Where do I start?
Many small businesses in past few weeks have come up to me and asked me the same questions concerning marketing. “Where should I advertise? What is a reasonable budget? Where do I start?” Marketing for your small business is one the most important elements to the formula for your business’s success. With a well-thought out marketing approach your business can really take off and reach new levels. With a poorly planned approach or strategy your business will not only lose not potential business, but credibility in the eyes of the consumer and the generally public.
Marketing is one of the simplest things to understand, but one of the most challenging to predict. What any business needs to understand about marketing before they get started doing anything is “why.” Why are you putting together a marketing campaign? What is your goal with your marketing stragety. So many times people ask me what kind adversiting do I need for this or that. And I quickly turn around and ask them what’s the reason for the ad. What do you want to happen. If you don’t know don’t waste your money until you do. There is a myth out there in the small business world that marketing is all about flooding the community with ads, jingles, and commercials; that the more you spend the more you gain. This is a LIE! I use the analogy that marketing is like gambling. In order to be a good gambler you have to be willing to take risk, you have to be able to predict the games next move, and more importantly you have to know when to get up from the table. You don’t continue to lose the game and think that if you keep playing eventually you will come up big. That is how you lose money and opportunity. One of my mother’s many life quotes has been, “If at first you don’t succeed, give up and try something else.” I live by that bit of advice everyday. That is not to say that you should give up on your dream or marketing in general, but step away from the table and asses your approach.
Marketing is completely about understanding what you want people to do when they see your advertisement. And this does not mean a general idea of what you want them to do such as, “come to the store, call this number, or tell a friend.” You have to be specific about what you want from potential customers. The more specific you are the more likely you are to meet desired your goals. For example, don’t just ask them to come to your store. Ask them to come and focus on one item, or call this number and ask one specific question. Marketing is about selling a client on your product or service before they walk in your store. You want to get them fixed on one item or subject. This does two things, one is give them a real reason to take action and it gives you a gauge on the number of respond you received from your ad. You can then take this information and find out if your current marketing approach is working for you.
Feel free you leave questions and comments, on the next post I will talk about the exploring the best marketing avenue for your business.
Stay Soulful,
Kerry Laster
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