Conquer Your Fear of Marketing Pipeline in 6 Simple Steps
Marketing Pipeline – It’s no secret that the digital marketing industry is crowded. But, with high competition comes great opportunity — and a little creativity can go a long way in your efforts to stand out from the rest of the crowd. If you’re planning on becoming an entrepreneur or freelancer in any capacity related to digital marketing, then you already know it’s essential for you to master your understanding of marketing pipeline management. This can be something of a daunting process if it’s not something you’ve had much experience with before — but that doesn’t mean it isn’t doable!
Here are 6 steps anyone new to pipeline management or looking for better results should start by following:
1) Pick a proven system and follow their steps.
There are many different software programs and services specifically geared towards helping you manage your marketing pipeline — but the fact is, they all share a common goal. By following in the footsteps of successful companies that have already figured it out, you’re more likely to get predictable results with every click. This means not only will your pipeline management become easier over time, but your conversion rates and client retention should improve dramatically as well.
2) Automate as much of your pipeline management as possible.
You never want to give business owners and clients the impression that contacting you is an inconvenience or chore for someone on your team — so if possible, automate everything related to your marketing process. Get email templates that can be sent to potential clients and put them in an email auto-responder program, send automatic replies on lead generation forms and the like. Working more towards client expectations will help you stay more organized and out of the way for all your clients — which, again, means predictable results!
3) Look at different types of media.
Content technology is one of the hottest trends in marketing right now — that’s why we’re seeing so many companies switching from old school marketing channels such as print to new styles of digital marketing such as video and social media campaigns. While there isn’t a single style that works best for everything, it’s still important to give yourself options when it comes to your online marketing campaigns. For example, if you’re hoping to get more blog readers on your site — look into social media platforms that specialize in blogging, such as HubSpot’s Social Content Manager.
4) Get creative with your website.
Spending time and money on a website is essential to the marketing process — but it’s equally important to think outside the box when building out your new site. An old-school approach might be creating a “one-stop shop” of information from your company, but creating an engaging, dynamic experience for your visitors will keep them coming back for more. This can be as simple as just adding some video ads to your sidebar on your site or creating a mobile app that lets your customers get a better feel for how you work. The more you can incorporate into your design that’s unique and/or important to you, the more customers will fall in love with you.
5) Make sure you have great content.
Good content can’t just be a part of your digital marketing strategy, it should be your main focus. Fortunately, there are many tools on the market today that make creating great content a cinch. For example, BuzzSumo is a useful tool that lets you search through content that’s been published on other sites and compare them to the kind of content you’re interested in producing — then giving you ideas for what words or phrases could be used to re-create that same feeling on your website. Having multiple high-quality articles on your site will ensure you have something for everyone to come back and read time and time again.
6) Create a blog.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to add a personal touch to your business, then you’ll definitely want to consider creating your own blog. A blog can serve many different purposes in your digital marketing efforts, from keeping your customers and clients up-to-date on news or events related to your company to helping you rank higher in search engines that way people searching for information on something related can find you. Regardless of what purpose it serves, having a good blog is essential for getting traffic on your website — which equates directly to expanding your marketing pipeline!
