From Noise To Noticeable
Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions
I teach growing craft beer & cider companies how to work smarter, not harder
Remember that different email layout from a recent Bottleneck? (if you're reading this on LinkedIn, I changed things up for my email subscribers a few weeks ago) Remember how I promised to explain why I changed things? Well, I didn't forget to come back and tell you why I did it.
It was a test.
This test was to see if you all liked this format better than my other email layout. Your feedback is not just valuable; it's crucial. Your preferences matter, and I want you to enjoy reading this stuff. It turns out you do. How do I know? All those smart devices in your home and at work told me so.
I'm just kidding! Sorry if that freaked you out, but it's kind of true. My email software will let me know how many people opened my message, clicked on things, or opted out. This allows me to judge whether I sent a banger or a stinker of an email.
You can do this yourself with all your marketing materials—in fact, you should already be doing it. Marketing is a never-ending testing process; your audience (brand fans and customers) are your subjects. Feedback is what drives improvement. Testing and marketing metrics provide you with that feedback. Then, you can take that feedback and map out how your marketing activities lead to sales (I've helped map it out for you; click here).
It's estimated that the average person receives over 30,000 points of information throughout the day. Branded messages are a huge chunk of that. The goal is to be the message that stands out, not the one that feels like noise.
Brand noise can be defined as "anything that distracts from a brand's overall message." This is an old article, but it effectively outlines how to avoid brand noise—click here to read it. There is really good stuff in here; don't skip it!
You need to test different messages you share with your audience to see what resonates. If they engage with your content (not just Likes! You're looking for Shares, Comments, Saves, Clicks, Profile Visits, Website Traffic, Subscriptions, etc.), then it's valuable to them. And yes, those are the actions (conversions) that you are looking for if you want your marketing messages to translate to actual revenue! ??
If they don't engage, you might want to stop and think about what turned people off. Can you pick out the patterns of low engagement? Was it your media- a boring picture? Was it your caption- too salesy? Was it about the day or time that you sent that email?
If you aren't tracking engagements, you will never know what's working or not working. If you aren't testing different content, you will never know if your audience thinks it's noise or if it's that message they look forward to seeing in their inbox or on their phones. This is why marketers have the mantra- learn to fail fast.
It's not about what you like but about what your customers like. Remember that nugget of wisdom, and you will excel at marketing, even if you've never had formal training.
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Tracking marketing metrics, creating better content, analyzing trends, and building marketing funnels (AKA how marketing leads to sales) are just a fraction of what I do for craft beverage brands. We take the time to assess what messages we are putting out to the world, evaluate the patterns, optimize the content for better results, and then watch engagement turn into sales.
And if you're feeling too stretched these days for strategy and just want someone to do this for you, I've brought some of my marketing agency services back into the mix- the big difference is that I don't charge agency prices.
So, if you're interested in having someone analyze your metrics, coordinate your social media content, or run your digital ad campaigns, give me a shout or reply to this email.
You can browse through all my options by clicking here.
Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. Take every failed post, press release, email, and advertisement as a learning opportunity to improve your brand messaging.
Get out there and learn how to fail fast!
Julie
PS—Need a dash of sales advice? Chris over at Small Batch Standard made me look way cooler with sunglasses, and we chatted about overcoming buyers' objections in his latest video. Watch it here.
PPS—Event updates! Please come say hello if you will be at any of these upcoming events. If you want to chat about business—you know I'm always down for that—just reply and let me know.