6 Marketing Strategies for Rapid Business Growth in 2020

Guest author Allan Dib is a marketing coach and founder of Successwise and the best-selling author of the of The 1-Page Marketing Plan. 

To build a successful business rapidly in 2020, you need a plan. 

You need to know who your target market is, what media they consume, and, most importantly, what message would make them act immediately.

Here's the kicker: Only approximately 3 percent of your target audience is ready to buy now, so forget about selling. Instead, focus on generating and nurturing high-quality leads. 

If your dream is rapid business growth, these six marketing strategies will help you attract and convert your target market into raving fans:

1. Create a Lead Magnet

You want to focus on providing value, and a lead magnet is a great way to do this. Think of it as a piece of content that you become famous for—something that people will see and say, “Hey, that’s for me.” 

It could be a:

• Best-selling book or e-book
• Report
• How-to guide
• Series of educational videos
• Checklist

A lead magnet gives a moment of clarity to your target audience. It establishes trust, positions you as an authority, and builds your email database quickly.

Here’s my formula for crafting a lead magnet that converts:

It seems like X could be one of your biggest problems. I’m going to walk you through how to solve X. If you’d like my assistance doing Y to solve X, I’d be happy to help.

2. Become a Guest Contributor

The quickest way to get people to buy into what you’re selling is to have other brands or influencers vouch for you, otherwise known as social proof. 

Think Forbes or Gary Vaynerchuk singing your praises. They trust you, so their readership and followers will too. 

To make the most of guest blogging, you need to be selective. You want to target online publications, influencers, and bloggers in your field of interest. And you need to mix it up by using a combination of well-known media and smaller indie blogs. 

Here’s why you should guest blog:

• Your domain ranking improves (which gives you greater credibility).
• You attract a host of newly targeted traffic to your website.
• You grow your brand.
  
  

3. Maximize the Power of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the best platform for B2B lead generation. Why? Because 80 percent of all social media traffic to business websites comes from LinkedIn. 

LinkedIn is not an online résumé, however, so don’t copy and paste yours into the profile section. You need to craft a profile that positions you as an expert and speaks directly to your target market.

Here are some tips:

• Use a professional photo.
• Explain what you do in your headline. For example: “I help business owners build their in-house marketing capabilities to scale rapidly.”
• Add a cover image that shows whom you work with, what result you deliver, and how they can get in touch.
• Make your “About” section less about you and more about how you help your ideal customer.
• Upload an introductory video and a customer testimonial video. 
• Offer a piece of your intellectual property for free.
• Highlight your best-performing LinkedIn post.  

Lastly, aim to post regularly—at least three times a week. Write short educational or entertaining posts that highlight a nugget of knowledge. Then offer some actionable steps for your connections to take.  

4. Upgrade Your Knowledge of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Google selects what type of content to show your target audience based on their searches. Imagine if your blog article or how-to video popped up in their feed.

Learning how to leverage the power of SEO is non-negotiable. If you need to hire an expert, do it. 

Otherwise, here’s what you should be doing now:

1. Personalize. Create high-quality content that answers your prospects’ questions. 
2. Implement a link-building strategy. Guest contributions will secure you backlinks. You just need to focus on internal links. 
3. Craft a snippet, a short piece of text appearing at the top of Google’s search results.
4. Don’t add keywords and phrases that you’re trying to rank for all willy-nilly. Google doesn’t like it and your readers won’t either. 
5. Keep the design, content structure, length, and depth of your article relevant if you want to rank in the top 10.
   
   

5. Set Up an Evergreen Series of Marketing Emails

A marketing automation sequence is essential for rapid business growth. It’s a series of emails that go to a user after subscribing to your database, and it focuses on building relationships. 

You'll want to share your knowledge and experiences in these emails. Building rapport will move the prospect closer to making a purchase. 

Be sure to:

• Tackle their pain points in depth.
• Share anecdotes that make you more relatable.
• Educate and entertain.
• Invite them to respond to you.
• Include a super signature. This includes a postscript that highlights products or services. It's a great, no-pressure sales tactic.

Most importantly, make it evergreen. Once written and loaded into your automation funnel, you won't have to think about it again. 

6. Ask for Referrals

When was the last time you asked for a referral? 

Your customers probably know at least three other people who’d benefit from what you’re selling, but you need to ask them to refer you—they won’t just do it. 

Here’s how to ask:

• Be specific. Who do you want them to refer? What do you want them to do? 
• Incentivize. For example, you could offer a discount on their next purchase.
• Appeal to their ego and explain why their help matters.
  
  

Tying It Up

Finally, set KPIs (key performance indicators) for each tactic in your marketing arsenal. Every good marketing strategy should be reviewed and tweaked occasionally. Make sure you monitor, measure, and manage each tactic's performance—it's the only way to know what works and what doesn't.