Success in marketing all boils down to getting the right ducks in a row.
Yes of course, you need to have a plan behind you.
But you also need to ensure that what you’re doing will have a positive impact on your business.
You don’t want to be stuck doing the wrong things.
Over the years I’ve tried many strategies to get myself out there.
Some were a roaring success.
Some were so-so.
While others were a complete failure.
And that’s cool, everything’s a learning opportunity.
But all that experience has helped me in the long run. It’s meant I’ve been able to build my own unique process and formula to grow my business online.
It’s the strategy I now use in my own business, and teach my clients.
It’s what I call the Marketing Hive MethodTM.
And today, I’m here to share the theory behind the method, to get you thinking about how you might apply it to your own pet business.
This post is inspired by the Marketing Hive module inside the Pet Biz Thrive Online Club. Where members get access to a simplified marketing strategy to help them show up online with more ease and less drama.
Not a member yet?
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The Marketing Hive MethodTM
This marketing strategy combines 5 pillars that form the structure of your online marketing strategy.
- Core content
- Repurpose system
- Traffic driver
- Nurture container
- Engagement strategy
The most important element at the heart of your strategy, is your website.
Because that’s the mothership. It’s your primary shop window, and where people can learn everything they need to know about you, and ultimately buy from you.
So our fundamental goal here, is to drive the right people back to it.
The Power Of One
Within this strategy, we implement the Power Of One. We choose one key activity to focus on within each of the 5 pillars for 90 days.
When you’ve got your strategy locked in, it’s effortless and it’s working well for you, you can introduce another into each pillar.
This dramatically helps reduce overwhelm, which I know can easily become an issue when you’re just getting to grips with promoting yourself online.
I’ve been there myself. Spinning all the plates, wearing every hat going. It’s stressful and eats into time you’d rather spend with family or doing the things you love.
This strategy is designed to take that pain away, and give you a plan that helps your audience, engagement and customer base grow with less chaos.
So what exactly are the 5 pillars? Let’s go a bit deeper…
1. Core content
Your core content is lengthier, more robust content pieces where you share your expertise. This is where you go deeper and can establish yourself as an authority in your field.
We need this, because if your content strategy comprises only of posting quick images, memes and questions on social media, you’re only going surface level.
That doesn’t help build trust.
It doesn’t show your audience you’re the perfect solution to their problems, and have the knowledge and skills to help them.
Instead, we need to show them what we can do, while at the same time, helping them get to know us better.
You have 3 main choices here to share your expertise. Either through a blog, video, or a podcast.
The one you choose depends on what you’re most comfortable with. But the key is to choose one option to start.
2. Repurpose system
The great thing about having your core content at the heart of your strategy, is it gives you brilliant repurposing opportunities to use that content elsewhere.
Repurposing saves you a ton of time so you don’t have to constantly create fresh ideas and content for your different platforms.
I have my own default repurposing system for my business. It helps me know exactly what I need to do after I share my core content. Allowing me to reach my audience everywhere, almost effortlessly.
But yours might look completely different. The key is figuring out your own standard that you follow each time, to help you ramp up your visibility, but also maximise the simplicity.
3. Traffic driver
Since the key to all of this is driving traffic to your website, it’s an important part of the Marketing Hive MethodTM.
And there are plenty of platforms and tactics you can choose to do that. But again, here we’re focusing all our efforts on one avenue.
Maybe you want to go all in on SEO to bring in traffic from Google.
Maybe you want to optimise your Facebook or Instagram strategy for specifically driving traffic.
Maybe Pinterest is the one for you.
Or maybe PR appeals to you.
4. Nurture container
In an online space that can be cold and impersonal, it’s crucial we have a way to nurture real relationships with our people.
People buy from people they know, like and trust.
Which means we need to create our own special space where we can have conversations, provide value to our audience, and share more about the humans we really are.
And for this, you have two main options…
Email or a Facebook group.
If this is your first time building your nurture container, I always suggest starting with email.
The earlier you can start building your email list the better. Email is also less effort to maintain than a Facebook group.
5. Engagement strategy
Engagement is everything online.
It’s how we build connections with people outside of our immediate audience.
Having real conversations by commenting on people’s posts and being helpful, it’s how people not already in our circle, come to know and trust us further.
Again, it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Choose one main platform to spend your time engaging with your ideal customers.
You could set a time in your calendar to engage for 30 minutes each day.
Just ensure you’re consistently making an effort to interact with the people you’d love to work with.
The 5 pillars of the Marketing Hive MethodTM have been a standard operating procedure in my business for the last 2 years.
It’s served me well to help bring new potential and paying customers into my world every day. And I hope you’re starting to see how it could do the same for your pet business.
And if you’re ready to take your business to the next level and get access to all the resources and support you need to thrive online, click here to sign up to the Pet Biz Thrive Online Club.