When your competition stops marketing, take the space.
With talk of a recession looming, some businesses will be cutting back on their marketing – which is the cue for your business to step into the space. Even during tough economic times, you need to keep talking to your audience to maintain the relationship. Be strategic – keep an eye on your competition to see if opportunities open up. For example, if they’ve reduced their online marketing, can you use keywords that used to be hard to rank for, to rise to the top of search results?
2. Own your online space.
One of the things we’ve seen during the past three years is how quickly the popularity of social channels can shift – witness the rise of TikTok over Meta-owned channels in 2022, or the departure of advertisers from Twitter. If you rely solely on social for your online presence, you don’t have full control of your brand: you don’t own your content, follower information, sales process, or comments, and you’re at risk having to pivot and rebuild if your account is deleted or the target of a scam.
Social should be your secondary online platform, not your home base – for that, you need a website. It will improve your searchability and credibility, and give you the freedom to create a range of content to explain your offer. Most importantly, you control it. A site doesn’t have to be big, it just has to do the job – like the two-page website we designed for our client Mastery Executive Coaching and Consulting.
3. Provide a great experience online and in-store.
Before 2020, online marketing was a secondary consideration for many businesses, but now it’s important to offer a great customer experience online and offline. E-commerce has declined slightly from its 2020 high, while retail has bounced back – shoppers may be using both in a single buyer’s journey. Junction explains the value of a customer who engages with you in both places:
“…on average, a retail customer who has at least one interaction both online and offline is 3x more valuable than a customer who shops only online or only offline. That means without advertising, discounting, or doing any form of promotion, retail businesses can triple the value of their customer base by convincing them to become multi-channel shoppers.”
4. Choose quality over quantity on social.
Social only works if you post consistently – whether that’s every day or twice a week – with content that offers value to your audience. You’re building a relationship, and if you only show up from time-to-time and don’t put in an effort, like any potential date, people will lose interest. It’s better to do one or two platforms well, than four poorly. (Check out our blogs on how to create strong social content and build a simple social media calendar.)
5. Create and post short video content.
TikTok has conditioned audiences with limited time and a lot to scroll through, to want shorter, faster video content. The appetite for video content is only growing – 91% of Instagrammers say that they watch videos on the platform weekly, and 50% have visited a website to buy a product or service as a result of seeing it in Stories. It’s likely there’s a young, creative person in your business who already knows how to shoot captivating videos, and who understands what the audience for that channel wants to see. Use them.
6. Make your social posts engaging and concise.
Just like video snippets, concise and engaging copy captures short attention spans and gets people to click on your post. Not your strength? Consider outsourcing your content creation and management so that you’re free to focus on your core business.
7. Build your positive online reviews.
93% of customers say online reviews impact their buying decisions – so if you’re not paying attention to them already, it’s time to start. Let your long-time customers know that online reviews can boost your business and ask them to post one. Be sure to ask for a review as part of your follow-up process after someone makes a purchase from you.
8. Walk a mile in your customers’ shoes.
Pick one customer experience a month and walk through it from start to finish, experiencing it through their eyes. Try placing an online order, returning an item, sitting in your waiting room, calling your help desk, or sending an email to customer service. Are there ways you could make the experience easier, more helpful or enjoyable? (We write more about that here.)
9. Develop long-term relationships with vendors and employees.
Many businesses focus on developing their customer relationships, but not on relationship-building with their vendors and employees. Both will have your back if you’ve invested in them.
Employee turnover is costly, and unhappy employees who feel neglected, disengaged, or overworked can cost you in output, customer service, and team morale. There may be a gap between your expectations and this next generation of employees, but to hire and keep good people, you need to intentionally create a work culture that’s a fit for all.
With your vendors, avoid being that customer who always demands “extra” or impossible deadlines and you’ll find that they have room to supply expertise and occasional last-minute miracles. An invested vendor will also keep their eyes open for things you should know, as well as opportunities for your business.
10. Invest in a plan.
Particularly when money is tight, marketing needs to be targeted. At the start of the year don’t just set your goals, develop a strategy to achieve them. What are your challenges? Where are the opportunities? Who, exactly, is your audience and how can you connect with them?
Looking for more ideas from StudioTalk?
StudioTalk is our free, quarterly newsletter full of practical design, branding, and customer relationship-building ideas to help you grow your business.