Being clever with marketing ensures the success of your business by attracting more customers, and keeping them coming back. However, although you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to create a good marketing plan, you do need to recognize that there is no magic bean or a one size fits all solution to getting it right. Every small business is entirely different and requires different techniques and tactics. /
However, the process of creating a marketing strategy, keeping to it and applying the time and resources it needs is standard across all trades and industries.
Whether you own a beauty salon or a plumbing business, you need a simple, no-frills marketing strategy to grab and retain a larger share of the market. Here, we look at some smart marketing plans and ideas that won’t break the bank – or your back.
Understand what to do – and what not to do
Before you dive in and build all singing and dancing websites and spend a fortune in advertising materials, it is essential that you understand how marketing works, what to do and, more importantly, what not to do.
Define your brand
You need a clear brand identity to get your marketing right, whether that is using a graphic designer from this website to create your logo to having a clear set of values that permeate every aspect of your business. This is what will help you to stand out amongst the competition.
Understand your target audience
It can be tempting to list anyone with a pulse as your target audience, but in reality, that is just not feasible. Casting your net too wide will mean that you are not focusing on the people that really are interested in what you are offering, and you will miss out altogether. Instead, really hem in your audience and market your business to the people who will buy or use your product or your service. This is what will create genuine and quality interest and inquiries and will help you to retain customers.
Prioritize your customers
Understanding who your customers are, what excites them, what turns them off and what they really want and value, and of course, keeping in touch and maintaining a relationship and providing excellent customer service long after the original business transaction has completed is what will put you ahead of your industry competitors.
Set sales goals and targets.
Marketing, essentially, is all about the numbers. There is absolutely no point in concentrating on things that will not bring in or retain new business, whether directly or indirectly as this will be a massive waste of both your time and resources. Set out clear goals and keep them in mind – think about what your goals are in terms of revenue, expenses, profit, number of inquiries,
the number of new sales and the number of repeat sales.
In a nutshell, a successful marketing plan has been well thought out in advance, focusing on what you want to achieve within a set period of time and most of all, putting the customers at the very forefront of your business.
- DISCLOSURE – This post has been written by an outside source
