6 Essential Marketing Strategies for Growth

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The world is shifting towards digital by the second. And if you have a business, and you want to stay ahead of your competitors, or at least, not fall behind, then you need to have a fool-proof marketing strategy. Marketing is critical for your success.

In fact, according to Statista and Publift, the amount of money that was being spent on digital marketing (in the U.S.) has been rising by double digits over the recent years, and is currently at approximately 225 billion (USD). This colossal amount of expenditure reflects the competitiveness of the market and how much of a difference good marketing can make.

So, now that we know that marketing is imperative for growth and the success of your business, let’s discuss ways/strategies/tactics that you can utilize/leverage marketing to bolster your company above others.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Ads 

Out of all the marketing strategies, these are probably the first ones that come to mind. And with good reason. If you want to increase visibility, there are two ways to go about it: SEO and Ads. 

Think of SEO as you planting a seed that will grow into a tree, and once that tree has grown, it will stay there and you’ll reap the benefits. Basically, you’re playing for the long game.

Ads (SEM, PPC, and all the various cost-per-models like CPC, CPM, CPV, etc.) mean you’ll invest some money and start reaping the benefits straight away. And once you stop the money input, the benefits stop with it.

So which one should you go for? This is a common question, and it is the wrong question to ask. Because you shouldn’t choose between those two; you should use both methods. You’ll benefit from SEO later, and until that happens, you can utilize ads to promote growth. 

Once SEO kicks in, you can either stop with the ads, and save some resources, or you can continue and have even more growth than before. That’s up to you, and it depends on your available budget.

2. Social Media Marketing (SMM)

SMM is also imperative for the success of any business. While a business doesn’t exactly need SMM, it can only benefit from it, which will in turn accelerate its growth exponentialy.

According to reports from Priori Data, Backlinko, and Data Reportal – Global Digital Insights, social media platforms (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit) have a summed-up monthly average (approximately) of 11 billion users.

This is a gargantuan number of potential consumers. And it would be a waste not to tap into that potential.

The cost for SMM can be relatively low (compared to other expenses), and it can help you skyrocket your brand awareness and help generate numerous leads.

And on top of all that, you can also utilize SEO and Ads across (most) social media platforms.

This way, you’re not only expanding the ways of presenting your business/brand to the world, but you’re also ensuring that your return on investment (ROI) is maximized.

3. Content Marketing

Creating valuable marketing content that includes blog posts, eBooks, and videos is crucial for establishing your business and will help attract and retain clients.

The content should provide proven, true, and useful information that interests your audience, which will encourage engagement and build trust. 

Doing all of this is not really realistic. You’d need a whole team to cover all your bases. If you don’t plan on going with an in-house marketing team, then we’d suggest you hire a specialized agency that works marketing. 

The choice can depend on numerous factors, but hiring someone local can sometimes be a safer choice, because you can meet in person to discuss your wants and needs, and can also more easily go through reports. Doing business in person has its own benefits, over simply relying on video calls/meetings over Zoom, Teams, etc. So, for example, if you live in Kansas City, go with a Kansas City marketing agency. If you live in Chicago, go for one in Chicago, etc.

4. Data Analytics

When it comes to marketing starts – data is king. User data will influence the direction in which the campaign will steer. And which strategies work best for your specific business.

Google Analytics (GA4) is the go-to tool for this strategy. Mostly because it’s the most accessible and most familiar, and that is a good thing because it’ll do the job, and if you ever get stuck on a specific issue, your chances of resolving the issue will be much greater.

You can use other tools (or in addition to GA4) such as heatmaps, session recordings, a/b testing, user testing, product analytics, CRM data, social listening tools, etc. But for most businesses, GA4 will do the trick.

If you have a clear view of how users behave on a website, what they want, what they don’t want, and what they like, and don’t like are goldmines for marketers. This way, you can maximize your gains while at the same time minimizing your losses and time-wasters.

5. Email Marketing

Some will say that Email Marketing is dead. Well, statistics show that this claim cannot be further from the truth.

According to HubSpot and Forbes, more than 50% of marketers say that email marketing is their most successful/impactful channel. 

Other statistics also show how prevalent email marketing still is today (2024). The amazing thing about email marketing is not only the fact that there are over 4 billion emails out there, but also the fact that phone notifications/pings are very effective when it comes to customers. People love to be engaged, and contacted – especially if the theme is of interest to them. With data analytics, you can more easily and more precisely recognize your customers’ needs and how they react/behave depending on various email campaign strategies.

And all of this can be highly automated. Meaning, less manual work. Meaning, more time for other things.

BONUS HINT: With all of the algorithm changes (in search engines) with the intention of combating AI spam, email marketing seems to be becoming even more relevant than it currently is. 

6. Reputation Management

In short, this refers to user reviews. Platforms such as Google, Yelp, Amazon, and others can provide potential customers with reviews about certain products. And depending on the reviews, and a potential scoring system, the users might be steered towards buying (or not buying, depending on the reviews).

Also, feedback (good or bad) is another way to gather data from real users. And that data you can use to better your product/service for future customers.

4 Digital Marketing-Related Statistics

Conclusion

Applying these essential marketing strategies should help elevate your business and secure your path toward growth. From SEO, data analytics, social media, and video marketing to reputation management, every single tactic plays an important role in building brand awareness and engaging your audience.