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Pareto’s Principle states that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. Otherwise known as the 80:20 rule, the principle applies to marketing as much as sociology and economics.

Essentially, for every ten campaigns you put into the world, two will generate 80% of the results. Of course, this is an average or a rule of thumb rather than an exact figure.

The 80:20 rule might sound like bad news because it implies you won’t get the desired result every time. But understanding the 80:20 can also be empowering; if you’ve tried a few Facebook ads and nothing’s worked, the chances are you could still be successful if you test another handful of ads.

Once you identify the highest-performing ads within a group, you can pause the rest. This allows you to plough your resources into the ads that work, potentially snowballing your return.

Does this mean you should stop creating new ads once you’ve found a few successful ones? No. Now is the perfect time to begin tweaking your existing ads to create new campaigns alongside your current ones. If you’re paying attention to the data, you’ll soon find even better ways to engage your ideal customers.

Over time, this should help you create ads highly attuned to your audience that continue to generate solid profits for your business. New ads also prevent your target demographic from growing blind to your messaging from overexposure.

To get started, plan at least ten ads, all with a single goal, such as generating sign-ups or sales. Divide your budget into ten, so you can afford to run them all while comparing the data. Follow the plan above as soon as a couple prove their worth. Good luck!

Marketers are forever coming up with novel ways to sell more products or attract new customers, but it’s easy to forget the basic principles that every campaign should focus on at its core. Let’s have a look at these now.

Choose your market or niche

It sounds obvious, but often business owners are so enthusiastic about what they’re offering that they assume it will appeal to everyone. But unless you’re drawing from a bottomless pit of money, you can’t afford to tailor your campaigns to every demographic going. And frankly, you don’t need to.

For many businesses, targeting a niche in the market is more effective and easier on the budget. To do this, think hard about the type of people who actually need your product or service. Pitch your campaigns to appeal to this specific demographic, and you’re more likely to generate better returns.

Focus on fulfilling a need

Say your niche audience is busy working mums struggling to balance all their responsibilities. How does your product or service help them overcome their biggest fears or the practical problems they face every day? Once you’ve established the pain point, draw your audience’s attention to it and show them the solution.

Of course, priorities change over time, so you should constantly research trends in customer behaviour to help you redevelop your offering and remarket accordingly.  

Go where your audience is

Now you know your audience like the back of your hand, focus on the distribution channels they’re most likely to interact with. For example, younger folk spend much more time on TikTok and Instagram than older generations, who may still prefer browsing a magazine or brochure over whipping out a phone.

Likewise, a keen home cook or baker might spend more time reading long-form blog posts and watching demonstration videos on YouTube than scrolling Facebook. The only way to know for sure is by doing your homework and monitoring the data.

Choose and schedule content with care

Once you’ve decided how to reach your audience, it’s time to create content that means something to them. Before you hit publish, though, consider how each piece fits into your overall marketing plan, its relevance, and the value it provides. Aim for quality and a predictable schedule that doesn’t overwhelm your audience.

Create a plan – and review it regularly

Even the best-laid plans need the occasional tweaking, so it’s essential to hold onto all the data generated by your marketing efforts – whether they were successful or not. By regularly examining the figures, you’ll start to identify important trends and insights that will help you progress your business in the future.

After assessing the data, use it to create a refreshed content marketing strategy you can share with your team so everyone is on the same page.

Why not get started right now?

Why every business should use CTAs in email marketing

Email marketing is a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their audience, build relationships, and drive conversions. However, without effective calls to action (CTAs), even the most well-crafted email can fall flat.

A call to action is a simple instruction that prompts a potential customer to take a specific action, such as buying a product or service, joining a newsletter, or downloading an eBook. Incorporating CTAs into email marketing campaigns is crucial for maximising engagement and achieving desired results.

Still not convinced? Here's why you should never skip CTAs in any campaign:

1.     Driving Conversions: The primary goal of any email marketing campaign is to convert subscribers into customers. A compelling CTA serves as a gateway to conversion by guiding recipients towards the desired action. Whether clicking on a link, filling out a form, or making a purchase, a clear and enticing CTA motivates recipients to take that next step, increasing the chances of conversion.

2.     Increasing Click-Through Rates: CTAs are essential for boosting click-through rates (CTR) because they encourage readers to engage. A well-placed and attention-grabbing CTA compels customers to click on it, leading them to a landing page or website where they can take further action.

3.     Enhancing User Experience: CTAs provide a seamless user experience by directing them towards relevant information or actions. Without a clear CTA, your audience may be confused about what to do next, resulting in disengagement or even unsubscribing from future emails.

4.     Fostering Engagement and Interaction: CTAs can catalyse engagement and interaction between businesses and their audience. By encouraging you subscribers to respond, share feedback, or participate in a poll or survey, they create opportunities for meaningful communication. This helps businesses understand their audience better and builds trust and loyalty.

5.     Tracking and Analytics: CTAs are invaluable for tracking and analysing email campaign performance. By incorporating unique identifiers or tags into CTAs, you can monitor and measure the effectiveness of different campaigns, variations, or A/B tests. This data allows marketers to make data-driven decisions, refine their strategies, and optimise future campaigns for better results.

By harnessing compelling CTAs that resonate with audience and align with campaign objectives, you can achieve your financial goals more easily. So, don't overlook the power of CTAs when crafting your next email campaign.

Method

1. Throw everything into a blender and whizz. Taste and add anything else you want – maybe a little more apple juice. Serve in cold glasses.

With everyone spending more time online than ever before, a sound digital marketing strategy has become the backbone of many businesses – to the point where traditional print marketing can seem outdated or even a waste of money. 

But have the likes of direct mail, glossy brochures, posters and leaflets really had it? Let’s explore some of the advantages before dismissing this long-standing form of promotion. 

Benefit 1: Brand Awareness

Unlike ads on screens, print media carries a sense of real-world permeance that can penetrate the foggy scrolling trance many of us sink into when working through our inboxes, social media feeds, and search results. Over time, it can build awareness of your brand in the minds of your target audience, making it more likely they’ll think of you first.

Benefit 2: Longer-term impact 

Think about it: it’s harder to ignore or forget about a leaflet, takeaway menu, or magazine than an email or an ad squished onto the edge of a webpage. While potential customers may not act on printed materials immediately, they’ll often store them to look at again when they need your product or service. 

Benefit 3: Engages the senses

The physicality of print allows you to control how a customer interacts with your marketing materials, giving you a chance to leave a lasting impression or do something unexpected, creative, or attention-grabbing. For example, a beautiful brochure tied to a reader’s interests is much more enjoyable to peruse than another long email.

Benefit 4: Increases Trust 

Companies that invest in well-presented printed marketing materials often have greater legitimacy in the eyes of consumers. According to Royal Mail, this is because it makes them seem more trustworthy. 

Benefit 5: Creates value

While so-called ‘snail mail’ feels old-fashioned, it can also deliver a personal touch. Your customers will likely feel more valued receiving physical vouchers for products or services they have engaged with – even if they lead them back to your website. 

Benefit 6: Feeds into actions online

After capturing an audience’s attention and interest, physical marketing materials can prompt a huge range of further actions, including signing up to a mailing list and purchasing your business’s products or services. 

As we have seen, print marketing can still have an impact in 2023, especially by building a relationship with your niche and encouraging customers to engage online, thereby feeding into your digital strategy. 

To paraphrase an old adage, don’t keep your marketing eggs in one basket. Like any form of promotion, however, it’s important to consider ways to complement your online presence and test different options to see what appeals to your market.

• Have variety whilst having routine. When children attend school; they have a routine where they know what is happening next, so the same goes for the holidays. This could be having breakfast and then completing an activity and then having some quiet time before moving onto lunch and afternoon activities.
• Don’t cram too much in! It can be just as detrimental to over-stimulate, as it is to under-stimulate. So just bare in mind that children need some quiet time throughout the day. This could be reading, some time to themselves or some self-play.
• Arrange play dates. Children love playing with other children and will often pass many hours playing together without even realising, so this can help parents to get work done or just have some downtime during the busy schools holidays. 
• Look at activities in the home. This can be baking, arts and crafts, building Lego, making train tracks, role play, looking for bugs in the garden and finding out what they are, treasure hunts, the list is endless. 
• Get children in the garden if there is one available or create an indoor play space with blankets etc to allow children some free time to explore their imaginations!
• Plan a reward or treat system to keep children focused and hopefully assist with good behaviour. Of course there will be times when children will test you, but remember this is normal part of everyday life with children. 
• Plan meal times to ensure children are well fed. This can also act as a way of getting children involved. They can help by preparing food, which can help them feel involved and independent.
• Stock up your cupboards!