With the endless marketing tactics to consider while creating or refreshing your marketing strategy, it’s hard to know where to begin. Sorting through which ones will actually help your business can be overwhelming, and identifying what will be most beneficial for your bottom line depends largely on your industry and budget. But there are several tactics that stand out from the rest. Read on for the top three tactics you should consider including in your marketing plan.  

Content Marketing

You’ve heard it before – content is king. But not just any content; there are many things to consider before sitting down and writing endless copy about your product or service. Think about your target audience and if there is more than one persona you’re trying to reach. You’ll need to write content to appeal to each. Consider the challenges they may have, and focus your content as a means to help them solve problems. Carefully select your voice for the content; this will be the way in which you speak to this audience. Include a call to action – such as make a purchase or sign up to receive communications from you – so that readers can find out more about your business. Lastly, make sure you are sharing the content in relevant places online. Use social media, online advertising tactics or both to spread your content across the Web.

Social Media Advertising

It’s not enough to be active on social media unless you’re a nationally recognized brand with a marketing budget that could put your net worth to shame. Small business owners are struggling to ensure theirs voices are being heard. Facebook’s organic reach is declining as its stock prices rise – these social media giants are out to make money. If you want to reach new audiences, or even your current audience, you have to invest in social media advertising. There are a variety of campaigns on networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn to help meet your specific objectives. Whether you want to increase your following, drive traffic to your site, or spread the news on a certain promotion or business initiative, social media advertising can help you meet your goals more quickly than many other marketing tactics out there.

Graphic Design

Good design can make or break a brand. But even more than that, visuals play a huge role in both content marketing and social media. Suppose you craft the perfect piece of content for your company and you’re ready to share it with the world. You’re not a graphic designer, and you sure don’t have anyone on staff who knows Photoshop, so you pull a free stock photo (or even worse—a piece of clipart), insert it into the content and call it a day. You invest hard-earned dollars to promote this content to your social media fans and followers, but you see little to no results. Neglecting imagery is one of the biggest mistakes content marketers make. And this problem often occurs in social media advertising campaigns as well. It’s clear that visuals make a huge difference in click rates, and investing in graphic design is worth it. Not to mention the benefits associated with portraying a clean, professional image online.

Content marketing, social media advertising and graphic design may not solely guarantee success for your marketing strategy. But hand in hand, these three complement each other better than most other marketing tactics to achieve your communications goals.

Mike Duncan co-founded Sage Island in 1997, and since then has evolved the agency’s scope to include marketing strategy, creative design, technical development and a wide range of digital marketing services. With an integrated approach that leverages the power and measurability of the internet, the savvy Sage Island team develops strategies, builds brands, writes killer copy and delivers to clients all over the world. And they have an awesome time doing it. Sage’s collaborative working environment keeps creativity and innovation at the heart of the concept. With a 17-year history in Wilmington and beyond, Sage Island shows no signs of slowing down. To learn how Sage Island can grow your business, check us out at www.sageisland.com. To stay updated on the latest in digital marketing, follow Sage Island on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SageIsland, and on Twitter at twitter.com/SageIsland.