Small Business Marketing: What's your Strategy?

There are hundreds of common mistakes small and medium businesses can make when it comes to marketing. There’s so much ‘noise’ and do’s and don'ts, not to mention the technical jargon that marketers use.

Many small business owners don’t know where to start with their marketing strategy, and how to make sure it will bring customers to their door.

The answers to these and lots of other questions can be found by exploring several key issues, but let's get started with the most basic question of them all.

What is marketing?

Put simply, marketing is described as 'Activities a company undertakes to promote the buying or selling of a product or service.'

So that's TV, radio, print, email and online advertising: a very short sentence for a vast and complex ecosystem. Within it, there are two sectors: business to consumer (B2C), and business to business, known as B2B.

Creating a successful marketing strategy starts with knowing what you're selling (can be a product or a service) and who you're selling it to. That's where the work begins.

Defining your audience

Knowing your audience is one of the fundamental pillars of any marketing strategy. First, make a list of your ideal customer's characteristics to create an audience persona. The first thing I ask my clients is “Who’s your target audience?” if they reply “everyone” we have an in-depth talk about how they cannot possibly sell to everyone. If you really define your audience it will help greatly when it comes to marketing your service or product.

Finding your audience

So, you've matched your product or service with your ideal audience and customer, but how do you reach them? That's where your marketing strategy comes in.

Next, craft and hone a brand message that will appeal to your (now clearly identified) target audience, demonstrating how your business can meet their specific need, making sure to use a consistent tone of voice, look and feel across the campaign, including branding, design and content.

Do your research – where does your ideal audience hang out?

Focus your marketing on places where the research says your audience will be receptive: whether it's SEO-optimised blogs or podcasts on your website, social media posts, video updates or e-mail newsletters.

Social Proof

With so much choice online, most people will only part with their cash if they have been recommended a product/service or can see reviews online. So, if you have fans of your work shout about it! Ensure that social proof is included in your marketing strategy.

If you're still intimidated by the thought of launching your own marketing strategy, don't worry, I can guide you every step of the way. Get in touch and let's talk about how I can help: www.huntmarketing.co.uk