If you want to engage your customer base in a way that deeply resonates with their needs, you need to communicate a story well. One of the best ways to do story-based marketing is through the Storybrand system. The folks developed the system around seven fundamental principles that make marketing a clear, intuitive, and organic process. Storybrand marketing is a customer-focused marketing technique that you can apply to just about any business model. If you’re interested in creating a compelling brand story that engages with your target market, read on for seven essential steps to get started.
The 7 Steps to Create a Storybrand to Ensure Marketing that Works:
1. Start With The Customer:
Every good story starts with a central character. A lot of businesses feel that they need to be the central character in their account. In reality, the customer should be the center of the story. This restructuring allows them to place themselves within the narrative you are trying to create.
2. Identify A Problem:
According to Donald Miller, every good story has a problem or conflict. This problem that you identify is the central need that your customer faces. This need is the exact problem that you can solve for your customer – and it is often what defines your value as a company.
3. Identify Yourself as The Guide:
This is where you come in. You are the guide in the story who has the ability to lead your customer through the murky confusion of their problem and can guide them to the solution. Speaking of guides, a storybrand certified guide can help accomplish all the steps on this list professionally. Make sure that you, as the company, are clearly the solution to your customer’s unique problem.
4. Have A Plan:
You need to identify yourself as an expert. You have a unique solution to your customer’s issue. This is especially critical for any business-to-business model. You need to explicitly communicate the expertise that you have built over a long period of time.
5. Have a Clear Call to Action:
Now that you have clearly identified the hero in the story (your customer) and the solution to their problem (you), there should be a clear call to action present. It doesn’t need to be pushy — just compelling. Remember, the story should do most of the work for you. A storybrand certified guide can help you toe the line of compelling and overzealous.
6. Define Success or Failure:
The narrative that you craft should make it abundantly clear that if the customer follows the instructions given to him by the guide, they will achieve success. If they choose not to accept the guide’s help, they will run into the same problems that they have been facing.
7. Failure:
Failure shouldn’t be the centerpiece of your story, but it should serve as a vehicle of helpful tension for your story. Make sure that the customer understands the possibility of failure if they choose to not engage with your product or service, as well as the benefit of using your company.
Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.
Every marketer would tell you that there are reasons why text marketing continues to become a mainstay in marketing agencies.
In fact, both conventional and modern companies highly rely on their efficacy when it comes to reaching out to their target audience. Because when you think about it, every person checks their text message inbox every time they receive a ping.
Leveraging communication strategies like an effective SMS marketing campaign allows you to grow your brand more, target more audiences, and even build closer relationships with prospects.
There are a lot of things that SMS marketing can help you with in terms of achieving business goals. But before you partake in this marketing tactic, it’s important to understand the concept behind this marketing practice. Use this guide to make successful SMS marketing campaigns.
What Is SMS Marketing?
It’s crucial to understand first the concept behind this old but gold marketing strategy. SMS marketing refers to a short message service you send to your customers to build relationships with them. It’s important for text marketers to communicate with their target audiences in a respectful and compliant manner.
No matter what your business goals are, SMS marketing puts you one step ahead of achieving them. For instance, you can drive more leads, introduce new products, lead them to check your website, and so on. The ideas that you can do with this marketing method are limitless.
Compared to email or push notification marketing, SMS marketing has several advantages. For instance, every person who receives an incoming message in their phone inbox will surely take the time to check and read them one by one.
While some people might check their emails at least once a day regarding text message inboxes, people often check them as soon as they receive a message.
Your message can be concise and clear with SMS marketing. There’s no need for lengthy advertising messages. With brief sentences that can take up less than 160 characters of the SMS limit, you can already deliver what you want to say to your prospects.
Choosing The Right SMS Marketing Tool
Now, it’s time to understand the tool to use for this marketing strategy. With the advent of technology, there is now text marketing software at your disposal. For one, you can take advantage of Drop Cowboy Ringless Voicemail service and some other brands that offer reliable text messaging as marketing services.
Text message delivery depends on the tools and services you choose. Such software comes with pricing plans that fit your marketing budget and goals. Unlike any other conventional marketing promotions like print ads, TV ads, and billboards, this marketing campaign is priced reasonably better. Also, consider partnering with the best SMS marketing service provider to automate your text messages to your target recipients.
How To Maximize On SMS Marketing Campaigns
As mentioned, a high percentage of people open text messages every time they receive one. By sending promotional messages via SMS, you ensure your customers will read them because they will arrive directly in their inboxes.
Check out these ideas in which you can maximize your SMS marketing campaigns.
1. Limited-Time Promotions
You can use an SMS marketing strategy to encourage your customers to avail of coupons and discounts or even redeem incentives or gifts. Offering these incentives for a limited time makes them even more effective.
Announcing that the campaign only runs on a promo period is an effective call-to-action strategy so your customers won’t miss out on such opportunities. It’s one effective strategy to get your business to high ranks.
Considering SMS marketing's high open rate, it’s the most effective way to communicate time-sensitive offers with customers. As a result, you ensure your customers don't pass up a good deal. This yield win-win situations for both the customers and your brand. They get discounted rates, and you could convert your sales funnel more effectively.
2. Reminding Customers
One good purpose for SMS marketing is when you could send notifications regarding the recent actions of your customers.
For instance, whether they checked your website, changed passwords, or linked different payment modes, an SMS notification will be sent to inform them that the activity is successful. Sending notification messages is essential for many businesses, and they’ve realized how effective it is in retaining customers.
By relaying notifications about their recent purchase or online activities, the customers will grow their trust in your brand. It could lead to continuous patronage. Also, they will feel at ease by getting reminders of how your brand is already dealing with their orders or purchases. Receiving reminders is valuable, especially for customers who are always busy with other things and obligations.
Make sure your brand is always at the top of your customer's minds. It’s a job that SMS is best suited for. With SMS marketing, you can remind your customers about everything from their most recently liked products to the purchased ones that are going to arrive soon.
3. Order Updates And Confirmation
An SMS is also useful for customers to receive updates regarding their orders. Once they make a purchase, a message will be sent regarding the successful transaction. It ensures peace of mind for the customer.
Also, the confirmation messages sent via SMS will allow them to use them as proof or evidence regarding their purchase. If products don’t arrive as planned, they can refer to the SMS notification.
4. New Product Release And Launches
SMS advertising is also useful for announcing new product releases. It’s the most cost-effective way for marketers to advertise new product launching. Without paying for the expensive talents of celebrities to promote new products, a large number of users will discover your new product offering through the message they can read in their SMS inbox.
Using this method will generate buzz and interest, and you could even entice old customers to come back and check out what's new. You can also use SMS campaigns to drive traffic to your website or storefront. Thus, you can simply include a link they can visit to check your new product or any offers.
5. Send Welcome Messages
Send your customer a welcome message once they subscribe to your SMS marketing campaign. Companies must start building relationships with their customers. As a result, you will be able to communicate with them right away, as they will know they have been subscribed.
It also alerts them to expect a few messages from your end every now and then. There’s no need for lengthy or complex welcome messages. Sometimes short but sweet thank you message about their subscription are already enough for your customers to remember your business.
6. Customer Service Tool
SMS is not limited to being a marketing tool; it’s also a customer support tool. In this era where customer service should be at the forefront of any business, SMS strategy can be used to ensure customer satisfaction.
It’s imperative that your work processes are as transparent as possible, and you can achieve this by constantly sending them SMS in case necessary. After all, a text message is the easiest way to communicate with pre-sale customers and post-sale tech support.
7. Collect Customer Feedback
It’s essential for businesses to receive customer feedback to determine what they are doing well and what they need to improve. And it’s something that’s being offered with SMS marketing. You can send out surveys through SMS, and customers can answer them timely and convenient.
There are many ways to create survey forms for them to easily fill out. The key is to attach the link to your SMS. Another option is to ask customers to rate you using a ranking system that’s easy for them to use.
8. Announce VIP Programs
By offering a VIP program, you can encourage loyalty among your subscribers and customers. If you want to make your VIP customers feel special, offer them VIP-only discounts. This sense of exclusivity allows your customers to treat your brand with more respect and value.
Also, use this program for customers to gain early access to sales and other promotions. One way for them to qualify for your VIP list is to encourage them to fill out a signup link. However, since it’s VIP, make it seems more challenging for them to enter this list. The harder it feels to qualify, the more special and valued they would feel.
Tips To Apply Effective SMS Marketing Strategies
Applying SMS marketing strategies require effective implementations. When done right, they can produce the best outcomes for your business. Here are some tips to apply effective SMS marketing strategies for your brand:
1. Ensure That Your Customers Opted In
Your customers probably already provide you with their phone numbers. However, one common courtesy is to get their approval to start receiving SMS from your brand. Mass texting them without their consent is ethically wrong and will only lead to adverse effects on the customer. Ensure to get your customer’s clear opt-in before starting to send out text message campaigns.
Your website or other online channels can allow customers to opt-in to receive text messages. However, you should get a text confirmation before you send them anything. There are ways to get their opt-in consent. One is to make them reply Yes or No to your single SMS regarding SMS subscription. Another way is through your website.
They can press a CTA button regarding their receiving SMS messages from your brand. When the user clicks the link in the offer, they can fill out the subscription form and enter their number so they can start receiving your SMS campaigns.
2. Take Time To Introduce Yourself
A good practice is to take the time to introduce your brand in any of your SMS campaigns. Chances are your customers don’t know where the messages are coming from. Failing to include your company name or brand name on the message will only forfeit its purpose. Hence, it’s important to include your company or brand name in that short message that you’re sending.
3. Make Messages Fun And Short
It’s common for people to use SMS messages to communicate with friends and family informally. Texting should remain fun in your SMS campaign in the same way as a fun communication tool between people. Be friendly and personal with customers to build trust.
Use local trending words that are popular with your target audience for the time being. It ensures to catch their interest and make them read your text message completely. The maximum number of characters in an SMS message is 160. With an opt-out option and the need to identify yourself, that's not much to work with. Don't waste any characters, and go straight to the point of what you want to say.
4. Don’t Forget To Use Target Keywords
To encourage users to connect with you, you should select contextually relevant keywords alongside simple messages and shortcodes. Using such keywords will allow them to easily remember anything about your brand or company. If they want to research you online, they can use the same keywords found on your SMS.
5. Give An Option For Customers To Opt Out
All marketing communications should follow these standards and rules. Much like getting their buy-in, you should also give them the option to opt out and unsubscribe from your SMS campaigns. You are more likely to lose customers if you constantly text them when they do not want to hear from you.
Your messages should come with the unsubscribe option, so your customers can freely opt out anytime they want. There are some viable reasons for them to do this. But it doesn’t entirely mean that they won’t be good prospects for you in the future. It’s just that not everyone prefers to get this kind of information via text.
SMS open rates tend to be much higher than those for email, so you should also expect a higher unsubscribe rate. After a message is sent, unsubscribes may spike and treat it as a normal occurrence.
6. Be More Informative Than Promotional
You should be extremely considerate of your buyers' inboxes since promotional SMS messages can easily be turned off. Therefore, staying informative and interactive is best, and not focusing too much on sounding sales or promotional.
A good rule of thumb is to focus most of your communication on order, whether a status update or a request for feedback. Schedule your promotional messages and send them at least only twice a week at a minimum. No one wants to keep receiving promotional messages that are obvious that they want to make money from you.
Conclusion
You can increase engagement with your target audience by using SMS marketing. Keeping your customers' attention is easier if you market to them where they are most active.
Therefore, if your target audience is always in their phone’s SMS inbox, it’s worth considering SMS marketing as part of your marketing mix. Use this guide and wait for results to reflect your bottom line soon.
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How effective is your business marketing strategy? Have you been successful in staying abreast with the latest marketing trends? Have you been implementing effective strategies for measuring your success? If the answers to the above questions are no, do not lose heart. You are certainly not alone on this count. Several small businesses and SMEs do not even bother to find out if at all their business marketing tactics are working successfully. Here we would be examining some of the latest business marketing trends that are dominating the scenario today. You are advised to follow these strategies for gaining incredible business success.
Tune Your Market Strategy :
A small segment of business owners is aware when their market strategies are tanking. This could happen due to lack of planning, poor planning, haphazard attempts at success and no foresight. Successful digital marketers know that a large portion of their budget must go into content marketing on blogs, social media, and emails and so on. Good content must be created and promoted so that the business is noticed and can take off.
Plan, Plan, Plan
Less than 40% of businesses have effective content marketing strategies in place. Some fail due to poor quality content, others because they don't target their audience properly. A good marketer always tracks activity through each stage of the funnel and ensure that the strategy is fine-tuned when things go wrong.
Tracking & Measuring :
How to gain marketing success digitally for your SMEs could still seem to be a mystery for many of you. A huge percentage of small business entrepreneurs, as much as 46 percent to be precise, actually do not have any idea if the marketing strategies for their businesses are effectively working or not.
Thanks to the present cutting-edge technologies, you are in a position to keep on tracking all your marketing returns, expenses, and debt. For example, you could today find out exactly how much it would be costing your business for acquiring a new customer. You must consider all dollars diverted toward various areas of marketing including social media, website, blog writing, trade shows, direct mail, paid social, etc. you must consider factoring in all you have already spent on all these important marketing elements and then divide the amount by the number of new clients you acquire every month. Moreover, you must find out from exactly which marketing channel you are able to get new clients and more inquiries. It is imperative to consistently track ROI.
Social Media Marketing Is Currently the Rage :
As per a recent study, it has been predicted that 2018 is surely going to be the year of intense social media promotion and marketing. Among the SMEs, an impressive 71 percent is expected to gain new clients by using social media platforms effectively for marketing their brands. This present marketing trend must be given a lot of importance and most entrepreneurs are appreciating and understanding the effectiveness of social media marketing. Social media is certainly one of the hottest business marketing trends.
Facebook is obviously the prime choice for small businesses as 79% of entrepreneurs would be using Facebook in all their marketing endeavors. Will your business be benefitted if you incorporate the social media marketing plans into your business strategy?
According to some Facebook exponents, Facebook success is all about going mobile. If you wish to maximize the impact of Facebook in the marketing and promotion of your business, you must dedicate all your efforts at generating and delivering everything mobile-friendly.
Virtual Reality Is Common :
Virtual reality is gaining importance by the day and is, therefore, becoming a common marketing tool for both small and big brands. The actual challenge would be to utilize Virtual Reality or VR in such an effective way that it really makes sense for both your target audience and brand messaging in general. VR marketing actually is an emerging trend and now is the right time for exploring the options that are available to you and getting well ahead of the competition.
More Dependence on Interactive Content :
Several brands, particularly in the B2B sector are relying heavily on PDF content or blog content for generating leads as an integral part of content marketing tactics for their organizations. 2018 is going to be the year of interactive web experiences which ultimately help in boosting engagement. These experiences would be demonstrating amazing thought leadership content definitely in more impressive, visual, and animated ways.
Pinterest :
Pinterest is actually regarded as a niche social networking site. However, it is forecasted to be a huge success. The best way of grabbing marketing attention is by utilizing Pinterest Lens and its versatility and functionality for engaging effectively with consumers and showcasing your mind-blowing style, products, and services.
Artificial Intelligence :
Early exponents of AI or Artificial Intelligence have categorically realized the efficacy of AI in boosting user engagement. However, incorporating AI into any site’s chatbox such as the Facebook messenger could be creating more creativity and it also helps you to understand clearly the target market of the brand. Artificial intelligence would be addressing consumer needs and issues with perfection and the same degree of efficacy as a human agent. Remember it would be quite effective and helpful if the artificial intelligence experience absolutely delights your customers in basically lighthearted and fun ways.
Conclusion :
This year marketing trends have focused on honesty and authenticity. The latest marketing trend is to focus on stark reality or brutal honesty and this marketing trend is winning a lot of acclaim and appreciation. Marketers could discuss their products and explain clearly how advantageous those products or services are. They must, at the same time, tell their target audience the scope for improvement and the flaws that may still exist. All these statements could be supported by truly objective customer reviews. Authenticity for brands is the hottest marketing trend today. Around 86 percent of the customers feel authenticity is of utmost importance while deciding and evaluating the brands. Around 60 percent of consumers believe that user-generated content is the best form of authentic content.
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HVAC repair is one of those services every homeowner or property manager needs at one time or another. So why aren't you getting as much business as you want?
In many parts of the country, HVAC repair is a highly competitive business. In fact, 70% of new HVAC businesses fail in their first year. Our intention isn’t to scare you but to help you recognize the importance of a strong marketing plan and help to know about the HVAC estimating software working procedure.
If you're looking for new ways to market your HVAC business, the methods below have proven to be successful time and time again.
Best Ways to Market Your HVAC Business :
There are plenty of marketing ideas online, but how do you know which ones will actually work? Here are a few of the most important and reliable methods:
A Great Website :
We truly can't emphasize this one enough. With smartphones in nearly everyone's hands, the first thing a consumer does today when they hear about a company is search online.
A professional-looking website is no longer just a helpful addition. If you don't have one, customers get suspicious. They start wondering if you're a legitimate company or if this is just a side business that you aren't knowledgeable about.
There are sites online that will help you create your own website, even if you have no web design experience. You could also choose to hire a professional designer for a more customized and high-end look.
If you're looking for examples of strong HVAC websites, look at the site for Hays Cooling and Heating. They have a professional look and they give customers everything they need to decide that this is the right company for them.
Content Marketing :
Let's stick to the online sector and talk about content marketing. Content marketing is the strategy of making your site an informative resource for customers, rather than one giant sales pitch.
Content marketing will factor into your initial web design as well as your continuous updates. If you update your site frequently, you'll show up closer to the top of the list of results when someone searches for an HVAC company on Google or other search engines. The best way to do this is with a blog you update regularly.
Keeping with the content marketing strategy, your blogs should be helpful and informative. Base them around real questions people are searching for. These blogs are also great to share on your social media profiles, so they further enhance your online presence.
Networking with Other Contractors :
Unfortunately, you're in an industry that is plagued by mistrust. In HVAC as well as many other types of home repair, there are some businesses and contractors who don't do their job well while taking money from customers unjustly.
This means most homeowners and property managers are slow to trust their contractors. When they find one they trust, they tend to ask them for recommendations for other specialties as well.
Develop relationships with plumbers, home builders, cement layers, and other construction-based specialties. We're not talking about a formal arrangement. Just make sure they know who you are and what you do good work. If one of their clients is looking for HVAC services in the future, those contractors are more likely to refer them to you.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising :
We all know how pervasive Google is as a search engine. When it comes to digital marketing, one of your primary goals is showing up higher on Google's search results. So why not go directly to the source?
Paid ads through Google will put you at the top of one of the first pages when customers Google a relevant search term. You can also set any budget you're comfortable with, so nearly any business can afford some level of paid search engine marketing (SEM).
Referral Codes :
Remember that discussion about how slow customers are to trust contractors and home repair companies? This makes customer referrals another powerful marketing tool.
You don't have direct control over whether a happy customer refers you, but you can give them an incentive. Rather than posting general coupon codes online to drive business, give referral codes to past customers. If a new customer hires you with a previous customer's discount code, the new customer gets a discount and the previous customer gets credit toward future services.
Exhibit at Local Home Expos :
Many cities and regions have occasional home expos. These are shows where homeowners can learn about all the latest updates on the services they may need, while also meeting their local service providers.
Not everyone likes to socialize and sell themselves, but these expos are vital opportunities. You have an audience full of people who are potential customers, so be sure to get involved.
Signage on Your Van/Truck :
Half the battle with marketing is simply getting your name out there. The more a customer sees your name, the more they'll see you as a legitimate, trustworthy company.
One cost-effective way to spread the word is by using the space on the side of your van or truck.
This actually serves two purposes. First, it gives you more visibility. Second, it gives you a more professional image. If you pull up to a customer's home in a branded van with a name you're trying to stand behind, as opposed to a beat-up anonymous truck, it adds a layer of credibility.
Building Your Online Reputation :
Here we are, back at trust again. Online reviews are one of the most important ways to get new business (or avoid losing new business).
Looking up online reviews is common practice for consumers today, especially if they're making a large purchase like an HVAC repair. Build your online reputation on Google, Yelp, Angie's List, and more by encouraging happy customers to post reviews.
Setting Up Your HVAC Business for Success :
An HVAC business isn't always an easy one to start, and it takes dedication and planning to make it work. But with the tips above, you can build up your business and secure a future for your company.
For more help starting or growing your business, check out our business tips blog.
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