By Alexandra Burnett, Business2Community.com
Special to Online Career Tips
It’s no secret that a company’s success or failure is directly tied to the effectiveness of its marketing efforts. Whether a company has a dedicated marketing manager, or the owner wears the marketing manager hat, this role is one of the most critical functions in any company.
Marketing managers who are creative and diligent in their work can impact a business in a positive way but a mediocre marketing manager whose performance is poor can be more harmful than beneficial to a business.
So how do you know whether or not you are are a shining star when it comes to marketing?
Here are 5 things good marketing managers never say. If you don’t say these things and are focused on Search Engine Optimisation, social media marketing, lead generations etc. you are on the right path. Keep going. If you hear yourself saying the following, it’s time for you to change your mind!
1. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is not that important.
SEO is the tool that is used to ensure that a website is listed as close as possible to the top of relevant search results. Without SEO it will be like potential customers driving past your business without even knowing that you are there.Search Engine Journal found that 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. Good marketing managers never ignore this statistic and keep it in mind as a reminder that investing more in SEO efforts will pay off handsomely in terms of increased awareness, website traffic and lead generation.
2. I don’t think we should bother with Social Media Marketing
In a recent survey Hubspot found that:
- social media produces double the amount of leads of trade shows, telemarketing, direct mail or PPC
- 46% of online users count on social media when making a purchase
- companies with more than 1000 Twitter followers generate more than 800 new website visitors a month
- companies with more than 1000 Facebook fans generate more than 1400 new website visitors a month
Only these statistics alone prove the benefits of social media marketing. Marketing managers should stop wondering whether they should bother or not with social media marketing. The verdict is simple – social media is a great way to drive repeat business and to attract new customers.
3. I have no idea where leads come from
Good marketing managers never say this because they know that even if they have created a brilliant, groundbreaking marketing campaign, it won’t be worth their time or effort if it does not translate into leads/sales. A great marketer needs to know how many leads/sales he’ll need in order to meet overall business goals. The best way to do this is by tracking your sales funnel:
Visitors > Leads > Marketing Qualified Leads > Opportunities >Proposals > Customers
Knowing where your leads come from will help you make smart decisions, suggest fast changes when necessary, and find opportunities to nurture qualified leads from the awareness stage until all the way to the point where they are ready and willing to make a purchase.
Nurtured leads produce, on average, a 20% increase in sales opportunities versus non-nurtured leads.Who doesn’t want that?
4. I don’t have time to create great content
Content, to a large degree, is considered the top factor in search engine optimization. After all, search engines need to analyze through words in order to identify what your site is about. If there isn’t much content to look at, how will they be able to draw conclusions about its relevance to a user’s search terms?
Online users are always on the search for easy to read, informative and shareable content. When visitors land on your website but don’t find engaging and relevant content, they will leave quickly. This is referred to as “bounce”. However, if users find the content they wanted and more, they’ll stick around for a while, increasing their “time on site.” This is the data that search engines consider when ranking sites.
Not only does great content increase awareness among your target market, traffic to your website and visitor loyalty but it also influences purchase behaviour.
Custom Content Council found that 61% of consumers say they feel better about a company that delivers custom content and are also more likely to buy from that company.
5. I know all there is to know about marketing
Good marketing managers will happily admit that a career in marketing is enjoyable, fun and provides them with the challenge they have always wanted. The reason is that marketing is always changing. As a result it is impossible for anyone working in the industry to say that he/she knows all there is to know about marketing.
The fact that 86% of people now skip TV ads, 44% direct mail never gets opened shows that consumers in the 21st century are getting smarter and smarter when it comes to making purchase decisions. With that in mind, good marketers humbly accept that that they will never be able to grasp a full understanding of the mysteries of marketing – there will always be new marketing techniques to learn, cases to study, and strategies to research.
Do you want your marketing to be more successful in terms of cutting sales cycles and cost per lead ? If so, download Marketing Director’s guide: How to enable the sales team with hot leads eguide.
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