Why is Marketing Important?
If you’ve been reading our blog, you know that we put a lot of emphasis on video as a promotional tool. The medium has innate emotional power and is uniquely suited to mass communication. That’s why incorporating video into your strategy greatly expands your ability to achieve marketing objectives.
But what are these objectives? What kinds of ambitions are you trying to fulfill?
You may think that the answer is obvious. Still, we push hard on fundamentals like these because we’ve seen that staying grounded in the basics is important. Whether you’re just learning the ropes of your industry, or whether you’ve been doing this kind of work for a while, it’s easy to lose sight of your purpose when the newest trend starts taking off.
By constantly asking yourself, “Why?”, you ensure that nothing happens under your watch without a good reason.
Reason 1: Spread Awareness
You need to get the word out about who you are and what you do. A solid marketing plan ensures that more and more people are introduced to your organization.
Clearly, if no one knows that you exist, they won’t know what you can offer them. You may have some terrific innovations to share, but you won’t have any way to put them into practice without successful outreach and community building.
On the other hand, you need name recognition and authority to maintain a base of financial and practical support. It takes time and care to win people over and establish yourself as a worthy investment. People have to take your cause seriously and believe that your response to it deserves encouragement.
Announcing your presence and purpose and gaining support are the first steps in any kind of marketing campaign.
Reason 2: Preserve Valuable Relationships
Keeping the energy up among your adherents and backers is a never-ending job. People’s priorities change over time. There’s no guarantee that they’ll stick with you forever. You have to put in the effort to keep them on your side.
Let’s say you connect with someone successfully. Maybe he or she uses one of your services, attends one of your events, or is a graduate of one of your educational programs. Maybe this person was even inspired to donate or contribute in some way.
Such a person is your natural ally. They’ve already shown that they value your efforts and have every reason to continue to do so. This kind of relationship can be an enduring source of support for your organization.
It’s your job to keep yourselves at the forefront of their minds. Remind them of the positive impression that led them to choose you in the first place. Keep them feeling involved in the present, and you’ll have their loyalty for the long term.
Reason 3: Getting Your Supporters to Try New Things
As your organization grows, you will need to adapt and pivot according to your changing needs. This may involve something simple, like offering new programming. Additions to your repertoire are relatively straightforward for your marketing team to address.
Other times, the issue will be more complex. Picture what might happen as your support base ages or evolves away from your line of work. If you have, for example, a large population of student volunteers, they may have less time to participate as they graduate and enter the workforce. But just because they can no longer contribute in the same way doesn’t mean that you can’t retain their support in a new form.
There’s always that critical moment when you have the chance to redirect their goodwill and energy, keeping your relationship relevant instead of losing it completely.
This is a very delicate shift to maneuver. People are invested in you for a reason, and you don’t want to undermine that and damage your brand. You might want to consult with an experienced marketing firm to ensure a smooth transition.
Your competition will always be looking for new ways to one-up you and stand out. Instead of escalating in kind, ask yourself our favorite question: “Why?” Why do you need another video? How will it benefit your real goals and intentions?
When you do produce a video, you’ll have the clarity to create something that furthers your cause in a substantial way.