Marketing is the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising. The process includes a number of tactics, mainly categorized between outbound and inbound marketing strategies, and with the right tools, implemented across the world.
For national brands, marketing is especially helpful in delivering brand compliance, moving consumer through a marketing funnel, and standing out from competition with a unique offering.
Let’s discuss some high-level marketing tactics and how these can affect national brands.
Outbound vs. Inbound Marketing
A marketing plan typically encompasses both outbound and inbound marketing efforts. With outbound marketing, a company initiates communication, actively sending a message out to the largest number of potential customers as possible.
National brands can use tactics like direct mail and guerrilla marketing to blast messages to consumers, but in recent years this has become less effective and harder to gauge success.
Inbound marketing, on the other hand, involves attracting potential customers to an interaction, by providing relevant, helpful content. It requires tactics like email nurture campaigns, SEO, social media, and content marketing, all of which are used to add value to each stage of the buyer’s journey.
National brands and franchises use a combination of inbound and local marketing to target consumers across their multiple locations strategically. Overall, these tactics help move consumers down the marketing funnel.
Marketing Funnel
The marketing funnel is the process that companies lead a customer through, from initial awareness to actual purchase.
At every stage of the funnel, a contact who may not already be familiar with your products engages with your company through promotions, content offers and nurture campaigns. The farther down the marketing funnel a lead travels, the more likely they are to convert and become a potential customer. Here are a few examples:
At the top of the funnel, potential customers must be made aware of the existence of the product or service on offer. Content marketing with blog posts, whitepapers, and e-books, are good ways to teach your audience without pushing too hard to close a deal.
When the consumer finds a need or desire for the product or service, they may then reach out for sales information and begin comparing brands. Have sales material that focuses on differentiators and unique selling propositions can help drive them towards an action. Special offers, discounts, competitor comparisons, testimonials, and case studies can help the buyer make their choice to take action.
Finally, when the buyer takes action, whether it be a purchase or other desired effect, marketing can use the data gained to create analytics and better improve the process. Follow questionnaires and product reviews are great ways to gather data on what works and what doesn’t.
Why Does Marketing Matter for National Brands?
Without effective marketing, how else will consumers interact with your brand? Enterprise companies can’t only depend on word of mouth to entice new customers. Surround-sound marketing campaigns through print, digital, and new growing technologies are the difference between the up and comers and the major brand players.
Relevant and memorable marketing campaigns are hugely important for global and national brands to maintain relationships with current and potential new customers. The best marketing efforts deliver the brand’s unique identity and demonstrate that they have a trustworthy and reliable product through consistent messaging and brand identity. Building this trust is the key to driving sales growth long term.
Leveraging technology like CampaignDrive streamlines the marketing process. CampaignDrive is a cloud-based tool for national marketers and designers deliver on-brand assets and amplify brand power in local markets through collaboration and streamlined creation of marketing materials.
Request a free demo today to learn about how CampaignDrive can elevate your marketing efforts, increase your customer base and drive local marketing strategy.
