Get Your Small Business Marketing Right
A lot of small businesses have trouble with their small business marketing. They have trouble because it’s too simple. But lets get this straight, simple is not the same thing as easy. Some things look easy, like setting up a Facebook page. But unless your Facebook strategy is interlinked into your overall business strategy, that Facebook page is useless. You won’t be any closer to your business goals in the future than you are today.
The idea of marketing is simple. You have a great product or service, and you tell the people out there about how great your product or service is, thus becoming customers. Sounds easy, right? Well, to be honest, it’s a bit more complicated than that. There are so many different techniques that you can use, and you absolutely need to understand who you are trying to reach and how best to reach them.
First of all, lets clear up a few common misconceptions. Marketing is not all about selling. Marketing involves several different tactics, such as website copy, email marketing campaigns, SEO, brochures, ad campaigns, conversion funnels, and much more. And these tactics are very likely to be important to your business. But none of these things is what marketing is really about.
First of all, lets clear up a few common misconceptions. Marketing is not all about selling. Marketing involves several different tactics, such as website copy, email marketing campaigns, SEO, brochures, ad campaigns, conversion funnels, and much more. And these tactics are very likely to be important to your business. But none of these things is what marketing is really about.
Marketing is about creating a relationship with your one ideal customer. Its about figuring out who they are, what they are looking for, and how you can offer that one thing that they will absolutely adore. Its about getting into their mind, getting their attention, and bringing them on board as loyal customers. And any of the previously mentioned marketing tactics are only one piece of the puzzle. When used in isolation, you’re not creating that relationship with your customer.
Marketing is simple. There are only three steps, and they’re-linked into your business plan. Your marketing plan should never be separate from your business plan. And here they are:
Synchronize
The first part of the small business marketing process is identifying who your ideal customer is. Who would benefit the most from your product or service? Whos pain can your small business solve? Who is it that is going to be excited about what you can offer? Without knowing who your customer is, your marketing efforts are nothing more than shots in the dark.
When creating your customer profile, it’s important to be as specific as possible. Try to paint a picture as complete as possible. What do they do in their spare time? Where do they go on holiday? What foods do they like to eat? Grab as much information as possible from as many different sources as you can. And dont think that any of this information is trivial. Finding out about what your customer does in their spare time will shed light on ways that you can start a dialogue with those customers.
Once you have figured out some information about your customer, you’ll need to sync your offer with who you’re offering it to. Once you’ve figured that out, the rest of the marketing plan will be so much easier to put together. You’ll know who you are trying to reach, their wants and needs, and how your business can benefit them. Tailor the offer to your customer.
From Idea to Growth
Draw them in
Once you’ve tailored the perfect solution to your ideal customers problem, then you need to grab that customers attention. This is where much of what people perceive marketing to come into play. You will use all of that information that you’ve gathered in the synch stage to figure out how to draw your ideal customer in. Make sure that your message is in the places where your customer is. Catch them off guard. Pique their interest. And slowly draw them towards you.
Engage them
Once you have captured the attention of your ideal customer, you cant just come right out and expect them to become a lifelong customer instantly. Things dont move that quickly. Could you take it in small steps? Do something simple, like entice them to join your mailing list. Once they have made that step, be sure to reward them. Please give them a small token of your appreciation, such as exclusive content or a brief moment of your time. It will make the effort that they’ve put in seem like a really great value.
Next, take another step. Offer them something a bit more substantial. Something like an offer or a free trial. Something that adds to your perceived value. Once they’ve moved a bit closer to you, then you can entice them into making a purchase. But dont forget that the customer is still engaged with your small business once the purchase happens. Make sure that your customer has the absolute best customer experience that they could have. When a customer has a positive experience with a product or service, there is a 90% chance that they will become a repeat customer.
And thats the name of the game.
Conclusion
Un_Standard has a full range of solutions for businesses of all sizes to improve sales, increase customer satisfaction and get ahead of the competition. If you’d like to find out more, schedule a no-obligation 15-minute chat, click the following link and we’ll gladly show how we can make your business un-standard.About the author
David Garrard
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David Garrard
Agent Provocateur and Chief Creative Officer at Hone Ventures and Un_Standard. We create strategies for businesses of all sizes that improve customer relationships and help businesses grow. In his spare time, he loves experimenting in the kitchen and chasing after his three cats, Hallie Tosis, Lester Een, and Jim G. Vitis.
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