Today’s marketers need to be creative, quick thinking and resourceful. We also need to excel at a wide range of marketing channels rather than just one or two. This is called hybrid marketing, and it’s something that you must do well if you want to be competitive in your industry.
Before social media took off, marketers only had to focus on one marketing channel. If you’ve been in the B2B marketing scene for a while, you can remember a time when things were much simpler. Yet when social media proved to be a successful marketing tool, digital advertisers had to adjust and learn a host of new technologies and platforms.
In 2017, hybrid marketers will continue to rock at many marketing channels. It’s worth mentioning, however, that hybrid marketers must excel at combining multiple strategies into single campaigns, rather than being good at separate marketing tactics. Using this multidimensional approach, you can create a seamless and integrated image of your brand.
What Every Hybrid Marketer Should Know
Let’s dive into some of the some of the things that you should be really, really good at as a hybrid marketer.
Content Marketing
As a hybrid marketer, you should recognize the value in producing good content. A commitment to quality is necessary, as well as the willingness to put in resources like time and money.
What makes content so crucial to your overall marketing strategy is that it conveys your brand’s message and personality without being overly promotional. This builds trust and loyalty among consumers, especially during a time when people are bombarded by traditional advertisements.
To succeed at content marketing, you need to be patient, diligent and proactive. A few good articles won’t change the trajectory for your brand. It takes time for content to leave an impact, so the best marketers will be those who have a committed and well-thought-out content strategy, regularly updated editorial calendar and strong content distribution tactics.
Search Engine Optimization
You don’t need to be an expert on the algorithms to be effective at SEO, but you should have a basic understanding of how SEO strategies affect your content and search rankings. Keep up to date on algorithm updates so you can adjust accordingly and not be hit with a penalty. Fortunately, recent algorithm updates are much gentler than they were in the past. Still, there’s no substitute for being informed.
Social Media
It’s tempting to hire an outside agency to handle your social media posts, but this role is best done by you. Why? Social media is a channel that requires a personal touch to be successful, and you’re the one who has that.
You know what’s going on in your business and how it relates to what’s going on in the real world. You can also make quick updates or respond to discussions with a consistent voice. Some of the best posts on social media are made on the fly because they are relevant, timely and appropriate.
Email Marketing
Email continues to be an effective marketing channel with a high return on investment. But a lot has changed since the days of sending out the same generic message to everyone on your list.
In order to see a good return on your email campaigns, you need to personalize your messages and build unique experiences for your customers that guide them along their buying journey. This requires a deep understanding of your audience and how email fits into the larger picture.
Utilize a marketing automation program to improve your efficiency. With this software, you can segment your subscriber lists, create drip email campaigns and send out highly targeted emails.
Advancements in Technology
You can’t be afraid of technology as a hybrid marketer. Many of the things you do rely on technology, which gets your feet wet. But you must also be willing to adjust how you do things as new advancements are introduced. Marketers who get stuck in their ways are unable to move along with the trends and be relevant to their clients.
Some technology will be designed to make your tasks more efficient and streamlined (i.e., marketing automation) but will come with a learning curve. Be patient but committed to learning them. Even if things don’t pan out or end up being useful, you should never be afraid to try something new.
Web Coding
Coding can be scary, and there’s no need for you to know everything. But you should be familiar with the basics of coding and why it’s important. With a general knowledge of CSS and HTML, you have a better understanding of what can be done on a visual level. This foundation will keep your expectations realistic when creating an email or website, and you may even be able to make small changes without contacting your development team.
Analytics
Years ago, it was commonplace to try out a few marketing tactics and hope for a positive impact. Send out an email and see a boost in sales? Great. Create a website and acquire more leads? Perfect. Today, these generalized results wouldn’t cut it.
Thanks to analytics, there’s no reason to have a general idea of which marketing tactics are effective. You can track each specific campaign and measure the effects precisely. This is a good thing because it means you can be most efficient with your resources, and you never have to make the same mistake twice.
What is the Future of Hybrid Marketing?
Hybrid marketing isn’t a fly-by-night trend. It’s a complete digital marketing approach that is built on a firm understanding of the various marketing approaches out there and how they fit together. To be effective as a hybrid marketer, you must be willing to study the trends, update your skill sets and apply your research.
As you look toward the future of hybrid marketing, what types of marketing strategies are you committed to learning more about?
