If you’re looking to get your marketing communications strategy in check, it’s likely that you recognise the importance of conversing with your audience. For lots of companies, a lack of discussion is where problems start arising. Now more than ever, individuals want to feel involved with the brands they enjoy. If you want to grow as a business, you need to be open with your consumers.
Are Marketing and Advertising the Same Thing?
This is a question we specialists get asked incredibly frequently. In short, the answer is no, marketing and advertising are not the same. Although their end goal is often similar, the two techniques are worlds apart in their approach.
When it comes to advertising, this technique very much focusses on making a hard sale. Everyone who is being advertised to, knows it. This approach is often notably more invasive too. In comparison, marketing takes a different stance, focussing on building a relationship over anything else. Now, you’re probably asking yourselves, which is better? Ultimately, the technique you choose is going to be based purely on what it is you want to achieve. If all you care about is sales, advertisement may be the way for you. If you’re looking to build brand loyalty and a longer-term promotional strategy, on the other hand, marketing is the way to go.
Types of Marketing
Before we go too much further, it’s important we’re all clear on what constitutes as marketing. Below is a non-exhaustive list of some of the techniques we specialist in here at VerriBerri…
- Social Media Marketing (SMM)
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Event Management
- Public Relations (PR)
- Crisis Management
- Email Marketing
- Content Marketing
Key Things to Consider When Building Your Marketing Communications Strategy
Your strategy is arguably one of the most important parts of the entire marketing process. Without it, how are your team supposed to have any direction? Building an effective plan of action, however, can be somewhat overwhelming, especially with little knowledge of the topic at hand. Below, the team have put together a few pointers on what you need to be considering…
Brand Alignment
One of the first things you need to consider when building your marketing communications strategy is whether your chosen techniques fit your brand. For example, a makeup brand may not want to market themselves on LinkedIn. Similarly, a luxury watch brand probably isn’t going to gain much value from appearing in a local newspaper. Choosing the wrong platforms could end up costing you money, or even worse, damaging your reputation.
Customer Alignment
Secondly, you also need to consider your target audience. You need to be where your customers are, otherwise, you may as well be speaking to an empty room. Do some research into where they enjoy spending their time and which platforms attract who. It’s pointless trying to target millennials through Facebook, just like you wouldn’t target an OAP through Instagram!
Budget Alignment
Finally, you need to have a clear understanding of what you can and can’t afford. Most businesses appoint a professional agency to help with their marketing, simply due to how demanding this task can be. Although this is a pricier option than doing it yourself, it really does pay to have a specialist behind your project. What’s more, we can help you to identify how to spread your budget too. Before coming to us, have an idea in your mind as to how much you want to spend. This will help us to identify the resources we have and where they are best used.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Still not sure where to start? In addition to implementing your chosen techniques, if needed, we can also custom build you an effective strategy too. All of our packages are carefully constructed to suit the needs, wants and desires of each individual client we work with. This means that we will take into consideration everything we mentioned above, in addition to your brand ethos, values and beliefs.
Working With VerriBerri
At VerriBerri, our team is easily one of our biggest assets. Not only are we all hard workers, but we’re also extremely passionate about what we do. Even as a growing agency, our company culture just keeps thriving, meaning communication is never an issue. What’s more, as a result of endless brainstorming, ideas are in constant supply. This means that we are able to offer unique campaigns to our clients that hit the spot first time.
Lots of businesses get caught up hiring different agencies to help with the different aspects of their marketing communications strategy. Not only is this less efficient when it comes to time, but it can also be more costly too. By choosing an integrated firm like ourselves, we are able to keep adapting our approach as and when we need to. What’s more, with our whole team under one roof, we are able to create more rounded campaigns, boosting your ROI.
The cost of outsourcing to a marketing firm can be off-putting, especially if you are seeking quotes from large city agencies. At VerriBerri, however, we have packages to suit every price point, keeping our services affordable for businesses in all stages of their lifecycle.
Contact Us Today!
Interested in knowing more about working with our team of experts? Our philosophy is simple, if you’re passionate about making your business a success, we are too!
To discuss our services in more detail or to arrange your free consultation, contact us today! You can get in touch by calling us on 01376 386 850 or alternatively, by clicking here!