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Managed Marketing 101: Your Marketing Road Map To Success

Have you stretched out all your marketing efforts and are still stuck on zero sales?—that’s bad news 😓

But brace yourself. Here’s something much worse. 😨

Did you know that CBInsights made a survey asking 101 startup employees and founders why many startups fail? 

If your answer is yes, then maybe you’re aware that 23% responded that they failed because they didn’t have the right team running the business. More notably, 14% failed because of poor marketing. 📉

Sad, but true.😔

amused person

Do you want to hear something good out of this bad news?📢 👂

Well, you see, you can save your business from these pitfalls. Did I hear you say, how?—I’m talking about Managed Marketing here. Have you heard of that? No? Or maybe yes, but you’re still confused with some of the details?

Shake off those doubts, and pull your two heads into one, for here’s a handy guide that will walk you through everything you need to know about marketing your business like a pro.🕺💼

If the inner Willy Wonka in you says, “So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it”, here’s an overview of what’s covered in this guide. Go on, you can skip some topics and take a shortcut—but don’t miss the important ones.

Is Marketing A Science Or An Art?

ideas

The dispute whether marketing is a science or an art originated in 1945. It happened when a scientist, Paul D. Converse, published the first study of marketing as a factual business practice, opposing conventional thinking.

Since that day, opposing sides of this argument have continued to surface and counter each other’s allegations for (often) reasonable reasons. 🤷‍♂️

Enjoy these two points of view and take advantage of both arguments’ merits to optimise your marketing.

Why Is Marketing A Science?

First, marketing is a science because it’s about understanding and changing behaviour. Behavioral science investigates how individuals respond to specific inputs in specific situations. This is relatable to Newton’s third law, which states that cause and effect coexist. ➡⬅

There is a response to every marketing decision. Anticipating how others will respond to your actions is where the science comes in.

its science

Secondly, marketing is a science since it involves calculating and evaluating data.

How many people do you contact?

How many people have seen your ad?

How many visitors do you turn into buyers?

What is our budget?

How many people buy again? 

These are mathematical problems and solutions critical to your marketing’s success. Note that accounting and mathematics are basic sciences for your business.

Finally, marketing is a science because “How much should I invest in marketing?” is the most frequently asked question among business people. A question that both the business owners and accountants are interested in learning the answer to.

While this is an excellent question, the most pertinent one is “How much return on investment could you project from your marketing effort?” That is an essential question, and it is quantifiable in the same way that science is.

Why Is Marketing An Art?

Simply stated, marketing is an art form since it requires an understanding of the subtleties of human nature. The definition of beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Beauty is an expression of art. 🎨🖌️

its actually art

On top of that, marketing is an art form because it’s concerned with generating demand for products or services. Some of these demands are now, while others will be in the future. You can predict an outcome using science, but then you can choose a figure based on art. The unknowable part of art is always there, no matter how much we try to explain it away.

Furthermore, marketing is an art form because it involves the difficult-to-quantify branding concept. Getting a solid return on your marketing spend needs an innovative strategy. That implies you’ll need to learn the techniques and arts of marketing. It’s harder to measure, but it’s crucial.

So What's The Bottom Line? Is Marketing An Art Or A Science?

what can we learn from this

Marketing is a science that draws inspiration from art. Never allow the course of your marketing to be controlled by art or skills alone. Use science to make significant decisions plus art for subtle adjustments.

Foremost, science must lead and evaluate, whereas creation and inspiration are where art comes in. This, my friend, is the science and art of marketing.

What's In It For You If Marketing Is An Art Or Science?

Marketing is not a plug and play thing—that’s the message. You’ve worked hard for your business, and you wouldn’t want a failed marketing strategy to spell the words BANKRUPTCY or OUT OF BUSINESS for you.

Managed marketing services take the marketing load out of your shoulders, helping you map out a surefire way to success.

Marketing Roadmap:

The Secret Ingredient for Improving Marketing Outcomes

Map? Road map? Yes, you need a road map to guide you throughout the marketing journey. That is if you haven’t taken the road yet. But if you do, still you need a map so you won’t get lost. So don’t ARGUE with me on this one—YOU NEED A MARKETING ROADMAP.

you need that girl

Here’s a 20-step roadmap for you. Take note of this one and thank me later.

1. Identify who does the business stand for?

2.  Do extensive customer research on your target audience. Who is your perfect customer? How to do this? Survey, speak to customers, sales staff, C-suite, customer service, etc.

3. Create a customer persona.

4. Identify your market opportunity?

5. Set your business goals—what can we achieve?

6. Learn about the competition—what are they doing?

7. How can you stand out? What can you do differently?

8. Create an irresistible offer considering your client persona, your strengths, the competition, and your market.

9. Map the customer journey—sales funnel

10. Create and attract leads using

  • marketing assets
  • content
  • landing pages
  • images
  • video
  • testimonials

11. Choose your first marketing channel and master it first.

12. Set goal tracking/conversion tracking

13. If the marketing strategy is effective, scale campaign and marketing channel

14. Expand into new marketing channels

15. Track and report

16. Monitor and keep track of the team’s KPI’s (key performance indicators)

17. Invest in growing leadership skills or find time to fine-tune your skills from time to time

18. Learn from mistakes and continually test and improve

19. Innovate your products/services and keep abreast with the trends

20. Understand the different ways to grow your business.

Watch this video for more strategies for growing your business.  

Speaking of a surefire marketing road map to success, what would better complement your road map than a sales channel? Here are the recommended marketing channels in crafting your marketing plan.

Recommended Marketing Channels Your Business Should Utilise

“There are only two things that earn money in a business – marketing and innovation. Everything else is an additional expense,”

says Peter Drucker, a renowned pioneer of modern management.

What Is A Marketing Channel?

multichannel marketing

A marketing channel may refer to any media or platform used to advertise products and services to customers. The primary purpose is to transfer ownership of a product or service from the manufacturer to the consumer.

But how can you determine which marketing channel to use when there are so many?😕

First, have a look at this thorough list of prospective consumer communication channels and methods:

  • SEO
  • PPC
  • Apps
  • Blogs
  • Email
  • Events
  • Chatbots
  • PR events
  • RFID tags
  • Webinars
  • Print ads
  • Contests
  • Websites
  • Radio ads
  • Microsites
  • QR codes
  • Mobile ads
  • Direct sales
  • Online video
  • Print catalogues
  • Press releases
  • SMS marketing
  • In-store signage
  • TV Commercials
  • Social media ads
  • Mobile advertising
  • Conference booths
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Amazon storefront
  • Point of sale displays
  • Social media networks
  • Near-Field Communications (NFC)

That’s a long array, but it’s only a fraction of what’s out there.

Some of these might be further subdivided. For instance, there are several social media networks, each of which may be considered as a separate channel.

Which Ones Should You Focus On? 🤔

If you find this information overwhelming, be assured that you are not alone. However, it shows how many different media, platforms, and channels exist, all vying for the same amount of attention.
Fortunately, you don’t have to tune in to every available channel. Attempting to do so will very probably fail. It’s better to perfect a few skills rather than stretching oneself too thin.

These recommended channels should not be seen as hard and fast rules for marketing success. However, for the most part, these routes are seen to be the most effective.

1. Content Marketing
content marketing

Bombarding clients with “buy” offers when they aren’t interested in purchasing is a major no-no. 🙅‍♂️ 🚫 ❌

They’ll not only shun you like the plague, assuming you’re simply interested in making a sale, but they’ll also tell their friends and relatives about it. This will lead to negative word of mouth and a bad reputation. Terrified Arm Waving Emoticons

Information marketing is a strategy for attracting a specific market segment by developing and delivering quality content – blogs, videos, ebooks, infographics, interviews, case studies, white papers, etc.

Content marketing aims to get leads or clients to take lucrative action for your business.

Businesses use content marketing to:

✔️Boost sales

✔️Obtain leads

✔️Retain clients or customers

✔️Create a brand or establish a stance for it.

✔️Support SEO and social media marketing.

✔️Create authority and a positive reputation

✔️Educate their target audience with pre-and post-sale knowledge.

Content Marketing Advice

listen-to-me

To make content marketing work for you, keep the following in mind: 💡

The game of content marketing is a lengthy one. It takes time for authority or trust to develop. You get to be the go-to authority in your industry over time by continuously producing valuable, highly shareable content.Therefore, you must use content to connect with prospects and consumers, respond to their problems and pain spots, and help them learn to understand, trust, and also like you. As an end, when they’re ready to purchase, you’ll be the first brand that comes to mind.

Content marketing isn’t a stand-alone marketing plan. Other forms of marketing are propelled by content marketing. It would be best to include content marketing in your overall business marketing strategy and use it alongside other marketing channels.

For example, for SEO to perform, you must have high-quality content that incorporates your keywords. Lead creation is aided by gated content (which needs your readers to supply their email to access), and social media marketing expands the exposure of high-quality content.

2. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
search engine optimization

HubSpot reports that 62% of customers use search engines to look for information about a business, product, or service, and 41% use search engines when they’re ready to make a purchase.

When you count in the trillion Google searches made each year, it’s evident that search engines are by far the most popular way to access information online.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the practice of achieving a high ranking for a particular phrase or keyword in the search results pages. This makes your information visible and easy to find for people looking for the phrase, word or anything close to it.

With SEO optimisation, you’re not paying any ad placement. That’s what makes SEO even more efficient—the “organic” traffic you get from search engines.

However, SEO as technology evolves rapidly, and SEO specialists must adjust their strategies to keep up. Nevertheless, several SEO basics don’t vary much over time.

These are the following:

Keywords: What’s the content of your website about?

Crawlability: Can search engines find your content?

Site Structure: How can search engines rank and arrange the content on your website?

Backlinks: Does your material give trustworthy information on the subjects you cover?

SEO Advice

you-need-to-listen-to-me
3. Social Media Marketing

s per statistics provided by wearesocial.com, in 2019, there will be roughly 3.5 billion social media users worldwide, with Facebook as the most popular platform for growing your online audience and connecting with clients.

To build your reputation, increase your customer base, make connections, and generate profits, you may leverage social media platforms like Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube and Pinterest.

Social Media Marketing Advice

noted

Make your marketing efforts more integrated. Suppose you’re looking to get the most out of social media. In that case, you’ll need to combine it with other types of digital marketing, including content marketing, influencer marketing, and word-of-mouth marketing.

Understand your target audience. This criterion applies to all marketing initiatives, regardless of the media used. It will be difficult to create targeted content relevant to your audience’s requirements if you have a hazy concept of who they are.

Make a social media schedule. Consistency is key. You must consistently provide meaningful and high-quality content to create a significant social media engagement. A social media schedule assures a steady stream of content, a consistent marketing voice, and that you establish yourself as a credible source of information. A timetable guarantees that you do not miss any social media activity and that you do not have to scramble for material at the last minute.

4. PPC (Pay Per Click) Marketing
pay per click

Pay-per-click marketing is a method of generating clicks to your website by paying for them rather than “earning” them organically. Organic traffic is excellent for growing your market.

On the other hand, paid advertising performs well (maybe even better in certain situations) for generating direct conversions. People who click on advertising are usually eager to buy something.

As reported by CleverClicks, Pay Per Click techniques convert 50% more visitors than organic results. For your entire search marketing plan, use both organic and paid strategies.

PPC Marketing Advice

im writing this down. This is good stuff

Create several ad groups: An ad group is precisely what it says on the tin. It’s a collection of advertisements designed to target a specific set of keywords. Avoid limiting your PPC campaign’s reach while focusing on a particular audience.

Make landing pages that are optimised for your ad: If a customer searches for your business using keyword phrases (which he almost certainly is), it’s safe to presume they’re looking for highly detailed information. Develop optimised landing pages and advertisements positively related to your PPC to take full advantage of something like this.

More importantly, your landing page’s language, as well as the call-to-action, must be aligned with the PPC ad. Keep in mind that you should follow SEO standard practices and that each landing page should be unique.

Make use of negative keywords: Negative keywords are terms that stop a specific word or phrase from triggering your ad. Your advertisements aren’t shown to anybody looking for that term.

For instance, by adding the negative keyword “free” to your ad or campaigns, you inform Google Ads not to display your advertisement for any search, including the phrase “free.”

PPC marketers often place a heavy emphasis on keywords while ignoring negative keywords. On the other hand, negative keywords may help you target a particular client and increase your relevance to the person who is searching.

Now that you know which sales channel to focus on, the next possible question you might have in mind is the result. You ask things like;

How to track your ROI with marketing?

What is a cost per acquisition, and how is it calculated?

What is the lifetime value, and how is it calculated?

How long does it take to see results?

How to know if your marketing is working?

am-i-asking-too-much-here

Yes you are. 😀 So let’s not waste time and look at a few different ways these questions are answered.

How To Track Your ROI With Marketing?

return of investment

“How am I going to benefit from this?”

This may be one of the most frequently asked questions by business owners considering marketing and advertising efforts to help their brand stand out in an increasingly competitive industry. It’s a question worth pondering, given the billions spent each year on digital and conventional advertising platforms.

Yes! You read it right! Online and conventional advertising channels generate billions of dollars in revenue each year! Don’t just take our word for it. Take a look at the following statistics: 🤔 💭

labor-day-bill-clinton

While what you do is mainly determined by your marketing goals, some critical actions may help you accurately measure ROI. These three crucial actions are outlined below.

Set SMART Goals

To increase marketing ROI, you must first define what success means to your business — in other words, determine your primary marketing objectives. You are more likely to design a clear strategy, follow through, and achieve outcomes if you have well-defined goals.

Setting goals should follow the SMART framework, which states that they should be specified, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Here’s how it works in practice:

smart

SPECIFIC:🎯 When crafting your objectives, be as straightforward as possible. Setting a goal like “improve ROI on paid online ads by 15%” is significantly more likely to be met than a general objective like “boost ROI.”

MEASURABLE:⚖️What evidence do you have that you’re on the correct track? Select metrics that you may monitor on a regular basis to assess the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

ACHIEVABLE: 🧗‍♂️ Is your aim attainable? While it’s a wonderful slogan to aim for the stars, it might be disheartening to discover that you’re still a long way from your objective as time passes. When formulating your marketing goals, keep in mind your existing circumstances, especially possible financial limits.

RELEVANT:👍 In this case, you should consider if your specific goal follows the more prominent corporate purpose. For example, developing brand recognition in your local marketplace is not the most excellent strategy when your company has to create a representation in a new international country.

TIME-BOUNDED:⏱️When do you anticipate seeing results? Always set a timeframe for achieving your objective. This will encourage you and your coworkers to complete projects on schedule. Furthermore, if you aren’t getting results, setting a deadline will review and revise your plan on time.

Track The Right Metrics

Metrics tracking is vital for measuring the effectiveness of your marketing activities. However, although specific measurements may indicate progress, they may not be the most relevant predictors of outcomes in practice. Make sure you’re not sidetracked by background noise and that you’re paying attention to the KPIs that matter.

There are many relevant metrics to choose from, and your goals will determine the most appropriate ones for your marketing goals. Here’s an instance of critical metric considerations to think about.

Assume you’re working to increase brand recognition by running advertising across multiple platforms. Pay more attention to reach, impressions, CPM (cost per thousand impressions), and CTR (click-through rate). Even if your advertisement has millions of views, something must be wrong if no one clicks on it. In the end, the CTR is a more appropriate metric than the number of impressions.

Calculate Your Spending

Calculate Your Spending

To correctly measure ROI in marketing, you must maintain track of your spending. What’s the cost of each marketing activity? What is the total amount of money you spend on marketing? These are the queries for which you need an immediate response. Therefore keep this information readily accessible. For the most part, ad platforms allow you to customise reports before downloading, so it’s up to you how often you want to monitor your spending.

consider yourself warned

Be cautious: your marketing expenditure includes more than simply the money you spend on ad campaigns and other marketing-related operations. To measure marketing ROI, you’ll need a complete picture of your spending, including time spent by you or your team planning campaigns, making modifications, analysing data, and so on. Include any costs for paid tools you use, whether for content production or collecting information.

Calculating A Simple ROI

math

The most straightforward method of calculating a marketing campaign’s ROI is to include it in the business operations line calculation.

Take the business or product line’s sales growth (total revenue) and deduct the marketing cost(total cost). Then, divide the difference by the marketing cost and multiply by 100.

formula

Take the following hypothetical scenario:

Suppose you have the following information:

The total cost of marketing is $1,000.

Your advertising expenditure yielded a total revenue of $1500.

Calculating your ROI using the formula [1500-1000/1000 X 100] gives you a 50% return on investment.

Now, here’s something for you to do:

Calculate Mark’s marketing ROI if he spent a total of $2 000 on social media marketing and earned $ 10 000 in sales.

you do the math

No cheating, and don’t scroll down yet! Put those math skills you have to a test.  

Did you get a 400% ROI?

Well, congratulations,👏🎊🎉 you’re good to go in calculating your marketing ROI.

Now that we have ROI covered, let’s take a deeper dive at two of the most critical metrics of marketing—CPA (cost per acquisition) and CLV (customer lifetime value)

What Is A Cost Per Acquisition, And How Is It Calculated?

cost per acquisition

As far as the paid acquisition is concerned, clicks might be seen as a gift from heaven. But, when you think about it, clicks indicate whether or not people have accessed your content. They do not show whether or not they remained.

But how can you know whether your content is compelling and emotionally striking enough to influence your audience to stick around and eventually buy your goods or service? 🤔

Conversions are likely the most telling indicator of this. If your content persuaded somebody to register or even purchase anything, it was the value of the function.

Cost per acquisition is the most accurate approach to assess your content’s conversion potential and, as an effect, its relevance.

Read on to learn more about the cost per acquisition, how you calculate it, and use it as a basis for writing creative and persuasive ad content.

What Is CPA?

The cost per acquisition, or “CPA,” is a marketing indicator that calculates the total cost of acquiring a single paying client at the channel or campaign. CPA is an essential metric for determining marketing performance.

Why Is CPA Such A Crucial Metric?

can we ask why

Many marketing measures, like conversion rate and visitors, are markers of effectiveness. On the other hand, Cost Per Acquisition is a monetary indicator used to assess the revenue effect of marketing initiatives directly.

Cost per acquisition helps businesses be particular about how much it costs to gain a new customer: how much of your allocated marketing budget can you spare to keep expanding your business?

Expect your cost per acquisition to climb as your company grows and consumers become more costly to acquire.

Marketing channels that employ Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) include:

🗸  PPC

🗸  Affiliate marketing

🗸  Content Marketing

🗸  Social Media Marketing

Additionally, you may use it for eCommerce SEO, email marketing, and other channels that do not need paid advertising but demand overhead expenses.

How To Optimise Your Cost Per Acquisition Costs?

You can optimise your cost per acquisition by providing compelling ads and landing pages that increase your quality score. This parameter gauges how positive and valuable your content is to users.

In creating an advertisement or landing page content, your objective should be to produce something compelling enough to grab the interest of a preoccupied millennial slumped in front of the TV, holding a cellphone in one hand and a slice of pizza in another.

So, how can you get your audience to forget the pizza, tap on your ad, and complete a conversion? This four-step technique for creating an appealing ad and landing page can help.

1. Pique The Interest Of Your Audience

In marketing, a little mystery goes a long way.🧩 Humans are innately predisposed to examine rather than react to their surroundings. Then if you can pique your audience’s interest to the point where they can’t help but respond, they’ll hit on your advertisement. So, don’t give too much away about your offer, but be sure to emphasise its strengths straightforwardly and persuasively.

2. Offer Feelings For Sale

According to psychology, emotions drive our conduct, but rationality explains our acts post facto.💝This notion is supported by marketing, which shows that individuals and brands have similar personality qualities. Choosing between two options is like choosing a best friend or a long-term relationship partner. People with whom we choose to spend our life make us feel something.💑🏼

This is also why presenting a product’s features is a poor effort at persuasion. Features appeal solely to the logical half of your brain, which evidence indicates does not motivate action quite as effectively as speaking to the emotional side of your brain does. So, don’t only be innovative with your writing; be passionate about it as well.

3. Create A Landing Page That Is Basic Yet Effective

Simply because your advertisement has piqued someone’s interest does not mean mission accomplished. Still, you must produce an excellent landing page that effectively communicates the value of what you offer.📢🎁

Consider picking your audience’s interest with an exciting title and subheading. As much as possible, remove external links so readers can focus on your paid acquisition funnel.

Also, experiment with video,📽️ which may highlight the benefits of your offering in a more interactive way than words can.

4. Pursue Conversions Rather Than Clicks

Marketers will pursue vanity metrics till the rest of eternity, and you may feel compelled to follow suit, particularly if your rivals brag about their massive increase in visits or clicks.

But, if you’re ever tempted to get on board, remember that the purpose of marketing is to convince someone to undertake your desired action. So, incentivise your brand to connect with your target audience — that’s what gets customers engaged and motivates them to take action. Use conversations as your bait, not clicks.✔️🗣️ ❌🖱️

How To Calculate Cost Per Acquisition?

To calculate your marketing cost per acquisition, divide the entire cost (whether media expenditure overall or a single channel/campaign used to attract consumers) by the number of new customers obtained using the same channel/campaign.

In formula, that is:

cpa

For instance, if a business spends $100 on marketing each year and acquires 100 clients during that period, the cost per acquisition is $1.00.💡

While this is a simple computation, what comes up if clients make many purchases throughout their lifetime? 🤔

How about if customers quit shopping at traditional shops altogether and purchase from this business?

Customer lifetime value (LTV) was designed expressly to address this issue. In general, this metric aids in forming a more precise grasp of what your business’s cost per acquisition cost entails.

Just hang in there because we’ll talk about LTV in a short while.

Going back to CPA, it’s not always good to have a low CPA. It might indicate that you’re not investing as quickly and effectively as you should be to expand. It’s a good idea to establish a CPA goal based on your LTV: CPA ratio. Doing so can help you reach a CPA that’s low enough to be profitable but not that low that you’re not advancing fast enough.

And as promised, LTV it is. Let’s take our conversation to everything you need to know about LTV and how it might advance your marketing efforts.

What Is The Customer Lifetime Value, And How Is It Calculated?

customer lifetime value

Getting a new client may be an expensive undertaking. In fact, according to a Harvard Business Review article, getting a new client might cost anywhere from 5-25 times more than keeping an existing one.

Furthermore, according to research done by Bain & Company, a 5% improvement in customer retention can result in a profit gain of 25-95%.

These figures illustrate that it’s critical for your business to identify and nurture the most important customers who connect with it. You’ll have larger profit margins, higher client lifetime values, and lower customer acquisition expenses if you do it this way.

Now, let’s learn LTV and how to calculate it.

How To Calculate LTV?

The lifetime value of a client is derived by multiplying the customer’s importance to the business by the average lifespan of the customer. It helps businesses determine how much money they may anticipate from a client throughout their relationship.

You can calculate LTV by multiplying the average sales amount by the purchase frequency and retention period.

Numerical Example

In a clothing business, the typical sale is $80, and customers buy 4 times every 2 years. LTV = $80 x 4 x 2 = $640

Therefore, $ 640 is the lifetime value calculation.

Furthermore, since the apparel store’s profit margin is 20%, the CLV is as follows: CLV = $80 x 4 x 2 x 20% = $128.

Businesses may use the lifetime value to predict cash flows and the number of consumers they will need to stay profitable.

Enough with the calculations.

yes

Let’s get to the practical side of marketing. By that, I mean RESULTS.

How Long Does It Take To See Marketing Results?

marketing results

It’s not going to happen overnight. 🧙

Great marketing methods are exhilarating, but they do not provide instant results. You’ll need time to grow a customer base, and your customers will take time to notice and be interested in your brand. Although digital marketing is faster than conventional marketing tactics, it still does take time to raise market presence and engage customers.

It may take months.🗓️🕞

The average time to see results from most marketing techniques is between 6 to 9 months. As you’d be tempted to quit or attempt various things while your approach is still evolving, consistency is one of the most important factors to consider.

Consider yourself a customer. How likely is it that you’d be to purchase from a company about which you know nothing at all? That is why you must allow your audience time to get to know you, understand you, and begin to trust you.

Various variables influence the time it takes for marketing results to manifest.

Remember that every business is different, so there will always be reasons that speed up specific processes while slowing down others.

Be patient, trust the process, and don’t stress. There are several ways to know if your marketing efforts are working.

How To Know If Your Marketing Is Working?

marketing

You do not see results from your marketing efforts!—don’t panic yet. Maybe you’re not just looking at the right place. 👀

I know it’s worse to have a marketing strategy that doesn’t work than to have none at all. You may be wasting money if you aren’t monitoring your outcomes and determining if they are cost-effective.💲💲💲

What’s the best way to tell whether that’s the case? There are many ways to know if your marketing is working or not,

Explore the following alternatives to determine which path(s) is/are best for you.

Data And Analytics

data and analytics

Measuring sales or online traffic is the most straightforward approach to measuring your marketing activities’ overall impact. Is there a section of your website that has received more traffic than others? Are you receiving enough comments or likes on your witty Facebook ad?

Google Analytics, for example, may generate this data for free, whereas other tools, such as Zoho, charge a fee. Social media networks each have their insights, which you should constantly examine to determine the effectiveness of a campaign. It may be worthwhile to invest in paid analytics if your initiatives are considerable enough.

survey

Surveys

Sometimes, all you have to do is start asking when you want to learn something. One of the most cost-efficient but successful methods to connect with your consumers about how they discovered you and how they think about your goods or services is online surveys. Surveys may also provide information about your intended audience and how well your business is performing overall, which you can use to improve your marketing plan.

Surveys are best suited for smaller B2C businesses and enterprises that don’t want to waste too many resources breaking down their marketing datasets. However, regardless of how inconvenient they may be, you should always include survey data in marketing activities to ensure your campaigns’ accuracy.

Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)

focus group

A costly but efficient technique to determine whether your marketing is working is to assemble individuals to debate their thoughts and ideas on specific issues. Focus groups, which use human contact rather than multiple-choice questions or brief words, may delve deeper into the consumer’s psyche than polls.🤝

Focus groups allow respondents to answer questions in their own words rather than those of a machine, providing more detailed information about how people feel about your product. In return for people’s time and comments, you’ll usually need to give some compensation and maybe a meal, making this a little more costly alternative.💵

On the other hand, this in-person chit-chat may give more helpful marketing information than a survey or raw figures. If you decide to engage in a focus group, make sure you prepare ahead of time and have specific objectives in mind for what you want to learn.

Monitoring KPIs

monitoring KPIs

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are self-explanatory measures that define how businesses assess their performance. Your KPIs may be straightforward: measuring revenue, incoming leads, or conversions. But, whatever they are, you should select and monitor them carefully. Different KPIs exist for different businesses based on the goods or services they provide. You should analyse and understand them to determine which ones are most relevant to you.

Does thinking about working on these marketing channels, ROI, calculating CPAs and LTV’s make you sigh?

KPIs

There’s a lot of things to do, content to create, keywords to search, targets to hit, metrics to consider, and more.  

With the dynamic search engine algorithms, buyers getting wiser, and competitions tighter, many businesses turn to manage marketing services for help.

What Is Managed Marketing?

managed marketing

The online world is no longer a simple place to go about getting your marketing message out there. Plus, nowadays, you can never be too exclusive or too particular with your marketing for your business to succeed. Yet, there are a lot of places where you can share your products or services—this is where managed marketing services come in handy.

Managed marketing is a service offered typically by marketing agencies. It’s more like your marketing department in a box. 📦🎉 The concept behind managed marketing is that it handles all your marketing concerns for you. That way, you can concentrate on managing your business—like a boss.

That is, of course, minus the worry of maintaining a solid presence online. Plus, it’s also worth noting that managed marketing is a much more efficient and cost-effective way to run a marketing department.

A word of advice: Developing, implementing, and managing a marketing strategy is both a science and an art. You don’t have to be Van Gogh or Einstein; sometimes, it’s just a matter of working with the right people.

Managed Marketing Services – What Is Included With This?

Managed marketing services include implementing a marketing strategy for the entire business’ aims rather than a one-objective-aimed strategy designed by a single department. The way a company operates should complement these marketing activities and, as a result, the company’s goals.

If this seems intimidating, that’s because it can be. 😡💢

However, managed marketing services exist to assist businesses in conceptualising and implementing their strategy. When you choose a managed marketing approach—a cost-effective system that includes all the components you need—working with an agency is straightforward. Here are the services included in managed marketing.

Marketing Strategy Development

Marketing Strategy Development

Every aspect of business marketing begins with developing a viable plan. A managed marketing plan starts with identifying your business goals and constraints and developing the best approach for achieving such objectives and addressing difficulties.

A solid strategy that makes it happen is tailored to your business, overcomes obstacles, and uncovers the best methods to identify, engage, and convert your target market.

All-In-One Professional Content Solutions

Online marketing strategies demand a substantial amount of high-quality content, creatives and media, from advertising and email newsletters to blogs and social media posts.

Managed marketing services provide you with access to expert writers, graphic designers, and content developers that can help you present your business in the best light possible.

Great content establishes brand credibility and authority and increases your business’s exposure to new clients.

Lead Generation And Conversion That Works

Leads and conversions don’t just appear out of nowhere. To get them, you’ll need to carefully create and execute a marketing plan and gradually guide prospective clients through the sales funnel.

Attracting leads and persuading them to buy is only one more stage in a well-managed marketing strategy.

Campaign Monitoring and Strategy Evaluation

feedback

Online business marketing relies on monitoring campaign success, but it may not be easy.

Marketers may make necessary tweaks to the plan along the way to maximise the outcomes. They do so by assessing campaign effectiveness and leveraging it to evaluate the entire strategy.

Yet another aspect of an effective marketing strategy demands extensive expertise and is an essential feature of any managed marketing strategy.

Experienced Marketing Experts on the Job

staff

Aside from working with experienced marketers that understand the process, a fully managed marketing service provides you with expertise.

After all, 34% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) outsource their marketing operations, with efficiency and experience the most crucial considerations.

Marketing specialists guarantee that you receive your money’s worth, thanks to their years of expertise, ability to develop the most acceptable strategy, and employment of the best tactics.💰💰💰

Managed marketing services provide you access to experts with a proven track record of increasing conversions and generating ROI for their client’s businesses.

Working with a professional team specialising in a different digital marketing operation and understanding how these pieces must function together guarantees that your structured and systematic digital marketing strategy achieves maximum success!

great idea

How Effective Marketing Decision-making Affects Your Business?

marketing desicion making

Does managed marketing sound like a viable marketing solution by this time? Did I hear you say you need time to decide? 🕞

If that’s the case, here’s another “did you know” trivia for you. This one is about effective decision making in the age of urgency. 💭

Did you know that winning organisations, which are the top 20% of the responders of the new McKinsey Global Survey, are those that make high-quality decisions fast, execute them swiftly, and demonstrate better growth and returns from their choices?

Furthermore, the data suggest that respondents from winning businesses are twice as likely as others to report their fast and quality decisions resulted in at least a 20% financial return.

If you need help with decision-making, here’s a short video from Matthew Confer—”Before You Decide: 3 Steps To Better Decision Making.”

oak lawn

There you go, take this message to heart: Speed and quality of decision making affect business performance.

So if I were you, I’d make up my mind ASAP.

Better yet, let the signs lead your way. 🚩🚩🚩

Tell-Tale Signs That Your Business May Need Managed Marketing Services

eyes open

Take an honest look at your current marketing initiatives, website, and lead generation (or absence thereof). You may lead to the realisation that you aren’t achieving the outcomes you want. If you want to reach clients online, the obvious answer is that you should employ a managed marketing agency.

We’ve compiled a list of signs that you may need managed marketing services. These red flags are persistent problems that our clients seek help with. Check them out; you may recognise some of them.

1) SALES ARE AT A STANDSTILL

like zero

Stagnant sales are the clearest sign that you need help. If your product or service is well-received by customers and has an excellent sales staff and price in place, a lack of sales might be due to inefficient marketing.

Is there a simple method to tell? Most managed marketing agencies provide a free consultation. Grab a few of them up on the offer! 🤫

They’ll look at what you’re doing currently and provide ideas for how to enhance it. You’ll have a better idea of how considerably your marketing is weighing you down – and, ideally, which managed marketing agency you should hire.

2) YOU TRY TO MANAGE EVERYTHING ON YOUR OWN

working woman

🤹Juggling online networking, website maintenance, and email campaigns on top of your other business obligations may suggest that you are overextending yourself.🥴 Is your knowledge of your company’s products or services as extensive as your understanding of online marketing? If it isn’t the case, don’t worry; you’re not alone.

Overcomplicating your life by attempting to handle too much may lead to burnout, so concentrate on what you do best and get help when you run into problems.🤝

3) YOUR WEBSITE IS OUT OF DATE

If that’s the case, you’ll need to have a new website as soon as possible if you would like to maintain a competitive advantage. Google now grants responsive and mobile-friendly websites a higher rating. 📱🤳

A website that adapts to suit desktop displays, smartphones, and tablets provide a consistent viewing experience across any devices your audience may use. If your website isn’t responsive, you’re missing out on both Google’s ranking algorithm and a more technologically aware client base.

4) THE WORK ISN'T GETTING DONE

to do-list

This is something we understand. You’re working five jobs at the same time. Priority should be given to those that pay their debts or put out fires as soon as possible. 🧯🔥 Because marketing requires time and planning, it falls to the lower end of the spectrum.

A managed marketing agency can simultaneously remove marketing off your plates and prioritise it since that is all they do.

5) OUTDATED CONTENTS AND DECLINING TRAFFIC

sales

Low website traffic might be the consequence of marketing efforts that are either poor or ineffective. Out-of-date content may affect your Google’s search results and social media ratings, where sporadic posting reduces engagement.

You should regularly and consistently post content for your social media channels and websites to boost ranking, traffic, and eventually sales. If your website’s traffic drops, you may want to consider employing a managed marketing agency. Having a staff committed to marketing, optimisation, and growth possibilities can help you avoid repeating the pattern of decline. 😌

6) MARKETING COSTS ARE TAKING MORE DIGITS

money counting

The cost of marketing, especially digital marketing, has increased steadily over the last several years.🤑 Businesses continue to increase their spending to take full advantage of popular marketing strategies such as link building.

Employing an internal marketing staff to implement new marketing initiatives is costly and may rapidly pile up. Putting together even a modest team might cost big bucks.💳💵

Benefits, lousy hiring, and office space are all pricey, and putting together an expensive in-house staff may be a pain. Many small businesses simply lack the time or finances to meet these expenses—this is why you should outsource.

7) YOU'RE NOT A FAN OF MARKETING

It shows. 🥱💤 Blog articles that aren’t inspiring, boring emails and landing sites, and a half-hearted commitment to social media won’t get you the outcomes you want. This is something that managed marketing agencies adore. Allow them to combine their enthusiasm for marketing with your enthusiasm for your business—the outcomes will surprise you.

8) SCARCE GOOD LEADS

those are so hard to find

There is a possibility that your present marketing efforts are generating few or low-quality leads, even though your salespeople are well-trained and hard-working.

A reputable managed marketing agency will examine your marketing process and work with your salespeople to combine their marketing efforts.🧐📝They’ll develop and adapt your marketing taking into account outcomes, with the help and feedback of your sales staff.

9) HIT OR MISS MARKETING RESULTS

Concluding that inbound marketing is not the best marketing strategy for your business is likely to happen if your outcomes are inconsistent. Could the blame be pointed to your haphazard marketing approach?  ↘️↙️↖️⬇️ Which way to go? —You don’t know.

Managed marketing agencies will consider your problems and objectives before developing a strategy to address them. In the long run, these strategies are fine-tuned so that you would do away with hit or miss marketing results.

10) YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH STRATEGIES WORK

Can you point where the rise in website visitors, calls, emails, or new leads is coming from if you unexpectedly see a spike in these metrics?  eeny, meeny, miney, moe 👨‍🦯🙈

If no, you’re probably losing potential prospects even for better results by spending time on useless marketing techniques.

What impact do your marketing activities have on website traffic, prospects, and clients? If you don’t know the answer, get a managed marketing agency to do it for you.

11) YOU'RE HAVING GROWING PAINS

were rich

Can you increase your marketing efforts after your firm gains traction and orders start rolling in? When a business expands, marketing strategy might have performed well – possibly for years – but the business owner doesn’t know how to take the company to new heights.🏋️‍♂️ ✈️

Another common issue we notice is that many company owners lack time to study and implement a digital marketing plan. Marketing a business online involves a lot of moving elements. Thus, you should better spend your business owner’s time hiring a competent team to manage your online marketing.

12) YOUR MESSAGE ISN'T GETTING THROUGH

Maybe your website was built a long time ago and didn’t accurately reflect your current brand—perhaps it never did. Your website is the online face and heart of your business. If it doesn’t reflect your unique business culture, stunning brick and mortar shop, or heart-centred business purpose, you’re losing out on a big chance to connect with people.📲

This isn’t just about branding; your message is key. 💬 It’s time to rethink your approach if your content and social message resonate.

Top 10 Benefits of Working With A Full-Service Managed Marketing Agency

Businesses of all shapes and sizes often find the business world intimidating. Especially now, when a slew of business rivals is hammering the market.

Unfortunately, your business might be one of those battling to keep up with day-to-day operations. So it’s okay to admit that you need help. ❤️

A full-service managed marketing agency can change the course of your marketing game. Are you asking about the benefits of working with managed marketing agencies? Oh boy, there are tons! But here are the top 10 benefits of working with managed marketing agencies to get you started.

1. A More Cost-Effective And Valuable Investment

Salaries, incentives, training, and technology make up a significant portion of most businesses’ monthly costs. Consider adding a staff of ten or more marketing experts to your payroll. That’s a lot of money.

Managed marketing agencies employ a whole marketing staff, so you don’t have to. This makes contracting an agency a much more cost-effective alternative. In most cases, you’ll simply have to pay for ad expenditures plus retainer or service fees.

2. Faster Results

The million-dollar word in digital marketing is “results.” Though presumably, it isn’t the monthly fee your business pays. One of the most significant advantages that businesses find from working with a full-service managed marketing agency is the capacity to get better results faster.⚡🏃‍♀️

These agencies have their processes down to a science is the fundamental reason they can produce faster outcomes. Onboarding and account analytics to A/B testing and optimisation, they know how to get the most out of each instrument.

3. More Unified Communication

Communication might be the difference between success and failure in marketing. After all, you’re not going to stay as a client longer if you have to track them down for information or wait for ages for an answer.

Managed marketing agencies are aware of this, but the most successful ones understand the importance of being on the same page regarding communication – from frequency to preferred option. Furthermore, a full-service managed marketing agency can typically consolidate data from your numerous marketing platforms into extensive and concise reports.😀

4. The Most Up-to-Date Trends, Methodologies, And Technology

Managed marketing agencies are continuously on the cutting edge of innovation and trends. Performance-driven managed marketing agencies use statistical reports, data, and tools to deliver the relevant offers to the right clients at the right time. They are experts in their field. When you work with them, you gain these advantages.💪

5. Leverage Their Skills And Experience

Managed marketing agencies have experience working with various technology, customers, and industries. They have the knowledge and data to demonstrate which initiatives work best in your sector. As a result, they are very robust and competent in implementing your approach.😮

6. Collaborate With The Experts

Inbound marketing requires considerable skills, including SEO, content, media platforms, branding, and paid advertising. It’s possible that an internal marketing department won’t have enough capacity to accommodate all channels. Manage marketing agencies provide a wide range of services and keep their finger on the pulse of the most successful approaches.🤩

7. Broader Skill Sets

Your in-house marketing team may not have all the necessary capabilities for an entire campaign, such as art and design or SEO tactics. An outsourced managed marketing agency has the ability and resources to bring your concept to fruition effectively. Whatever your marketing campaign requires, agencies can help you get it done.👏

8. Work Overflow And Continuity

An agency may come in at any time to take up where a marketing departing employee left off. They may help during high demand and workload overflow circumstances by ensuring that the marketing message is consistent across all platforms. They are optimisation experts, ensuring that the value you get is maximised.

9. Comprehensive Analytical Strategies

A full-service agency sees the entire picture when you collaborate with them. They’ll develop a comprehensive understanding of your business and its requirements. From visitor to a satisfied client and all in between, a full-service managed marketing agency can analyse your complete marketing picture.📊🥳

10. Quicker Iterations And Feedback

Weeks of ad spending on campaigns that aren’t generating adequate ROI are a massive waste of money. That’s why you need a responsive, full-service marketing firm that stresses timely feedback and adjustments.💬

There are thousands of ad formats, campaign varieties, and performance measures for marketers to choose from, and each online managed marketing service provider has its upsides and downsides. But behind it all, there’s always the same nagging question:

“How much am I going to pay for this?”

Managed Marketing Pricing—How Much Does It Cost in 2022?

We founded Twixxer in 2018 to provide smaller businesses and emerging startups with the marketing support they need to succeed. “Why do you provide your marketing solutions at such a discounted price?” experts often inquire.

After years of working with a wide range of businesses, we’ve discovered that the usual charge for managed marketing services is out of reach for many small and startup entrepreneurs. They can grow by using agency services but typically lack the necessary resources.

As a result, many fail, which is often attributable to a lack of marketing. To put it bluntly, this is a frightening representation – but it isn’t applicable for everyone, as many businesses depend on word-of-mouth advertising because it is the “only” choice available (for now).

Your business requirements and specifications determine the cost of employing managed marketing services.

Here’s what many typical marketing agencies charge their clients for marketing solutions.

Digital Marketing Services

Rate

Social Media Management

$400-$1000/month

Video Advertising

$2,500- $5,000/month

Audio Advertising

$200 to $5,000 per week(depending on location and the size of the listening audience)

PPC

Starting at $600/month

Web Design

$1,500

Email Marketing

$300/month

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Marketing

$15000/month

Content Marketing

$5,000-$50,000+ per month (depending on your business size, goals, marketing budget, and resources)

Retargeting and Remarketing

$25000

Disclaimer: The rates provided in this table are for reference only. The rates may vary depending on the agency and the services they provide.

You can see that using a marketing agency isn’t substantially more expensive than hiring part-time employees. Using an agency won’t have to worry about managing hourly employees (who also have a high turnover rate) or trying to teach them the ins and outs of marketing, placements, and branding. In any case, even if you don’t have a big brand budget, you may still collaborate with marketing agencies.

Sure, we’re skewed when it comes to the benefits that come with hiring a full-service managed marketing agency. However, the point remains: managed marketing agencies like Twixxer are well-known for efficient communication, budgeting, and effective marketing program administration.

Want our two cents on your project? Ask, and you shall receive.