Marketing is much more
than simply advertising. Let’s take a
look at five steps to getting marketing refreshed and ready.
1.
Fine tune your focus
Repeat after me; I can’t be all things to all people, I can’t be all things to
all people, I can’t be all things to all people. Know what your strengths are and play to
them. Identify the top two to three
areas you can focus on and hone your craft.
Be a financial advisor that specializes in protecting the assets of dry
cleaners. Do not be just another
financial advisor.
2. Who
are your customers?
Since you can’t be all things to all people, not everyone can be
your customer. It’s important to
identify the types of customers that want what you are selling, that are
willing to pay for it, and focus on them.
3. Competitive
advantage
This may be the hardest thing for most small business owners to
do. I’ve sat in a room full of eager
business owners that are expressing how wonderful their business is, dozens of
times. They have years of experience,
the best product or service, and even a story of adequate customer
service. And when it’s all said and
done, I couldn’t tell you the difference from one business to the next. It’s up to you to know what makes your
business unique. You don’t have to bash
the competition. If there truly isn’t a huge difference between
you and the next guy, you can at least try the following:
·
Show sincere interest
in others, give referrals, and be friendly
·
Be active in the
community
·
Tell true tales of
extraordinary customer service
4. Marketing
message and promotion
Marketing is not doing a lot of different things once. After you have identified what you do and who
your customer is, it is up to you to deliver your message. Create a budget that consists of .5% - 8% of
your monthly fixed expenses. It doesn’t
have to be an obnoxious in-your-face-method.
Create a consistent message that clearly states who you are, the
competitive advantage you offer, the types of customers you work with and the
desired result. Networking, social
marketing, and search engine optimization offer the slowest, but steadiest
growth for most small businesses.
5. Schedule
your activities and track your progress
Schedule the activities and do not let anything interrupt it and
then do it! My belief is that most
business owners fully understand this. However,
they at times lack the motivation.
One of my favorite quotes from author John
Maxwell is "The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation.
Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it
without motivation. And then, guess what. After you start doing the thing,
that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.
"
The reason I find it appropriate for marketing
is because so many small business owners are looking for some type of
encouragement to get them out the door and sell their product or service. Don't
worry about the motivation. Once you start doing it on a regular basis, it will
become habit, and then the motivation will come.
The TSBDC offers free and confidential one-on-one counseling for existing and start up small businesses. To register for go to http://www.tsbdc.org/.
Other contact information - Phone (615) 230-4780 www.volstate.edu/tsbdc
