Tips for writing a marketing strategy

A marketing strategy sets the aims for the Marketing department and also tells the employees working there how they are to achieve the goals laid out before them. In other words, marketing strategies are the vision of the marketing department and therefore, one must pay special attention when coming up with a strategy. Here are a few tips to follow while doing so.

To begin with, analyze what the year gone by – 2014 – was like. The analysis will help one come across the strengths they have the places where they must show improvement this year. The sales trends must be watched carefully as well and one must see where the sales are low. Also, analyzing ones marketing trends while help build a connection between the marketing campaign and the sales that one generated as a result. Think about the factors that come to the forefront and how they can help build a strong marketing strategy for the upcoming future.

The one-year vision of the company needs to be laid out bare. This is a one point agenda the firm – or at least the marketing department – is hoping to fulfill in the coming year ahead. It will bring clarity to the strategy and help with employee understanding as well.

Goals and priorities will come up next and once one has decided what the vision is, one must decide the measures they intend to take in order to achieve that vision. These are usually plans of actions to follow and some discourses that one can take.

Moving on, conduct the necessary year end customer research and upgrade the official company profile for customers. The needs and wants of consumers change every year and one must be aware of the trends that can be seen in the New Year so products can be modified.

Next up, the competition is what one needs to watch out for. Review the performance of the competitors in the year gone by. What are the things they have succeeded at and what have they failed at? How has that affected the home firm?

In order to build a strong marketing strategy, one will also have to see what separates the home firm from the competitors. What are the things that are unique to them and what are the things unique to the home firm? How does this uniqueness affect sales?

Another major part of the process is developing acollateral report based on the marketing department and it needs to be reviewed and studied intensely. The stuff available to customers’ needs to be relevant to them and must prove to be interesting as well.

Moving on, one simply cannot survive in today’s marketing world without checking out how the firm or product has done online. Take out the stats for the company’s or product’s website and study them thoroughly to find out where the firm could not garner hits and why.

The sales process needs to be reviewed, analyzed and it must be documented as well. Is the process of conducting sales actually helping people reach the relevant customer base? Is it charging a good price or is it too expensive? There is much to ask in a sales process report.

One of the best things about marketing and devising plans is how one can identify virgin lands to take advantage of. During the research, look for market gaps that have not been fulfilled yet and look for ways to launch new products that will fill up the unsatisfied customer desire.

While devising a good marketing strategy and executing the plan, a good manager will keep an eye on progress and come up with an analysis while the plan is still at play. 

An article by Dougles Chan, SEO Singapore Master | Digital Marketing Singapore Guru. He writes articles on recruitment agency, recruitment business, digital marketing, advanced SEO tips, AWS consulting partner,  AWS cloud partners, Microsoft reseller & Microsoft partner Singapore.

Online Marketing – Why is it Necessary?

Online marketing refers to the marketing of different products and services created by a business through an online platform. This may refer to websites, blogs, forums as well as social media networks that have become so common these days. This kind of marketing is gaining more and more attention through every passing day due to the fact that it has many short and long-term benefits to offer to people. Not only is it easy to carry out but it also has provided people with a great way for marketing various commodities that would be utterly impossible otherwise. Therefore, trying out this method of marketing has been definitely recommended to individuals who wish to become successful.

No Online Restrictions

One very prominent reason behind the instant success of online marketing is the fact that it can be carried out on all kinds of platforms online. Not only websites or famous social media networks such as Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and many more but also through blogs, forums as well as different search engines, which is the major reason behind the immediate success of many high end business websites. There is no specific platform online where this marketing has to be carried out and that gives people a lot more freedom to do things the way they want to at all times.

Increased Online Traffic

Businesses can gain a massive amount of success through this particular type of marketing. This is because business websites can sometimes face a lack of internet traffic but when they indulge into online marketing, they can acquire all of that online traffic all over again. This has many advantages, amongst which the top one is that this completely increases their search engine rankings. Within a short period of time, a business website is going to be included in the top rankings of high end search engines and that most definitely will increase the credibility of the site in general and also enhance sales later on in the future.

High Increase in Sales

Sales in general are increased by a long shot while indulging in online marketing at all times. Through this sort of marketing, businesses can bring their products as well as services forward, which means that they are going to be acquiring a huge number of customers as well. It is important to do the marketing effectively in order to grab the attention of customers in the first place. Once that goal has been achieved, nothing can stop a business from actually acquiring a massive numbers of customers and that would go on to eventually increase the level of sales in a short period of time.

The main motive of any business out there is to basically enhance profits and that can never be done without a high increase in sales. Therefore, indulging in this sort of marketing surely has its benefits since it allows businesses to first gain a huge number of customers, which leads to increased sales as well as profits afterwards.

The Bottom Line

A lot can be said about online marketing and how it has become so popular over the past few years. However, one thing is for sure and it is the fact that this kind of marketing is not only efficient and fast, but it is also very effective. There are many ways of carrying it out as this form of marketing has several types that businesses can always use to their advantage. In the case of promoting products and services online, this should be used in order to reach out to a huge amount of local as well as international audience since only through it is that going to be possible. Thus, those who have not yet tried out this exclusive form of marketing must really do so at the earliest convenience. 

An article by Dougles Chan, SEO Singapore Master | Digital Marketing Singapore Guru. He writes articles on recruitment agency, AWS certified partner, Amazon consulting partner  , AWS consulting partner,  AWS cloud partners, Microsoft reseller & Microsoft partner Singapore.

Marketing Mix – What does it include?

Everyone is aware of what the marketing mix is and how important it is for the success and growth of businesses out there in the present times. Many things are involved in it and in order to get a better understanding of all of them, individuals have been highly to study them at the earliest convenience. The mix has been made of four elements, which are most commonly known as the 4 Ps, and these play an important part in making any product successful in both the short as well as the long run. More and more companies these days can be seen to be implementing this mix as it is known to be exceptionally effective for all.

The Four Ps

The four Ps, as they are called, are includes of the Product, Place, Price and Promotion. While all of these are equally as important, they are all unique in their own way, which is precisely why even skipping a single one is likely to make the entire marketing mix not as effective as it is likely to be while using all of these elements. As far as the authenticity of this mix is concerned, it is completely legit and has been specifically created for the convenience of high end organizations these days.

Product

The product is a high end element which really has to be given a lot of significance in the marketing mix. While a lot of individuals may feel as if this can be ignored, they really should re-evaluate their priorities and see how this can actually go on to satisfy the needs and demands of the end customer. The appearance, benefits as well as the demands of a product are highlighted in this element of the mix, which is why it is taken to a whole new level in the near future. The reliability, authenticity and durability of the product are included in this.

Price

On the other hand, the price is another part of the marketing mix that has to be taken into through consideration as it is one of the most essential ones. Customers are always concerned about the prices, which is why it is important to price products according to the needs and demands of individuals. A wide range of pricing strategies exist and for different kinds of market situations as well. Therefore, this part of the mix is to be used carefully since if it is misused, the customers may end up not purchasing the product if it is too expensive or too low priced, as that signifies low quality sometimes.

Place

The next element in the marketing mix is the place. This involves the place as well as the medium through which the end product will be supplied to the customer later on. A wide range of different distribution channels have been included in this process and according to the product, the place has to be chosen carefully as it highly affects the outcome in the long run. Direct and indirect channels are good in their own way; therefore, choosing the right one is important if people wish to make use of this high end element of the famous mix. Retailers, wholesalers, worldwide internet, overseas agents and distributors are involved in this.

Promotion

The last part of the mix is promotion as this includes everything related to advertising, which is exceptionally important in order to create brand awareness as well as to build its image to perfection. Successful promotion involves direct mail, public relations, personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, trade fairs and exhibitions as well as sponsorship. Keeping all these elements in mind and using them to their fullest potential is what makes this mix work in the future.

An article by Dougles Chan, Digital Marketing Singapore Guru. He writes articles on recruitment agency, recruitmentbusiness, digital marketing and advanced SEO tips. 

Recruitment agencies in Singapore for foreigners

So, a foreigner in Singapore is searching for a job. Perhaps they are not sure on what to carry out. Exactly, where can they proceed? Recruitment agencies in Singapore for foreigners are created for this particular purpose. They are here to assist. Perhaps a foreigner has skills but is not certain how to start searching for a job. Possibly, they have been searching themselves for some time, however, with no success. An agency will probably be right up their street. This informative article discusses a few of the advantages of using an employment agency.

First of all, they are doing all of the hard work. The recruitment agencies get somebody's details, and they then try to look for placements, which work best with their qualifications. All the individual need to do is go for the job interview. They might be required to take a test when they first sign up with the agency, however, they should not get worried. The test is often rather easy, and they are just carrying it out to allow them to determine where the individuals' abilities lie. In addition, if they score highly on the test, it is a good sign to a company that they will make a great staff.

 Recruitment agencies, likewise, saving time. If a person is already in a full-time career, they will not possess a lot of extra time to be searching and looking for some other jobs. Basically, a simple trip down to an employment agency implies that a load can be removed from an individual's mind.

Recruitment agencies in addition have good connections. When someone is seeking a job by themselves, their selection of where to apply is restricted. Employment agencies are regularly in touch with business employers, and thus people can reap the benefits of the relationships in between top level management and recruitment agencies.

 Signing up for an agency not just provides one entry to companies, additionally, it exposes a much broader pool of accessible jobs. Usually on an internet site, a large part of the work opportunities listed are only accessible through recruitment agencies. Signing up for agencies makes sure that individuals have the absolute best possibility of obtaining the job which they desire.

There are lots of recruitment agencies in Singapore for foreigners, and individuals must always pick one, which has a good reputation. This makes sure the absolute best result for the individual looking for a job. No one desires to waste their effort and time on agencies, which will not offer what they guarantee. On the other hand, if individuals are certain of the agency they're enrolling in, they'll be certain to acquire good results, and not waste time on their job search eventually.

How recruitment agencies can assist your business?

You’re searching for talent for vacancies which you’ve in your organization. Recruitment agencies in Singapore maybe just what you require to locate the correct individuals. Sadly, a lot of business employers overlook these types of services because on-line job advertising has become normal over the past few years. The truth is that there’s a lot that these kinds of agencies can perform to provide you with the ideal staff that you’re searching for.

So what can recruitment agencies accomplish for you? They offer a lot more services than simply advertising and marketing the vacancies which you’ve in your firm. Actually, many leading agencies offer a full set of hr services. They’ll choose applicants in accordance with the specifications that you’ve set. A lot of these job seekers will probably be interviewed and assessed further just before they are able to meet you or perhaps a manager from your firm.

Recruitment agencies accept bigger Human resources project too. You can utilize employee examination, team profiling as well as talent management services. You will be aided with launching modifications to the structure of your organization. You are able to request the creating of proficiency development strategies. Generally, you will get all of the services and tools you’ll want to get the correct staff and also to control them efficiently so as to attain greatest productivity.

You may also think about complete Human resources outsourcing for your company, particularly if it’s a small or medium-sized one. It will definitely lead to great effectiveness with regards to staff employment and management. The additional advantage is cost reduction. You’ll save on facilities as well as salaries for hr personnel. You’ll save on training too.

How can you tell that the services of recruitment agencies are effective and affordable? Absolutely, no 2 agencies are the same. On the other hand, it shouldn’t be hard for you as being an employer to judge different services and also to pick the right one.

Specialization is very vital for such firms these days. An agency which focuses on recruiting business specialists or medical experts is more efficient when compared to a general one. A highly trained hr team is yet another thing to watch out for in recruitment agencies. Individual attention to customers is, likewise, essential since every single employer possesses a different idea of the best individuals who will fill up openings in their firm. You’re strongly recommended to ask for quotations with prices and do a comparison when selecting between various agencies.

Generally, recruitment agencies in Singapore can help save business employers time, effort and money and locate the best talent for any of the available openings in a firm. You will have to think about making use of their services.

Why Branding Is Essential for Recruitment Agencies

With more and more graduates joining the workforce, there exists a much-needed avenue where demand and supply for the right set of skills can connect. That's where recruitment agencies enter the picture. But like any other company, these agencies have to establish their own brand.

Think of your agency as a product. Every product has to have a brand that sells. A good brand will attract quality customers, repeat customers. A bad one, on the other hand, will attract the worse of the bunch. Or worse, it will not meet its target sales at all. A recruitment agency is similar to that. To be able to succeed in the industry, you need to have a good strategy in place. That is branding.

Still not convinced?

Here are 5 good reasons why branding is essential to your agency.

1. Focus. You're not just any recruitment agency. You are the recruitment agency for a specific industry and for a specific set of top level positions. You don’t need to heed the call of every client. Carefully identify in what niche you would want to belong. That way, you can concentrate in studying the needs of these clients. There is no greater bargaining power than your specialization.

2. Rich portfolio of candidates. You'll get to cultivate a set of potential candidates. A good brand will naturally attract good candidates. You get to screen them and maintain the good ones. You don't need to chase after them or fear that they'll fall for some other agency. If they believe in your brand, they would want to stay with you. They'll even compete to get your nod on their skills and talents. They'll be the ones to persuade you that they should be your top choice and not the other way around.

3. Repeat clients. You don't need to pitch your services to clients all the time. A good brand will make you sell without the need to advertise. As long as you live up to your brand and reputation in every deal then, you won't have any trouble getting repeat clients.

4. Established trust and confidence. Branding is one of the best ways to sell your agency. It influences the decisions of clients. They will choose you over the others. Even for first-time clients, they will choose you because you already have the reputation to deliver. They already trust you even before you give your word that you'll do your part on that deal. Do note that it takes time to build that trust and confidence. But good branding will get you a head start over your competitors.

5. More profits. All these will eventually lead to greater sales and thus, greater profits. Branding gives you an advantage over your competitors. You need not resort to price cuts just to seal the deal. Clients would want to get your service even at a higher price. Why? Because of your reputation. Because you already have their trust and confidence.

An article by Dougles Chan - The Recruitment Guru. A Business Coach that specialized on coaching recruitment agencies & Staffing Agencies. Author of 8 books. 25 years in business coaching in recruitment and staffing agencies. Training recruitment business owners in Singapore, USA, UK, and Australia. He specialized business, sales, marketing, digital marketing, 360 recruitment process, SEO, SEM, and social media recruiting. For 121 recruitment coaching, kindly check here.

Rules On How To Write Mouth-Watering Article

A good article can you earn you millions of readers and most of all it can earn you millions of cash.

There is a lot of crap circulating on the internet all in the name of content. At this time, when the information is accessible anyone can write just about anything and goes ahead to post it and of course it will be called an article. If you want to emerge as a good writer, you have to apply good content plus unique strategy.

For aspiring article writers, jotting down a good article is not a walk in the park, it requires more and more practice.  Becoming a good writer is not an overnight success, it will cost you a large expenditure of effort. Reading more and writing will perfect your skills.

Think about this;

You write an article, post it on the internet, people click on your article, they are glued to the compelling content, through the article you have managed to rapport with them and its actually like you are addressing them.

And right after they are done reading, the next thing they want to do is hit the call to action button.
Sounds amazing…right?, I know.

Well, for you to achieve this you have to master the rules of writing a mouthwatering article.
Without further ado, let’s dive in in what makes up a good article.

A Killer Opening line

This part will determine if the reader will go on reading the article or not. As a rule of the thumb the first line MUST grab the readers attention.

The purpose of the first sentence is to entice the reader and to make them more curious, in that way they want to read the second and the third and so on to find out what the article has in store for them.


Keep The Paragraph Short
Why do you think articles on the newspapers are short?
Well, you guessed it right…

If you want to encourage your readers to go on, you have to keep it short, simple,  and precise.

Truth of the matter is that most internet users are searching for results, they have a problem and they are simply  looking for a quick answer to their problem. In that case vast majority of people on the internet scan the information rather than reading it. If your article has long paragraphs…high chances are that people will pass it by and search for a shorter article with short paragraphs.

The mind remembers only the vital facts. Believe me the reader is not interested in your fluffy words. At least I know if I land on a dense of paragraph I suddenly loose interest, its pretty boring.
Short paragraphs are tantalizing and enticing, they keep the reader glued curious about the next paragraph. Break your paragraphs, make them short and straight to the point.

Address Your Readers Needs
You have not had it all until you landed on a meaningless article, you feel wasted for wasting your time reading nonsense.

There are a lot of content on the internet with nothing but fluff.
That person that is clicking on your article is after one thing, how are you going to solve their problem.

Imagine it like, they’ve asked you a question and you are trying to answer them back.
Do not write content for the sake of writing content, write content that has a meaning and will add value to someone’s life.

Build Rapport With The Reader
Remember, you are writing for humans not for robots.
Use a simple words, avoid using strong vocabularies. Use a language that builds connection between you and the reader.
You might have tons of advice for your audience, great ideas but if don’t know how to EMOTIONALLY connect with them, I’m sorry to say you are simply wasting your precious time.

When you are writing down an article include the things that stimulate human's emotions.
- Speak as though you are speaking to them: You might be speaking to thousands or even millions of people but make it look like you are talking to one person.
Focus on using you, yours, and you’re in this way the reader will feel like you are addressing them and not a multitude of people. This will help in connecting with the reader.

- Adding an image: A photo says a thousand words. Adding a photo to your article can make it appealing to the eyes, this is one of the best strategy to use when jotting down an article.
A photo creates emotional responses in human. Ensure you use a quality photo and relevant to the subject you are talking about.

- Tell a story: What happens when someone tells you a mind blowing story? You emotionally respond…right?
This is one way of bringing the article in real life with human interest, it will capture their attention.
Stories are a perfect way of driving to the point, just keep it short and simple.

Avoid writing bland content, I can bet you no one will read it.
And as I said above PRACTICE is the mother of all.

Happy writing folks.

An article by Dougles Chan- Recruitment Business Coach - a marketing guru specialised in aws certified partner,amazon consulting partner and AWS consulting partner.