The 5-Step Clark Griswold Approach for More Powerful Marketing

"Jooooyy to the world!"

How great would it be to break into a fit of glee like this at the sight of your end of the month report? Much like Clark Griswold at the sight of his beautifully-lit home, we would all love to experience such beautiful results (minus the three false starts, of course.)

However, crazy family and circumstances aside, there's actually quite a few marketing lessons to be learned from the Griswold family Christmas, and you can bet your sweet mistletoe I'm going to detail them here.

So without further adieu, I present the 5 Step Clark Griswold approach to transforming your marketing campaign.

Also, check out our free ebook, "How to Be the King of Content Marketing" for expert tips on optimizing your website and campaign for the results you need.

The 5-Step Clark Griswold Marketing Approach

1. The Biggest Tree

The Christmas tree is the epicenter of all holiday gatherings on Christmas morning. It's where everyone gathers first thing in the morning, and it's also the first thing people see when arriving at your home.

And no one goes harder at finding the perfect tree than the "Gris."

Much like the famous Griswold Family Christmas Tree, your website should be acting as the central hub of your entire business. Using attractive content and a strong social media following, you can make it a gathering place for ideal prospects in your industry. However, in order to achieve this, your website needs to offer something of value to your visitors.

Premium offers, clearly defined services and product information, a consistent and resourceful blog; by harnessing the power of these initiatives, you'll have visitors caroling around your tree in no time. (And hopefully not torching it like Uncle Lewis.)

2. The Brightest Lights

You know how it works, when one light goes out...they all go out. (Or is Griswold's case, when the right switch isn't turned on.)

Once visitors have landed on your site, is there anything attention grabbing or attractive enough to keep them there? It's often theorized that you only have three seconds to grab a visitors attention before they bounce off your website.

So take a look at the Griswold Christmas display to the right. Do you think they're home is sticking out a bit? Take this same approach to your homepage. Make your calls-to-action so attention grabbing, that a visitor simply can't help themselves from clicking through to a landing page.

Include a relevant image as the banner of your website. Perhaps one of your team or one of your products. Sliders are also extremely effective, as you can feature several different attractive images that grab a visitors attention.

3. The Fastest Sled

Everyone remembers this classic scene. Clark takes out some of his cooking oil created at his company that is much more lubricant than any other oil currently on the market. We all know what happens next; he barrels through town at warp speed before finally crash landing (painfully) in a Salvation Army bin.

Like Griswold, there are many tools you can be using in your marketing campaign that will make you much more efficient.

For instance, using the HubSpot marketing software you're enabled to not only execute your entire campaign more effectively, but you can track and measure results much quicker, as all the data you'll ever need is streamlined right into your account.

Other critical marketing initiatives you can perform more efficiently using HubSpot:

• website design

• blogging

• email marketing

• contact list segmentation

• lead nurturing

It's not about doing it fast as it is being more efficient.

4. Improved Visitor Experience

"Surprised Eddie? If I woke up tomorrow morning with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am right now. - Clark W. Griswold"

Although Clark was extremely surprised at the arrival of his cousin Eddie, he still managed to make his visit their a warm, memorable one.

This should be your focus when designing your web pages and content. Is it focused on providing a unique, valuable user experience? In a digital era where mobile and tablet users are used to receiving and digesting content quickly, your website will fall by the wayside without great content and a good experience.

Things to consider for offering a great visitor experience:

• quick, easy navigation

• smart content (using HubSpot)

• content & CTAs that convey value

• mobile optimized

Just as Clark made cousin Eddie's stay joyful and triumphant, focus on doing the same for your website visitors.

5. Big Goals

Early on, Clark had clearly defined, big goals for himself and his family. With his Christmas bonus from work, he wanted to install a pool for the entire family to enjoy.

Big goals? Of course, especially during the holiday season when everyone's paycheck is pretty much spoken for prior to receiving it.

Take a similar approach with your marketing. Look to increase your website visitors and leads big within the first six months to a year. Don't be afraid of setting aggressive goals for yourself when it comes to growing your business.

More Powerful Marketing

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