If someone is willing to invest in your business, what do you promise to do that provides value to them that matters? This promise, or value proposition, needs to be based on something you do that is uniquely different from your competition.
Many small businesses feel that having a brand is not something necessary to successfully market their products or services. Some think it is something only large companies need. And although some might invest in a logo, they miss the fact that a brand identity is so much more than just the visual impression of your business.
Every 90 days you should conduct a marketing review in order to measure and track your marketing effectiveness. By reviewing your results every quarter, you can determine what is working and what is not.
Small businesses have many marketing challenges, but one of the hardest things small business owners need to do is determine what makes their business stand out from the competition and present it in a way that attracts their ideal client. Being able to differentiate your business by communicating your unique capabilities that your competition does not have is paramount to attracting your ideal client.
Everyone likes to talk about creating a marketing plan. It’s the fun part of marketing, the creative aspect of your planning process. But strategy without execution won’t help your business succeed. In fact, marketing execution is how you achieve results.
Marketers like to talk about the benefits of creating a marketing plan for your business. While doing so is important, how does that plan turn into individual marketing campaigns that drive actual revenue?
A simple marketing plan is your road map for achieving your goals and guiding your decisions throughout the year. The strategic part of the plan is where you define your vision, goals and target audience for your business. But once you have that piece in place, you need your action plan that will guide you forward and help you adjust when necessary.
The best way to improve your marketing results is to set marketing goals. Without goals that can be tracked and measured, how will you know if you are successful?
We spend a lot of time discussing how to select your target audience as part of creating an inbound marketing plan. Hopefully you know who your target audience is for your small business. But have you taken the time to further divide that target audience into smaller market segments?
Choosing the right marketing communications channel strategy to distribute your messages to your target audience and create a stronger relationship with them is now more complicated. With all of these choices, what’s important is to focus on selecting the right media channels for your business, both online and traditional.
There are many people who offer online marketing services. There are also many people who call themselves online marketing experts because they know how to execute a particular marketing strategy like Google Ads or Facebook advertising. All good stuff and important because digital marketing is complex. But do these experts know marketing? Or are they experts in executing a particular tactic?
One of the things I do for my clients is simplify marketing so it eliminates confusion and enables the business owner to focus on what is important. But there is always a part of marketing that stresses many small business owners – i.e. determining their mission, vision, goals, strategies and tactics. These concepts are important …
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