SLIDESHOW: 10 marketing secrets from the Smart50
Businesses use “marketing” as a buzzword without actually understanding what it is, or how to go about it.
But successful businesses understand that marketing is about creating noise about your business or product. The very best companies can do that through a variety of methods, whether it’s through a blog, email marketing campaign, or social media.
The businesses that made it onto our 2012 Smart50 certainly understand the necessity of innovative marketing. Here are 10 of their best secrets.
1. Targeted social media use
Social media is very much a necessary part of marketing for many businesses, and for coffee chain Republica, that process is no different. The company says it’s been able to use one-on-one conversations with customers to help spread the word throughout the social network.
But its use of Facebook is more targeted than simply posting news items about the company. Republica says it makes sense for it to focus on its key market – women aged between 25 and 45. All of its posts are geared towards that particular demographic.
While many businesses interact on Facebook, fewer actually take the time to figure out who they should be speaking to in order to win the most engagement.
“Facebook is a great avenue to make direct connections with this market segment and it's an inexpensive way to reach customers,” says founder Jacqueline Arias.
“It's also totally measurable, so return on investment is pretty quickly ascertained.”
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