1. Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses – Who? What Why? How? Where and When
Rudyard Kipling’s six honest servant men are great guides in the marketing maze. Which person are you selling to? Who is your ideal customer? What are they looking for? What do they really need? What time? What will you do to provide it? Reduce the number of answers you have and concentrate on the areas where your ideal customers are. You now have an idea of where your marketing messages should be placed and how to best communicate them.
2. Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses – Good is not enough
To be noticed in today’s competitive marketplace, you will need to be exceptional. This is called ‘contrast’ according to the Impact Equation by Chris Brogan & Julien Smith. Instead of viewing marketing as an activity in itself, consider providing the best customer service as a marketing strategy. You can make yourself stand out by doing extra for your customers. Although this sounds daunting, it is possible to break down the customer buying process into stages and figure out the best way of communicating with customers at each stage. To ensure consistency in your approach as you grow your business, write down the steps.
3. Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses – The Question is ‘How Much Would You Like To Grow’
Focus is key and you will need a marketing strategy. Start by listing your customers. Next, calculate the sales volume for the next year for each customer. It is a good idea to take a month-by-month approach. This is the fun part. What are your goals for new customers? Your ideal customer profile should be represented by your new customers. How many new customers will you need each month in order to achieve this goal? What amount will they spend? Now you know where they are. Now, you can focus on the details of how to reach your marketing goals.
4. Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses – Don’t Let Your Ego Get in the Way
The best marketing strategy is to place your customers first. It’s all about the customers. In all communications, make sure to focus on them. What are your needs? What can I do to help? They don’t care about or what you can do for their benefit. Richard Lomax discusses direct response marketing in his book “7 Secrets of Highly Effective Marketing”. This means that you should ask yourself this question before investing any money or time into a particular activity. A unique number that can be rung, a promo code or a website for people to view are all simple ways to measure results.
5. Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses – How to Get Prospects to Come To You
Your best marketing strategy should include branding yourself as an expert in the niche you are targeting. Your customers must believe you are an expert. They will then start coming to your services. Robert Craven, in his book “Growing Your Service Firm”, outlines 7 characteristics that make an expert and how to cultivate them. It is important to focus on your unique USP, which will make it stand out, and then write, speak, know the right people, have a database and website, and have an expertise or ‘ology’.
This is what takes effort to make your online presence a success. Small businesses have good news: many of these methods are completely free once your website is established.
6. Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses – Simply irresistible
It is essential to make it irresistible to a new client or targeted customer to purchase from you for the first time. That sounds expensive. It is not if you consider the lifetime value that this loyal customer will bring to your company. How can you keep them coming back?
7. Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses – ‘Best Friend Forever’ Policy
If you want to reap the greatest benefits from your customer relationship, it must be treated as a personal friendship. You can be their trusted advisor. Keep in touch with your best friend and communicate good news. Your customers will be unable to find other providers for the products or services you provide.
