Most distributors do very little marketing, if any at all. That said, they know they should, but marketing has gotten very complicated. And with so many channels, gurus and contradicting advice, it can be very confusing to know what to do.
If that’s you, keep on reading. I’m breaking down the top three marketing tactics you should implement in your distributor business that will reap the most results.
Each requires some effort on your part, but if you’re serious about growing your business, you need to dedicate time or allocate a modest budget to marketing your business.
1. Start a blog
Blogs have been around for a while, and remain relevant in 2022 and beyond. In fact, roughly 409 million internet users read about 20 billion blog pages monthly!
Blogging provides great benefits to your business. They are a top way to engage with your audience and generate leads for your business.
You may feel intimidated by the idea of writing, but it doesn’t have to be a literary piece. It just has to provide information your prospect will be interested in. That’s how you provide value.
Think in terms of what your clients want to know and the questions they ask, and make a list of topics to write about based on that.
Here are some post ideas:
- What’s new? Example: New products for 2022
- Which is best? Product comparisons. Example: the difference between laminated and non laminated non woven bags
- Ideas on product distribution
- Product ideas for specific events/programs
As far as where to host your blog, it’s best to set up a blogsite on WordPress and link it to your main site via a subdomain. We explain how to do it here, step by step. Even though the industry site you’re subscribed to may offer a blogging section, you don’t want your blog developed on a platform you don’t control. Things change and you may decide to change website providers at some point in the future, and you want to take your blog with you.
If writing doesn’t come easy to you, hire a writer to do it for you. Just make sure you provide the talking points of your post to your writer.
Once your post is written and posted, share it on social media and in your newsletter.
One last thing: Unless addressing a timely issue, most blog posts have no expiration date. We at Action Marketing have blog posts written years ago still driving traffic and leads, and we see the same thing with our clients as well.
So start writing!
2. Start a newsletter
Email marketing has also been around for years, and even though our inboxes get flooded with emails, they are still a very effective tactic.
Sending a monthly newsletter will remind your clients and prospects that you exist. Keep in mind your competitors are sending them their emails, so you can’t afford to disappear from their radar.
There are many email marketing systems in the market to choose from. We recommend that you evaluate them based on your current needs and also future ones. Check their integrations with other systems you use, as well as added features you may want to add in the future.
There are some best practices to keep in mind, such as segmenting your list so customers and prospects are separate—for example, even if you plan to send the same email to everyone at this point. Believe me, there will be times when you want to send information only to your customers—or prospects, because it doesn’t concern the other group—so segmenting your list from the beginning is important.
You also want to have a systematic way to add contacts to the list to keep your list updated. That can include adding every person you meet at networking events, or sign-up boxes placed on your website and social media, just to name two.
As far as the content, think in terms of what your clients will be interested in, and if you’re writing blog posts or doing videos, include that.
Lastly, you can track performance via open rates, click-throughs and unsubscribes, to make adjustments for the future.
3. Up your social media game
Social media continues to expand, and it’s where everyone hangs out these days. But it can be a huge waste of time, so you want to be very intentional with it.
You might have accounts in all of them and if that’s the case, there are ways to manage them all from one place, including not only posting but also responding to comments.
The main advice I have is to focus on one. Social media is a networking tool, the business purpose is to connect with business people that will become clients or referral sources. Be sure to continue to post on the others and monitor daily, but pick one where you’ll spend the most time and effort. For most distributors, LinkedIn is the one that will produce most results.
If you have been mostly absent from social media and don’t know where to start, the first thing to do is to connect and follow all of your clients, prospects and business people you want to meet.
If you are a total newbie, we have free tutorials for beginners on our website.
The Point
Marketing is not optional—and, today, it takes place in digital form. Pick any one of the above tactics and make time for it. It will feel cumbersome at first, but you’ll get the hang of it.
Just stay consistent and you will see results.
This article was first published in Action Marketing blog. For more marketing articles, free webinars and guides specific to the promo business, visit the Resources section of ActionMarketingCo.com.
