Below are my top tips for effective marketing for your business.

Who is your target market
Successful marketing campaigns work because they know who their target audience is. Get to know your customer needs. A well targeted marketing campaign will generate a profitable return for your business.
What are you offering
Focus on what you have to offer to your target market. A product or service that meets their needs, alleviates their concerns or worries and is relevant to your customer will be the driving force that results in conversions.

Test, test and test
Never ever run a marketing campaign without first testing it. For example, a split test lets you simultaneously test two versions of something so you can determine what works best. Split testing can be applied to your webpage (you can test which design or layout works best for conversion), postcard design, email design, headlines, offers, copy and colours used. Split testing will help you improve performance.

Work in a team
The most creative and best ideas come from working with other creative people. You don’t have to do it alone. You can start with an idea, then bring your staff or marketing company in to expand on that idea and make it better.

Don’t sell on price alone
I have seen so many businesses fail because they get into a discounting war, lower their profitability and then fail. Focus on creating value for your customer so that the issue of price becomes irrelevant.

Be consistent
Your marketing messages, from the email, to your website should be consistent. For example, your corporate colours used, branding, copy and  images should be all consistent with your message and brand.

After-sales care
Don’t just stop after you get the customer in the door. It’s all about establishing and maintaining a relatinship with your customer.

Integrated marketing
Don’t just rely on one form of marketing. Use multiple channels to promote your products and services. This could include using email marketing, social media, website, direct mailers, flyers and PPC.