by Matthew Anderson
I love gardening. I get a rush from seeing plants come up for the first time each spring, and I enjoy observing the long-term changes that occur in the yard over the years as plants fill out and mature.
However, it’s all too easy sometimes for all of us who love gardening to stand out in the yard with the hose, drowning a poor plant in water. As much as we love to garden, sometimes we resent the time it takes to water, so instead of watering a little each day, we try to get away with once per week — soaking plants to the bone and then letting them slowly desiccate until the next overwatering session.
We do that
sometimes in marketing, too. When we’re in the mood, we tend to blast customers
with messaging. Maybe we publish six blog posts in a day and then don’t think
about blogging for the next three months. Maybe we send a flurry of email
newsletters over the course of a week, but then let that channel dry up if we
don’t see immediate results. Perhaps we check in on Facebook for a couple days,
answer any outstanding questions, and then forget about the platform for
another month while working on other projects.
It happens to so many business leaders, but… that’s not a great way to run a Whatcom County business. Here’s why:
Consistency is key to long-term relationships
The simple
truth is that marketing happens every day, whether we mean it to or not. A
stagnant Twitter account and an inactive blog can speak almost as effectively
as well-crafted content that meets the needs of your customers.
What works?
Drip marketing. Just like it sounds, drip marketing is the practice of engaging
with your customers a little bit each day, spreading your marketing efforts
evenly over a month to ensure maximum benefit without exasperating customers
with floods of content. Just like drip irrigation keeps the water coming a
little each day, drip marketing keeps your brand fresh in the minds of
customers through small, regular effort. Here’s what that looks like:
Drip, drip, drip
Reputations
are built over time. The conscious use of drip marketing techniques can help
shape your business reputation in positive ways.
In many
cases, effective drip marketing can also obviate the need for expensive
one-time campaigns aimed at making a splash with new customers. Using drip
marketing to consistently get your business in front of customers — through
friendly interactions on social media, sponsorship ads at community events,
timely email content and more — can keep your business at the top of customers’
minds, so that they’ll think of you when they need you. It’s also excellent for SEO positioning.
Delegate
marketing tasks
However,
don’t feel overwhelmed! With a bit of foresight, drip marketing tasks can be
spread out to the members of your team.
First, take
an inventory of the skills present on your team. Ask your team what they’re
good at and what they enjoy doing, whether it’s writing, engaging on social
media, copy editing, graphic design or any other tasks that are part of your
marketing workflow. Then, delegate the necessary tasks and be sure to set time
goals so that your team can work together on these projects.
Alternately, if there are skills gaps on your team or if some of the work doesn’t seem like a great fit, you might consider outsourcing some of the work to the right Whatcom County marketing partner. Consistency and relationship building are the name of the game here at PR Consulting; local business leaders value and appreciate having PRC as part of their team.
We’ve designed monthly service bundles for outsourced marketing, allowing for the building of relationships while your company news is steadily and consistently delivered throughout the Whatcom County community. Please contact PRC in Bellingham to learn more!