The beauty of marketing on the web is the fluid nature of the channel. We have the ability to evolve our web presence as we evolve our businesses. We can write and publish our content and continue to strengthen our messages as we learn what our target audience wants or needs. We can create offers, try them and if they don’t work, change as necessary. We are no longer on that elusive quest for perfection in the traditional sense.
A simple marketing plan that outlines all the important pieces needed to successfully and consistently market your business is something every small business should create. Whether you want to focus solely on inbound marketing or you want to integrate online with off-line marketing activities, there are 10 important reasons why your small business needs a simple, realistic marketing plan.
Marketing success is never guaranteed. But one thing is guaranteed – if you don’t market your business, your competition will step in and take business away from you. Marketing must become a regular daily activity if you want your business to grow and thrive. I realize that there are plenty of marketing challenges facing your small business on a daily basis, so I understand your reluctance to start for fear of marketing consuming your entire day.
You know you need to market your business to become or remain visible to your target audience. But like most small businesses, there are more pressing priorities of operating a business that demand your attention. Your time will be spent on operational issues and you will struggle to find the time to do any marketing at all, until you realize that sales are dependent on creating visibility and generating demand for your product or services.
You’ve worked hard on your unique brand identity. You have a great name for your business or service offering. Had the perfect logo designed that is unique and memorable. Your brand is now a valuable asset for your business. Many businesses don’t understand the value of registering a trademark for your identifiable assets, but doing so allows you to protect your brand in the event someone infringes on your mark.
As the hub of your online marketing, your website is the most important component of your web presence. The primary goal of your inbound marketing activities should be online lead generation – driving more traffic to your website and then converting the traffic into leads.
Are you starting a business and are stressing over what to name it? Or do you have a business but the name just isn’t working and you are wondering if you should change it? Choosing the right business name is important because it can have a tremendous impact on whether your customers take your business seriously, view it as a successful entity or shy away from your brand entirely.
Developing your positioning statement and key marketing messages is essential to establishing your market perception. It is important that your marketing efforts establish value in the minds of your customers. To do an effective job of developing your messages and positioning, you need to understand the difference between these two types of messages. A positioning …
How do you view marketing when it comes to your business – an investment or an expense? If you pick investment, then spending money on creating a powerful web presence is something you will do willingly because you know it will help your business grow and succeed. If you pick expense, then you will cut marketing when things get a bit tight (if you spend on marketing at all) and make irrational decisions when it comes to your web presence.
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Susanne Morreale Leeber, the president of the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce for their ongoing cable TV series called Biz Snips where we discussed Internet marketing tips for small businesses.
Marketing your business is a process similar to a home renovation. You need a general contractor to call the shots and make everything fit together. Learn why having a marketing general contractor is critical to the success of your business.
The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute published a report in June 2010 called Six Dimensions That Characterize Success-Oriented Small Business Owners. The survey is based on analysis of a survey of 1,100 small businesses with between 2 and 99 employees. These 6 dimensions include collaborative, self-fulfilled, future focused, curious, tech savvy and action oriented. …
Read more5 Personality Traits of Successful Small Business Owners
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