How much easier would marketing be if you didn’t have to come up with campaign ideas from scratch every time?
Marketing is a series of persistent problems — and there are dozens of effective ways of solving them.
You can think of marketing patterns as templates for growth.
Referral programs take your best customers and turn them into salespeople. Why it’s a good idea Word of mouth remains one of the strongest sales channels for many products and services. Many millions of dollars (and research hours) have been spent understanding how customers talk about a particular product or service to incorporate that natural, market-generated language into marketing copy. Having a referral program allows you to directly tap into this conversation and incentivize customers to talk, share, and sell for you in their language, driving the conversation in ways that a brand never could....
Monthly newsletters can connect with existing customers, attract new customers, and enhance your brand’s perception. Why it’s a good idea Running a monthly newsletter is pretty standard, but many leave a lot to be desired. The best monthly newsletters run like a standalone content product, typically with an editorial aspect, not just a sales flyer. When done well, newsletters can provide the following benefits: Increase the trust and authority of your brand....
Becoming part of an ecosystem is a great way to find distribution and out-compete your competition by being easier to find and implement. Why it’s a good idea The various mobile app stores generate tens of billions of dollars each year in revenue. There are also numerous platform-specific app stores (Steam for PC games, Docker for cloud software deployment), and platform ecosystems such as Shopify, Zapier, Facebook, Slack, Airtable… the list goes on and on....
Many training programs and communities offer membership perks, which include discounts and trials of tools and services. Become one and get users and sales. Why it’s a good idea It takes a long time to build an owned audience of qualified prospects. You can shortcut the process by gaining access to existing audiences, with particular attention to those that are tightly themed and qualified. Startup communities offer a great way to get in front of a very specific type of B2B audience....
Partnering to share an audience and knowledge at the same time. Great for sales, great for list building. Why it’s a good idea There are two different roles with webinar partnerships, the host and the guest. Here is why it’s a good idea for each side: As the host, you’ll benefit from being associated with experts and thought leaders. Some will drive additional registrations. Having thought leaders associated with your brand and marketing materials can help you with trust issues in the marketplace....
Get a list of websites that use a specific product or technology and put your product in front of them. Why it’s a good idea Many customers of SaaS products and services have highly correlated technology profiles. Understanding the technology currently in use allows us to estimate: Potential budget for the service category Current capabilities Potential for sales It also allows us to perform outreach with specificity....
Many customers consult ranked lists of products during the purchasing process. Getting placement on these can drive significant sales. Why it’s a good idea Being chosen as one of the best products in your niche can be powerful. First off, you’ll have something to use in your marketing messaging, or around your site for trust and authority building. Second, your product’s claims are much more believable to people when someone else says them....
RLSAs allow you to bid on broad keywords but only for a specific audience that’s already familiar with your brand, therefore increasing the likelihood of a conversion outcome. Why it’s a good idea RLSAs (retargeting lists for search ads) are a type of retargeting on Google Ads that enables you to bid on keywords but only for a specific audience. If you sell prescription sunglasses, you would probably find it difficult to bid on a generic keyword like [sunglasses] with a decent ROAS (return on ad spend), since only a particular sliver of that audience would be a good fit for your product....
Prospective customers often compare products before they make a purchase. Use this pattern to get in front of them during this crucial phase and remind them why your product is superior. Why it’s a good idea The evoked set is an academic concept within marketing. The textbook definition is: brands that a buyer is aware of, and thinks well of, when considering a purchase; also called the Consideration Set....
Cancel jacking is when you target competitor customers who are trying to find information about cancelling their accounts. Why it’s a good idea If a user has purchased a competitors product and is looking to cancel their account, they may be looking for an alternative and be open to trying your product. Cancel jacking is a repeatable pattern. Each new update, version release, pricing change, etc creates an entirely new segment of cancellations to jack....