Chicago FCMO: Growth Marketing for Customer Acquisition
Customer acquisition is more than selling a product to one person; it’s about establishing strong, lasting relationships with loyal customers to help you stand out from other brands.
That’s where the power of Chicago’s best fractional CMO services comes in handy. By combining different growth and customer acquisition strategies, these marketing pros can help attract and retain more customers and drive impactful, meaningful growth in your Chicago business.
Continue reading our guide to learn how a Chicago FCMO for customer acquisition and growth marketing can improve your business.
(Jason also has a few insights here!)
FCMO Marketing: Defined
Fractional marketing involves hiring marketing experts outside your company to assist and oversee all marketing initiatives. These experts, also known as fractional chief marketing officers (FCMOs), work on a part-time or project basis (meaning they aren’t paid costly full-time benefits).
Fractional marketing allows companies to access a wide range of marketing services, which allows for more flexibility and adaptability to different situations. An FCMO’s skill set typically includes:
- Brand management
- Market research
- Campaign planning and execution
- Email marketing
- Search engine optimization
- Marketing compliance
What Is Customer Acquisition?
Customer acquisition is the process of bringing new customers to your business and transforming them into loyal, paying customers. Whether it’s through buying a product or subscribing to a service, customers are the lifeblood of a business.
Customer acquisition is done through various methods and channels, such as email marketing, customer relationship management (CRM) software, social media, lead generation, and lead conversion.
A Chicago FCMO for customer acquisition and growth marketing usually follows the customer journey, a series of stages that a potential customer goes through during their entire duration with the business.
What Is the Customer Journey?
Awareness
The first step to gaining customers is getting their attention using the right marketing channels. The Awareness stage is when a customer encounters your brand name for the first time, whether via display ads or word of mouth.
This involves making yourself known to people and highlighting what value you bring. When someone hears of (and remembers) your brand’s name, you’ve (mostly) completed the first step of gaining a new lead.
Consideration
Consideration is when a customer starts leaning towards one of your products now that they know your business and how you can help them. The Consideration stage is where prospects are narrowed down to qualified leads.
In this stage, the customer completes a specific action that shows their interest in your product. They may want to learn more about your products by visiting your website, doing their own research, or signing up for a free trial.
Conversion
Also known as the Purchase or Decision stage, the Conversion stage is where customers are excited about your products and services and decide to purchase.
Naturally, this is one of the most important stages. It also puts you ahead of your competition since it shows that your customer has confidence in your brand over others. Plus, not to mention, you get the sale, and they don’t. (Sorry, not sorry.)
The conversion stage can also include other points to sway the buyer, like offering discounts or including add-ons.
Retention
Selling a product to someone is not the end of the customer journey. The next step is convincing them to become long-term customers, which is what the Retention or Loyalty phase is all about.
This phase is when the customer chooses to be a loyal, regular buyer. This process involves finding ways to continuously serve the customer, whether it’s by staying in contact, creating upselling opportunities, loyalty programs, or personalized offers.
What Is Growth Marketing?
Every campaign you create generates data you can use to increase company growth. This process is also known as growth marketing, and it’s an effective way to plan for future campaigns.
Growth marketing also allows you to draw objective conclusions based on previous campaign data. It gives unbiased information that tells you what’s working and what isn’t, letting Chicago FCMOs know more about how to adapt to future market shifts.
Growth can look like many things, depending on the company’s current needs.
It can be:
- More leads
- Greater revenue
- Higher ROI
Some ways to maximize your growth marketing efforts include A/B testing, data analytics, email marketing, and SEO.
What Is Acquisition Growth Marketing?
Acquisition growth marketing refers to the strategies used to attract and retain customers. It takes relevant data from previous campaigns and applies it to new customer acquisition methods.
This growth marketing technique targets specific customers who are most likely to be interested in your brand. It also involves bringing new customers toward the sales funnel and encouraging them to make a purchase. Paid advertising (PPC) and content marketing are two services commonly linked to acquisition growth marketing.
How a Chicago FCMO Can Help With Customer Acquisition
A Chicago FCMO for customer acquisition and growth marketing can provide essential, specific tips and tricks for landing new customers.
Listed below are five customer acquisition methods:
Personalized Campaigns
Marketing is all about speaking to the right people (at the right time and in the right way). Personalization in acquisition campaigns is key, as everyone has unique needs and situations. This is especially important in a diverse landscape like Chicago; you want your campaigns to resonate with each individual.
Personalization entails gathering the right data about your audience, which you can achieve using strong CRM software. These helpful tools come with audience segmentation features that categorize your customers according to distinct characteristics, such as:
- Demographics (Age, gender, occupation, income level, etc.)
- Behavioral data (Purchase history, viewed products, etc.)
- Psychographic data (Values, lifestyle choices, etc.)
Segmenting a customer base into smaller, specific groups helps marketers write tailored messages that speak to them on an emotional level. A Chicago FCMO for customer acquisition and growth marketing can help you draft the right messages that resonate with your target audience.
Retargeting
When a lead has gone cold or if a prospect missed their chance at making a purchase, you can always find a way to bring them back through retargeting.
Retargeting or remarketing is the process of showing ads to previous customers. It reminds customers of your product services after they’ve visited your website or app. You can use Google Ads or other retargeting platforms to show users relevant text or visuals, increasing your brand’s visibility and re-engaging the audience’s interest.
Content Marketing
Content is one of the best ways to acquire new customers and build your brand. You can enlist a Chicago FCMO’s help in creating a content strategy that outlines what content to create, when to post it, and on which platforms.
A company can write many types of content to engage an audience, such as blog posts, newsletters, landing pages, videos, and more.
- Content Marketing Tip: Include an email contact form or a hyperlink to your contact page so viewers can easily reach out to you.
The goal is to provide your audience with as much relevant and valuable knowledge as possible to build trust and drive conversions. Well-produced content also increases organic web traffic, which makes it easier for prospects to find your website when searching online.
PS: Here’s some work our Chicago B2B content marketing agency has done:
Social Media Marketing
To say that social media has a wide reach would be an understatement. A report by Health Tech Digital stated that Illinois is ranked #6 in social media users, with 77.9 percent.
Social media marketing allows your brand to reach millions of potential customers. Its ease of use and accessibility make it the perfect platform to share relevant content and build a community.
It’s also important to cater campaigns to each social media platform as each platform is built for unique needs and has varying demographics.
For example, Facebook and Instagram are all-around platforms where you can show visually appealing graphics, pictures, and videos. LinkedIn is best for building professional connections while TikTok is more geared towards younger audiences and short-form content.
A brand that interacts with each customer personally is more likely to acquire new customers. When possible, try to connect and build relationships with followers via personal messages and responding to comments. Digital-first CMO consultants can provide more information on how to respond to comments and feedback, including negative reviews.
Improved Search Engine Optimization
SEO is vital in increasing online visibility and outranking your competitors on search results. Using the right SEO tactics for user acquisition in SaaS platforms can lead to more people discovering your brand.
Seek out the advice of a fractional CMO when creating a keyword research strategy to ensure it aligns with your customers’ search intent. (It’s also important to incorporate your keywords in your content to boost rankings.)
Remember to use proper title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and links as well. All these are essential aspects of ensuring that your content reaches your target audience.
Additionally, a Chicago SEO agency can conduct a sitewide audit. An audit is an essential part of SEO and could mean the difference between a visitor staying on your site or leaving (bounce rate).
Ensure all content and pages are updated for the reader. Check if the information is relevant and the interface is intuitive and user-friendly. The better the experience is for the customer, the more likely they are to remain on a site.
Hire an Expert in Customer Acquisition Marketing
Acquiring customers requires a combination of the right words, channels, resources, and manpower to get the job done. Fortunately, you can rely on Chicago’s best fractional CMOs from Digital Authority Partners.
Our Chicago FCMOs for customer acquisition and growth marketing give you everything you need plus more to execute effective customer acquisition campaigns.
Your brand will see new and improved numbers in no time! Send us a message if you’re interested!
Sources:
What You’re Getting Wrong About Customer Journeys | Harvard Business Review
Loyalty Program: Definition, Purpose, How It Works, and Example | Investopedia
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