Multi sector marketing – digital tools and techniques

Multi sector marketing – it is essential for any business to ensure its marketing activities are fully aligned, integrated and work together seamlessly – from PR, media and lead generation campaigns to digital, social media and content marketing activities.

However, when selling and promoting your business across multiple sectors, you need to tailor your approach, ensuring what you say and do is relevant for your audiences – with consideration to your tone of voice, messages, marketing approach and relevance.

This blog guides you through some basic tools and techniques that you can implement when it comes to your multi sector marketing – digital tools and techniques. The five key core areas we focus on are:

• Put the building blocks in place.
• Be found effectively online.
• Reach out using digital tools.
• Communicate effectively with email.
• Integrate your digital campaigns.
  

Put the building blocks in place

First things first, there are some critical marketing activities you need to consider before targeting new sectors. Putting these essential tools in place at the start will give you the foundations to build on and utilise for other cross sector marketing campaign activity. Here are a few things to consider:

• Adapt your messages and content to make them relevant for the sector and audience – needs, wants, features, benefits and USPs will differ.
• Update your website with sector pages – ensure they feature relevant content and images which will connect with your audience.
• Set up landing pages which are relevant to the sector and audience and use these in focused campaigns which can drive lead generation.
• Consider setting up microsites if your proposition differs from your existing portfolio and focus – this will help set your products and services apart and clearly define your offering.
• Get your case study evidence together for your target sectors and showcase your specific credentials – this is what matters to your audience.

Be found effectively online

Simply relying on a website to showcase your business and products is not enough. You need to drive visitors to your website, be found online though Google and other online channels and you need to interact and engage with your audience effectively when they arrive on your website. Putting in place a well thought out digital strategy can make a real difference to your campaign results. Here are some simple steps to help you improve your online visibility:

• Optimise your sector pages so that they show up in search results for people searching for your product/service.
• Conduct keyword research with words/ phrases that are relevant for the sector and your business.
• Publish regular sector-focussed content and blogs using your keyword research.
• Think about your visitor journey to the sector page or landing page and consider your Call to Actions (CTAs) – after all, you are driving them there for a reason.
• Google Console and Google Analytics will give you insights and data into keyword and sector page performance – this will help you continuously improve your website, SEO and content marketing efforts.

Reach out using social media

Raising your profile and awareness across different digital channels is an important factor in reaching out to your audience. Engaging on relevant social media platforms, with targeted content and in a consistent way can help drive interest in your business and drive visitors to sector specific content on your website. Here are some ideas on making your social media activities sector-focussed:

• Do your research and identify the most appropriate social media channels for your audience – LinkedIn can provide a more direct approach whereas Twitter produces a broader awareness.
• Research which hashtags to use and what type of content your target audience engages with, as this will drive engagement.
• Create a content plan to ensure your content will resonate with your audience and tailor content for each platform – your target audience needs to be interested in what you have to say.
• Consider a Company Showcase page on LinkedIn for a highly sector-focussed approach – this will help you tailor your content and concentrate your efforts.
• Utilise LinkedIn groups relevant to your target sector and publish thought leadership articles on LinkedIn Pulse – this will help build your credibility and showcase your expertise in that sector.
• Use a variety of content to communicate your proposition – infographics, video, animation, and photography. Think about what will stand out and create an impression.

Communicate effectively with email

Email marketing is an effective way of communicating specific messages and content to your audience. If implemented properly you can integrate email marketing across other digital channels to create more impact and generate more leads. Here are a few tips to help you achieve this:

• Ensure your email database is segmented by sector and audience type: this will allow you to implement highly targeted campaigns. Also ensure your data is up to date and GDPR compliant.
• Tailor your email templates to make them relevant – make sure the design, images and headings are relevant for the sector you are targeting.
• Consider your email approach – eshots can work well for product promotions and sector specific content. But think about how email campaigns will fit in with other digital activities, such as your sector-focused landing pages.
• Use engaging content, images and graphics to bring your email campaigns to life and do not forget to consider your subject line. You need to draw your audience in – and the subject line is the first thing they will read, so it needs to create and impact.
• Think about the journey of your email recipient and the various touch points, from receiving the email and where they click on your website to how the email is followed up and how they can connect with you.

Integrate your digital campaigns

It is important that all your digital efforts work together seamlessly alongside your traditional marketing activities and are integrated for maximum campaign success. Consider all of the touch points your audience will engage with online – what content and messages will be communicated across each touch point and how will you interact and connect with them? Here are some points to consider when mapping out your integrated campaign:

• Digital campaigns ultimately lead visitors to your website – ensure your website will get them where you want them to be and consider your user journey and experience.
• Sector focussed landing pages can enhance your campaign and make it perform harder – they should have relevant content, case studies and clear CTAs such as a gated content or enquiry form functions.
• Content is at the heart of any digital campaign and drives the entire process – upcycle and repurpose content.
• Content should also be adapted for each channel – what you communicate on social media will be different to your email marketing campaigns. Consider your audience, channel expectation and tone of voice.
• Monitor, analyse and act on the results – digital channels provide a range of metrics for you to effectively monitor and track success.

Digital marketing should be at the heart of your multi sector marketing strategy. Check out our credentials in digital marketing here. If you would like to discuss your multi sector marketing and your digital strategy, tools and techniques, get in touch.