Companies and associations both large and small are pondering marketing plans for the new year. TRG Marketing thought we would share perspective on some things to consider in 2019; a little food for thought.

Marketing Thoughts for 2019

1. Consider how well you are budgeting. There is a lot of waste in business as a result of channeling resources to low-priority targets, media or distribution channels. A thoughtful planning process can go a long way to stretching dollars and spending dollars wisely.
2. Referral-selling remains the best way to generate leads for most companies. That’s because the leads come qualified and the referral generally speeds up the sales cycle.
3. Websites demand attention. Google has altered the way it handles search criteria—and more website traffic is coming from mobile devices—so it has never been more important to budget for website improvement. This means investing in technology—and the content you share with others.
4. Don’t forget about email marketing. Email remains the workhorse of business-to-business marketing. It’s a cost-effective way to stay in front of customers, referral sources, and so many others. How’s your database? How well are you utilizing this medium? Can you segment, personalize and customize?
5. Social media can’t be ignored, especially as job seekers increasingly vet companies based in part on social media presence. Usually it’s possible to devote just a few hours per month to establish and maintain a respectable social media presence, which helps with search engines, too.
6. In a similar vein, consider digital advertising. Google and leading networks like Facebook and Linked In provide highly-targeted, highly-measurable and cost-effective options for both consumer-facing and business-to-business firms.
7. Re-think sponsorships and trade shows. We’ve seen a lot of movement away from these tactics and rightfully so: why invest huge resources in a show that just doesn’t have the attendance anymore? But these activities still have merit for many. The key is to target your spending wisely and to ensure that you take an integrated approach.
8. Think about how you are doing research. The talk today is about analytics but for most growing organizations the question is more straight-forward: how do you ensure that you’re continually getting feedback from those you serve and then putting that information to use?
9. Ask how well you are leveraging your employees. In a world of social media, content marketing and more it’s easy to overlook one of your best potential sources of growth: your own employees. The best companies don’t delegate selling to the sales department; they ask their people—from customer service to technical support—to help identify opportunities and more. How is this latent sales force being leveraged?
10. Tie it all together. A study by JD Power shows that entities that touch customers in seven different ways across multiple channels tend to see loyalty and affinity increase. We agree!  The best marketers tend to include multiple tactics in their marketing mix. And, like a symphony conductor, they have a knack for forging fit between the different elements of their programming. 1 + 1 can equal 3!