When a business has a system that can’t afford to fail, they use redundancy to make sure a “plan b” is in place. Everyone from airplane manufactures to wedding planners make sure that even if one part doesn’t work the way it was designed to, the system will still work to complete the job. So, the question is, how does this apply to your marketing strategy? Certainly, in this world of tight budgets and increasing competition, you can’t afford to let your marketing message do anything less than succeed.
Redundancy is the duplication of critical components or functions of a system with to increase the reliability of the system. This usually involves some sort of backup or fail-safe. In regard to a marketing plan, this means that your messaging channels should have a backup; a duplication of efforts. A “just in case” plan.
Now, your company probably doesn’t have the design budget of NASA or the print advertising budget of Proctor and Gamble, so the idea of duplicating or even tripling your marketing message may seem unrealistic in terms of both cost and time. But, here’s the thing: when it comes to getting eyeballs in front of your message, even the most interested potential customers can miss it if it is only in one place. Spending all of your SEO budget to make a YouTube video might be great – but only for people looking at YouTube. And then, only if they know to find your video. Especially if you don’t have a piano playing cat, you can’t just expect it to go viral.
With that in mind, here are a few tips to create some redundancy in your marketing strategy, a “just in case” to make sure that your message gets to your audience:
1. Develop a style and logo and stick with it. Sometimes it is tempting to change your logo or color scheme. Brand recognition comes with seeing the same thing a zillion times. I’m sure there are days that the folks at Coke-a-cola are so sick of their perfect, swirly red font. But, 100+ years of sticking with the same thing has given them better brand recognition than almost any other logo on the planet. On. The. Planet. (Maybe here is a good time to remind you to take more time than you want so you really LOVE and SIMPLIFY your logo, ‘cause it’s gonna be around awhile.)
2. If you have a message to promote: like a new product, an industry award, or something else your audience should know, share it multiple times. One tweet or press release isn’t enough. With the deluge of information people are subjected to every day, there is a good chance your brilliant message might get missed. So, send it for a few days. In a row. Through more than one channel.
For example: If you are having a sale, promote it on the main page of your website, email it to your clients, write a blog post about what kinds of solutions this sale has for your clients and then tweet about it every day of the sale.
3. Don’t just write a blog: promote it. Writing a blog is a straightforward way to share your expertise with the market. But, if no one is looking at your site, you are an expert in an empty room. Push the URL for your newest post through every social media channel you feel is appropriate.
4. Get comfortable with using hashtags, and figure out what is trending in your industry. If you can use the right hashtags to put your message in front of your target audience every day, that will go a long way to gaining critical exposure.
5. Start small. This can seem overwhelming when there are so many different platforms to master. So, pick a couple that seems the most useful to you and start there. Spend a little time every day or two. Twenty minutes a day is a good place to start. As you get the swing of the first few, the others will develop more naturally. Or, if you are just not interested in putting in the time, hire someone who can do it for you. SEO Agencies can provide this service on a weekly basis and do all the legwork for you. One way or another, just do it!
Of course, the list of ways to duplicate your message could be quite long. The good news is that most of these resources are at a minimal cost, and are a great way to reinforce the message you are already creating for your company. Let me say it again: marketing message redundancy is key. Go tell the world about your company. Then, do it again.