Let’s be honest, marketing used to be pretty simple — you only had a few key strategies that you used across a couple of channels.
Nowadays, it’s a whole new world. You’ve got thousands of tools and tactics to choose from. The sheer volume can be overwhelming.
Not to mention that you’ve already got a hefty tech stack, which you could probably be using better.
Gordon Brott has been in marketing since the turn of the century, and he’s seen it all. He knows how to get the most bang for your buck across all the major marketing channels.
Quick pause for a second: are you ready to start actively improving your marketing? If not, no worries — but this article isn’t for you.
You’re about to get dozens of tools that WILL make your marketing better. If you’re not ready for that, bookmark this page and come back when you are.
We’re going to cover 30 tools and tactics to improve your marketing across 10 key areas. Are you ready?
HOW TO: Master your tools and improve your strategy across key marketing channels
1. Facebook: there are about a hundred ways you could be doing FB better; here are 7
Upload a list of current customers and their lifetime value, create a FB lookalike audience, then let the algorithm target your most valuable prospects for you →
Value-based Lookalike Audience
Creatives: use bright colors and avoid corny images. Remember — “the image stops them, the text converts them.” Browse this database of free, attention-grabbing stock photos →
Use video creatives; it’s super-easy using these pre-built templates →
Convert leads directly within FB to lower CPL (be warned, it may also lower lead quality) →
Analyze your website visitors, then use that data to target those personas on other channels →
Change your default attribution window from view-through to click-through to get an actual picture of your campaign’s performance →
Change your Attribution Window
Join this FB group for more killer hacks and discussions on FB marketing →
2. LinkedIn: interact more on the platform to generate new B2B business and partnerships
Good things happen when you engage on LinkedIn: you can find new partners by seeing who views your post, and make it easier for people to find you through your quality content.
Embed the LinkedIn code on your site to analyze your visitors’ professional demographics →
Use LinkedIn Ads for ultra-targeting across 4 unique ad options: newsfeed, text ads, sponsored InMail, and Lead Ads →
3. Google Analytics: track the conversion rate of specific demographics to find hidden gems
You may be prioritizing the wrong audiences. Overlay age & gender as a secondary dimension to see which demographics are converting for you at much higher rates or lower CPA.
Double-check your conversion rates on mobile vs. desktop to make sure you’re not neglecting either channel →
4. Google Ads: adjust your bids for key demographics and “in market” audiences
Take all that data you got from FB and GA, and use it to increase bids on your top demographics. You can select by age, gender, parental status, and income.
Adjust your bid according to what Google thinks the searcher is “in market” for. Google has over 500+ in market audiences, here’s the full list →
5. Emails: make them high-quality, but keep them simple, short, and mobile-friendly
You spend too much money on lead-gen to follow up with a trash email. Make sure all your emails have simple, short sentences, no big paragraphs, a clear CTA, and look great on mobile.
Make a compelling subject line that gets to the heart of your email. E.g., if you’re following up with someone next Tuesday, don’t make the subject line “Follow-up,” make it “Meet on Tuesday?”
If you need some inspiration, here is a free database with hundreds of email sequences →
This magic 9-word email revives old leads at a ridiculous response rate:
Subject Line: <First Name>
<First Name>,
Are you still interested in <whatever you’re following up about>?
—<Your Name>
6. Direct mail: send customized, hand-written notes to make an impression on top prospects
As digital becomes more expensive, direct mail is making a comeback. Sending personalized mail is worth the investment for important follow-ups and B2B or high-value B2C prospects.
Handwritten letters are guaranteed to get opened. If you’d like to see a free sample first, go to GordonBrott.com/letter (no spam, we promise) →
Customize postcards to prospects at scale →
Or retarget your website visitors with direct mail →
Even Mailchimp now offers a direct mail service →
7. Chatbots: use live chat & bots to widen your funnel and convert more site visitors
Chatbots help capture visitors who are too lazy to search for an answer and would otherwise click away. Gordon’s form used to generate 14 queries; his chatbot has had 412 conversations.
It’s oddly satisfying to have a back-and-forth with a well-programmed bot. Start building yours →
8. Copy: focus on your prospect and their needs, not your company
People don’t care about you and your fancy product, they care about themselves and what their life could look like once you solve their pain point. Before sending anything out ask yourself, “Is this about us or is this about the customer?”
Invest $2,000 in a top-notch direct marketing professional who can revise your sales copy and train your team. Gordon promises it will be well worth the investment.
If there’s a head of copy on your marketing team, have them spend a few hours each week reading books, blogs, and some top-notch copy by direct marketing pros →
Dan Kennedy, David Ogilve, or Drayton Bird
9. Competitive intelligence: analyze your competitors’ SEO, FB ads, and internal strategy
Find any website’s traffic, clicks, top keywords, and ads→
Track your competitors’ FB ads month-over-month to find and mimic their best ads. Meanwhile hide your own winners by adding a few $1/day decoys to your own account →
Gain insight into competitors’ internal strategies by checking what jobs they’re hiring for and reviewing their resumes for any achievements at that company →
10. Analytics: build a marketing dashboard to visualize progress across all your channels
Your dashboard is the one place you go to get an overarching view of your marketing. Update it weekly and you will be able to get a higher-level picture and spot problems much sooner.
It should be broken down by channel, by week, and by month, like this →
