How to Use Insights to Plan Your Marketing Strategy

How to Use Insights to Plan Your Marketing Strategy

This blog is the first in our our Marketing Fundamentals series, where we run you through our processes, detailing what we do at every stage, and why we do it.

In this post, we’ll be starting at the very beginning, looking at the research stage, which is where we take the time to look at everything about your business under the microscope.

There’s no marketing without data, analytics and thorough research. Skip this step, and you’re making poor decisions based on blind assumptions.

It’s worth noting that while no-one can guarantee success, it is possible to improve the odds.

For instance, we use our tried and tested process, The Growth Audit.

This process uses research and facts over vanity metrics to point us in the direction that ultimately saves time, improving the probability of hitting the right marks – much better than throwing mud at the wall and seeing what sticks.

The Growth Audit

Our entire focus is on the end goal – growth. As a result, our unique research process is designed to facilitate growth at every stage. One of our favourite analogies:

If you’re given four hours to cut down a tree, you should spend the first three sharpening the axe.

While proper execution is important, thorough planning is the backbone of any successful marketing strategy – a blunt axe won’t cut as well as a sharpened axe. It all starts with a little introspection.

Internal audit

What is my purpose?

While we’re not suggesting an existential crisis, it’s essential that you take a long, hard look at your internal processes to determine what’s working, and what needs improvement.

We take the time to pick apart everything about our clients’ businesses, and we’re not shy to feed back.

Our internal audit consists of two workshops, one looking at your target audience, and the other looking at your current customer journey. Combined, these exercises give us a complete picture of your current business, and how it’s performing contrasted to your goals.

It can be difficult to acknowledge things that perhaps aren’t performing to standard in a business, but it’s crucial to do so before you can move forward.

Many of your competitors are likely reassessing their marketing strategies right now.

If they are, you need to adjust yours in order to remain competitive. If they’re not, this is a fantastic opportunity for you to outperform them. Don’t allow your marketing strategy to stagnate.

External audit

It’s important to understand how your brand is perceived from the outside – how does your target audience see you, and how do you compare to your competitors?

Our external audit will benchmark your website (and its performance) against your key competitors. We’ll identify areas where you’re outperforming your competition, and others where they’re doing a better job than you.

If someone else has had a good idea, you’d be silly to just ignore it. We’ll identify key techniques that are working in your sector, and clear gaps in the market where you can stand out and break through the noise.

We factor all of this into your tailored marketing strategy, working on optimising your conversion rates at every stage.

Brand strategy

Before any real lead generation can take place, you’ve got to ensure that your brand is tidy, functional and ready for action.

Your brand is so much more than just a logo and a strapline, it’s your messaging, style and more – the complete package.

We’ll factor in what we learned from the previous two steps in order to write kick-arse messaging and create a fresh new look for your organisation – substance over style at all times.

Once your brand is all aligned to resonate with your target audience, it’s time to put together the final part of our strategy.

Lead generation strategy

The reason for all this effort? To bring in warm leads that convert.

Most businesses don’t really want marketing, they want the end goal – sales. The unfortunate truth of the universe is that there is no sales without marketing. They’re two peas in a pod, they’re cut from the same cloth, they’re thick as thieves…you get the point.

At this stage, we’ve got all the information we need to put together a complete lead generation strategy.

Depending on what we’ve found, we’ll put together a completely tailored strategy that’s composed of unique content, targeted ads, account-based marketing, SEO, pay-per-click, social advertising, social media, email automation and much more.

This strategy is designed to suit your target audience down to a T, meaning that you’re communicating the right message at the right time on the right channels. Nice.

Plan & execute a lead generative marketing strategy with Catalyst

Who doesn’t like warm leads? Catalyst work closely with our clients to build a bespoke marketing strategy that works. We’re not in the business of fluffy metrics, we’re here to deliver measurable results.

To find out more about how we can revolutionise your marketing strategy, get in touch with a lead generation specialist agency today for a friendly chat.

Catalyst marketing agency - Marketing strategy for growth

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About the author

Sarah Groves has worked in marketing for over 20 years. 

She’s worked across a wide range of B2B and B2C sectors, both big blue chips and SMEs. As co-owner of Catalyst, Sarah draws on her broad experience to oversee the delivery team and help input into client strategies. She’s built a curated team from the best talent across copy, design, SEO, PPC and strategy, providing you with the most cost-efficient way to grow your business and thrive. 

When Sarah’s not working, you’ll find her spending time with her young family, or taking the dog for a long walk while listening to a podcast. 

 

Sarah Groves