Marketing Needs of a Small Business
By VICKY BROWN
If you’re just starting your business, you’ve probably been overwhelmed with all the talk of marketing. And, maybe the truth is, you’re not really rock solid sure of what it all means, and you definitely have no idea where to start.
Well, let’s start with the what and why of Marketing.
You’re going to need to understand and clearly articulate the message you’re trying to get across to your potential client. But to do that, you need to know who that potential client is. What does she like, what does he hate. What’s important to them. What is their pain, and how can you fix it.
Sure, as a small business, you don’t need the multi million dollar marketing juggernaut that a Fortune 500 company has. But, the basic principals are the same – no matter the company size.
You see, good marketing is all about connecting with your audience. Making it clear to them that you understand their pain, maybe you’ve even been there, and you have the skills, experience and solution to make their pain go away. You have to touch them emotionally.
In his book, How Customers Think, Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman, explored how emotions drive decisions to purchase. You see, humans aren’t as logical as we might like to think – it’s really our sub conscious and emotions that most heavily impact our decision making. So, good marketing, marketing that really makes an impact, that’s memorable, is emotion-based. It engages the customer, and makes them feel….something. So don’t just launch into a list of features, think carefully about how you can connect with the client’s emotions.
So, figure out who you’re talking to, what you’re trying to say to them, and how you’re going to say it in a way that touches them emotionally.
I’ll tell you a secret – one failsafe way to do that, is through story telling. A good story will move people every time. Try it.
Alright, you know what you want to say, and who you want to say it to – now you need to understand where they are, so they can hear you.
There are lots of places to put your marketing message – both online and off.
Of course, there’s social media. But there are also things like Google ads, direct mail, eMail marketing campaigns (we’ll talk more about eMail a bit later) – all of these are great ways to get the word out about how your service can help someone.
“…It does you no good to kill yourself posting on Tick Toc, when your audience is really on LinkedIn“
You can also go the combo route of spreading-the-word and building the brand by showcasing your expertise. You do this through things like speaking engagements, appearing on podcasts, writing articles (or if you’re feeling super ambitious, you could try your hand at a book). There are all sorts of opportunities available to show everyone you know your stuff.
But remember, always keep your target audience in mind. It does you no good to kill yourself posting on Tick Toc, when your audience is really on LinkedIn. So, do your homework – figure out where they are, so when you speak, they’re there to hear you.
And finally, you’ll need the right marketing tools.
First, you need a website. I know, lots of people say ‘oh you don’t need a website’ but to that I say this – when you’re thinking of working with a new person, what’s the first thing you do? I know the first thing I do is look them up on the interwebs.
Are they legit, do they have a website, is it professional, is it helpful, is it easy to understand. Then I start poking around social media – do they have solid, professional profiles.
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Oh, by the way, that leads me to a side topic. Claim your name, and your business name on everything, right away. Get the url for .com, .net, .tv, .everything. Then claim it on every social media platform you can even think of.
No, I’m not saying you’re going to actually be on every platform, but you don’t want someone else capitalizing on the Instagram version of your name, when you’ve done all this work to build a brand behind that name.
So, claim it everywhere, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Clubhouse and anything else you can think of.
And while you’re at it – think about trademarking or better yet a registered trademark. It’s not a difficult process (check out the US Patent and Trademark Office website), and it can save you huge headaches later.
Alright, back to the website – learn about and install Google analytics on your site so you can understand what’s going on, who’s visiting, and where they’re going when they get there.
And last, but certainly not least, you’re going to need an eMail list. Why? Because that will be your tribe. They are the people who said, I like what you have to say – more please.
When you grow, and then nurture, your eMail list – you’ll have a built in audience that you can connect with, and provide value to through your services. And to manage that list, you’ll need a good Customer Relationship Management tool, or CRM. There are a ton out there, Mailchimp, Hubspot, even a platform called “Less Annoying CRM” (I so love that name, and the software isn’t bad either – a bit limited, but not bad at all). I use Active Campaign – it fits our needs perfectly.