If you are responsible for the marketing of your company or products, you know how important your job is and how your marketing strategy can either make or break the company. If you are struggling with achieving your small business marketing goals, here are six easy things you can do right now to get back on track.
1. Set Goals
Setting attainable goals is the first — and maybe the most important — part of an effective small business marketing strategy. Decide what you want to achieve and how soon you want to achieve it, and go from there. Is your main goal to have more visitors come to your website? Are you more interested in keeping your current customers satisfied? Pick a few overarching goals to begin with, decide how to best achieve them, and get to work! Just be sure not to set unrealistic deadlines that will only disappoint you and the higher-ups if you miss the mark.
2. Develop Buyer Personas
It is much easier to tailor your marketing to your customers if you actually know who your customers are. Get together with your team and develop buyer personas for your company and products. Are your customers typically more male or female? What is the average age range? What are they interested in, and, most importantly, what are their pain points? Once you get all of that figured out, you can easily create content that explains how your product is perfect for them and will solve their problems. If you can convince potential clients that you can help make their lives easier, you are likely to make sales.
3. Figure Out Your Value Proposition
Once you have decided who your customer is, work on your value proposition. A value proposition is basically a summary of what your company or product has to offer to their customers. Your proposition should be clear and easy to understand, with a focus on how your offerings benefit your customers. Be sure not to include any false information or anything that can be easily debunked, or you are likely to have angry ex-customers who may leave you negative online reviews.
4. Understand Your Competitors
It is crucial to always keep apprised of what your top competitors are doing so you can stay relevant. If a competitor releases a new product or feature and you feel like you can compete, release your own version that is bigger and better. If you are unable to compete, however, don’t. It is better to let your competition win in some fields where you don’t have a horse in the race than to attempt to create something that simply isn’t as good. If possible, ask someone on your marketing team to continually perform market research so you always know what others in the field are working on.
5. Establish Marketing Methods
Once you know who your target customer is, decide on the best way to reach them. If your audience tends to be younger, consider advertising on popular social media sites. If the audience is older (or more business-centric), perhaps email marketing or advertising on sites like LinkedIn is the best strategy. However, don’t leave any method out if you think it can be even a little bit effective. You never know who may stumble upon your company if you are marketing effectively and proactively.
6. Stay Active
One of the worst mistakes a company can make is to become inactive online. Update your blog regularly, even if you don’t have an official writer on your staff. Post to social media often so that customers know you are in business and always available for them. A company that appears inactive is a red flag for some customers because it makes them worry that the company isn’t doing well and won’t be around to help if they need anything.
Establishing an effective marketing strategy doesn’t have to be stressful. Use these easy tips, and you’ll have much more success with customer acquisition.
