10 Marketing Tricks From the Pros These tips will give you an immediate boost in the ROI of your marketing efforts.
By Mike Templeman Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Marketing is the lifeblood of any startup – without it, the company will be sure to sink. So for entrepreneurs looking to boost their productivity with simple tricks, I set out to find answers.
I recently asked some of the smartest and most experienced marketing people I know for their No. 1 marketing hack. While all provided extremely effective solutions, I was amazed at how simple some of them were.
Here is a list comprised of the top ten, categorized by marketing experts.
Social Media
1. Boost your posts. "Give your social media content a boost. Businesses are finding it more and more difficult to get their message heard. By the latest estimates, Facebook is showing only 6 percent of a business' content to their fan base. So give your content a paid boost. If you have more than 100 likes on your page, a 'boost' button will appear at the bottom of each post. Use it. For less than $30, you can get your message out to thousands of unique users."
-Rob Wellman, CEO of Social5
Related: Is Your Marketing Message Getting Muddled?
2. Load up on data, and do it quickly. "Facebook advertising can deliver the cheapest CPM's in online marketing with the ability to test ad efficiency in real-time. Use the power editor "duplicate" tool to create hundreds of ads and change one element per ad. Give these a small budget, and you'll quickly see what works and what doesn't without breaking the bank. Double down on the ones that work, and kill the ones that don't."
-Kyle Ivins, co-founder Envolve Agency
3. Retweet and engage "Don't just tweet out stuff about your company. Engage with other companies, your customers and thought leaders in your market. Retweet their tweets and add your thoughts. Respond to tweets that aren't directed at you and give your thoughts on those. Followers will start flowing your way."
-Jason Barber, co-founder Friendemic
Advertising
4. Explore pay-per-click advertising. Google isn't the only show in town when it comes to pay-per-click advertising.
"Google has the most volume when it comes to their ad network. But they're far from the only option. Bing provides great results for businesses targeting the baby boomer generation. You can also look into Google Search Partner Networks for other opportunities for higher ROI."
-Jacob Baadsgaard, CEO Disruptive Advertising
5. One ad per keyword. "If you're running a campaign with a dozen keywords and only have one ad, then you're throwing money away. Create specific ad groups that target single keywords. Then create two to three ads for that one keyword. See which ad works best, then run with it."
-Scott Cohen, CEO of 180Fusion
Related: 7 Marketing Truths Every Business Leader Should Know
Public relations
6. Don't brag, give real value. "The greatest secret in media and public relations right now is that the press (and your potential customers) are most interested in the value added information that will help them succeed in a given area—not in hearing promotional information from you. By thinking of your readers' needs first—not your own self-interests—you will receive business traction and audience engagement beyond your dreams."
-Cheryl Snapp Conner, Snapp Conner PR
7. One sentence "Here's a pro tip that's extremely obvious, but often completely ignored by entrepreneurs everywhere: You should be able to explain your startup in one sentence. That's it. No exceptions."
-Harrison Weber, Journalist and News Editor for VentureBeat
SEO
8. Poach your competitors' mentions. "Create a Google Alert for your competitors' brand names. Find out where they are being mentioned and in what context. Then, see if there's opportunities to be mentioned alongside of them. Many times journalists and editors will write about one brand and be open to including a similar brand for parity."
-Nathan Tanner, Foxtail Insights
Email marketing
9. Trim your subjects. "Get an immediate lift in email marketing revenue by reducing your subject lines to only one word. Choose that word carefully. It should induce irresistible curiosity, while staying relevant to your message. With the right word, your open rates will skyrocket. Do some testing to really dial it in."
-Tyler Dixon, Marketing Director for SpinGo
Outdoor advertising
10. Think outside the box. "Get creative when working with a budget and with advertisers. A client of mine recently secured a "pay for performance' billboard on one of the busiest stretches of an interstate. They only pay the billboard agency if a sale results from that billboard. You'd be surprised what you can get accomplished if you only ask."
-Matt Frisbie, CEO of ChiefMO
Related: 6 Ways to Get Customers Hooked and Raving About Your Brand
