When it comes to marketing your business, the more creative you can be, the better. This is great news for businesses like design companies because there is a great scope to creatively showcase your services.
Adopt these three marketing techniques to enhance your brand awareness and increase ROI.
1. Harness social media to showcase your work
Do you have a water-tight and engaging social media strategy? If not, you’re losing out on a huge audience.
Social media has the power to take your business from zero to hero, so harnessing it should be a priority. Not only can a well-executed social media marketing strategy increase brand awareness, but it can actually increase your ROI.
Don’t underestimate platforms like Twitter and Instagram; they are paramount to the growth of your business. Think about it – when prospective customers take an interest in your business, one of the first things they will do is look you up on social media.
Facebook is often the first touchpoint for prospective customers, but having supporting Twitter and Instagram accounts that are professional and engaging will position your business as well-established and social media savvy.
What’s more, social media can help you project your business’ ethos and personality, to enhance your credibility and build trust between you and your customers.
If you’re not social media-literate, you should brush up on your understanding, pronto. Businesses that don’t jump on board with social media will risk looking unprofessional and having lower expertise.
This is especially important for creative businesses like design companies, as you would be expected to have a strong grasp on curating a slick, professional and aesthetically-sound social media presence that showcases your services.
To commence your social media strategy, you should first establish what exactly it is that you want to share with your audience (e.g. behind-the-scenes images, final projects, etc.). Then, because social media is very visual, you should collate some high-resolution, well-composed images and video. You should then implement a schedule, using tools like Buffer and Hootsuite to organise your posting. Note: for optimum engagement, post high-quality content, and post frequently.
2. Get onboard with high-quality video production
It has been predicted that video is the future of content marketing. According to Cisco, by 2019 80% of internet traffic will be made up on video. Video can attract an online community of loyal customers, increase brand awareness and increase revenue.
What’s more, smartphones and tablets have overtaken laptops and desktops as the preferred method for internet browsing. According to statistics, 80% of time spent on social media is spent on a mobile device, and 48% of millennials view video solely on their mobile device.
This is no surprise, as the quality of video production being pumped out on Instagram and YouTube is of an incredible standard. Amateur videos now have high production value, with crisp 4K resolution, impressive shots, slick editing and sound clarity. With the introduction of IGTV – an extension of Instagram – video (in particular, live video) isn’t going anywhere soon.
A video is something creative businesses like a design company should incorporate into their marketing strategy. A video is a great way to tell a story and show the process of a project coming to life – from ideation and rough drafts to creation to the final product.
The video isn’t reserved solely for social media (although that is where it has really flourished over recent years). Now, a video is used on landing pages, in blog posts and is embedded into emails and newsletters.
3. Think outside the box with print marketing
Diverting away from digital, an unusual yet effective marketing technique that creative businesses like design companies should adopt is the use of print marketing.
It may seem like an odd avenue to embark down – considering the rise of digital – but this is exactly why it’s an exciting marketing tactic. It will make your business stand out in a crowd and keep your customers on their toes.
Used in conjunction with digital marketing and social media, high-quality printed marketing materials like banners, books and booklets, brochures, flyers, leaflets and postcards will aid your marketing efforts. This is because you will tap into the psyche of your customer on and off the screen. Giving your customers something tangible will increase the longevity of your message, and enhance your brand’s logo and message.
Printed marketing materials are suitable for all businesses – creative or corporate, big or small, local or national, and ecommerce. For creative businesses like design companies, utilising printed marketing materials is a smart move.
By harnessing social media, video and print marketing, your creative business will thrive. If you utilise all three your brand awareness will be sky-high and you will see an increase in revenue.
