Spring has officially sprung, bringing with it a sense of renewal and rejuvenation. Though traditionally a time we associate with tending the garden as flowers begin to bloom, I see some direct correlations between springtime planting and mastering marketing’s many (sometimes thorny) facets. Inspired by the season, here are eight springtime marketing tips that will help your business bloom.
- Planting Seeds: Storytelling is the seed of great marketing, and brands that tell a compelling story get the most attention. Storytelling that rings true helps to personalize your brand to an audience looking to make a human connection–not a corporate one. Nike gets this right on the money, crafting a tonally perfect story for nearly every product and creating content that inspires interaction.
- Birds of a Feather Flock Together: The type of content you create and its style are largely based on understanding who your clients and prospects are and how best to reach them. You must know your audience just as well as you know your own product in order to speak authentically and make a more meaningful connection.
- Choosing the Right Fertilizer: As we know, planting the seed is just the start. In order to grow and flourish, you need a team of people who are multidimensional, diverse and has a grasp on today’s socially-conscious consumers. Starbucks has a powerful stance on inclusivity and hiring the best, brightest and most dynamic mix of people from all walks of life.
- Be a Social Butterfly! By sharing content on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you can effectively share your messages and start a conversation with fans. Additionally, consider writing thought leadership content, such as guest blog posts, for popular websites in your industry and backlinking to your website. This is a simple, smart way of building awareness and credibility within your niche.
- Soak Up Some Sun: Good public relations efforts can put the spotlight on your marketing efforts as long as you have a story to tell and know the right person to pitch. Falcon’s Creative Group, a developer of amusement attraction experiences, often shares their latest exciting projects with trade publications within their wheelhouse. This gets the news out to the people who care about their work and positions them as an industry leader. So, go on–don’t be afraid to get your brand out in that sunshine.
- Having a Garden Variety: In 2018, creativity counts more than ever. Do something different, create a shareable meme, try a strategic sponsorship, pin images on Pinterest and share user-generated content. For example, check out Old Town’s Instagram page. This iconic Kissimmee, Florida walking district full of shops, rides, food and entertainment, shares regrams of user-generated photos, which has enhanced social engagement.
- Staying Fresh as a Daisy: If you lose sight of what’s working and what’s not, your marketing can quickly become anything but spring-fresh. For instance, if you’re a smaller craft brewery looking to bring in locals, spending your marketing budget on a wide-spanning social media push rather than investing in sampling events or pop-up shops at the farmers market may be a misstep. Barnie’s Coffee keeps their efforts fresh by focusing on local outreach opportunities like this one benefitting survivors of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy.
- Celebrate a Bumper Crop: Metrics can tell you if you’re blooming or wilting on the vine. It’s only through taking a hard look at the numbers that you can measure successes or failures and react accordingly. You simply don’t know what you don’t measure.
Spring is a time of rejuvenation. And in the spirit of the season, I encourage you to shine some new light on your marketing. From planting the seeds of storytelling to following your metrics, and everything in between, refreshing your marketing strategy can grow your brand. Ahhh, the sweet smell of success.