5 Steps to Marketing Success

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