How to Leverage 360 Degrees Marketing Technique to Increase Sales
Emmanuel is a Small Business Consultant, Start-Up Advisor and Consultant…
Sales are a determinant of whether a business would survive or not. The lifeblood of every business is embedded in the day-to-day activities that can generate consistent cash flow. Some organizations get caught up in trying to do many things are at a time and this affects their downline and ultimately the finances of the organization. Many organizations may not necessarily know that they are doing too much until there is a sharp drop in revenue. A sharp drop in revenue is an indication of many factors and this symptom can mean that some core activities such as staff retention, customer service, lack of repeat sales, poor product management, and unclear definitions of the target market are suffering.
If there are consistent sales, a business can survive the most difficult phases as cash flow is directly linked to the overall activities.
The most important question to ask then is “how can more sales be made?” Without asking this question, the business risks every other form of major distraction.
The 360 degrees Marketing Technique
The 360 degrees marketing technique can also be called Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). This technique is a mix of several activities that organizations are engaged in to increase awareness about a product or service. The perception of visibility by a customer over a long period consistently makes a brand become the preferred choice of a customer whenever they need to make a purchasing decision as the brand is the first to come to mind due to the number of exposures they have had with the prospect and vice-versa.
1. Email Marketing
Email is one of the easiest and fastest ways to reach a large audience and when properly deployed has the potential to create a consistent stream of customers, as it takes the form of a closed user group through the reception of newsletters by the customers and overtime a relationship is built through readership as the audience are regularly updated about the activities of the organization or products and services.
Email Marketing also helps to create some form of targets as there are metrics that could show who reads a particular newsletter and how many times. Observing the behavior of the readers and the type of content they are reading could initiate a purchase decision by offering a product that compliments what they read.
2. Blogging
Blogging is similar to email marketing, but while email marketing is only sent to subscribers or users generated through a third party, blogging reaches out to all possible audiences that are online and serves as a tool to consistently inform customers about the product, services, or activities of a business. Regular blogging should average up to 3-5 blog posts weekly to make conversions; this done for 6 months is a guarantee for increased sales.
3. Granting Media Interviews
As much as the new media is emerging greatly, the traditional media is still the preferred option for most audiences, and the ability to use these tools such as television, radio, and print media is key to reaching a lot of people. The conversations on these platforms create a direct connection with the listeners as it is visual. These interviews, serve as a vehicle for the firm to share industry-based experiences and this ultimately makes them thought leaders in that space. Over time, such personality becomes a face and voice in their sector.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization is arguably the first on the list of all techniques as it reduces the time, effort, and energy to directly reach out to prospective customers. SEO guarantees that prospects can easily find an offer and make a purchase decision as it places a brand right where the audience is seeking answers. Sales are also made round the clock with no limitation of where the customer buys from.
5. Networking
Getting exposure as a Founder for your business is necessary to build a personal brand first, as this benefit extends to a business brand as trust can easily be built when people can interact with the owner of the business. A core part of business visibility is to ensure that business owners continuously put themselves out there as many times as possible, and this consistency over time builds loyalty right from the onset and sales.
While there are many other techniques in addition to the ones mentioned, engaging in one or more of these activities has the potential to increase the revenue base of the business and reachability.