No matter what type of business you have, marketing is critical to bringing in new customers.
Whether you have a sizable marketing budget or one that is minimal at best, you need to spend as much time and effort (including some money) in order to give it the best chance to work for you.
That being the case, what is your business doing to make sure its marketing dollars are being well spent?
If you’re not sure as to whether or not your marketing efforts are having an impact, take the time to review those initiatives.
Remember, without a good marketing program, your business could be left going around in circles.
Market Myriad of Ways
In order for your company’s marketing efforts to have an impact, you need to remember the following:
- Message – First and foremost, is your message on point? Knowing who you are trying to reach with your message can never be taken for granted. Take the time to study your demographics; looking to see who it is that is interested in your goods and/or services. Are they young or older people? Do they have a lot of flexible income or do they have to watch their dollars more closely these days? What are their shopping habits as far as buying in-person or online? With that information in-hand, it is easier to craft the right message now and down the road. If you try to do things blindly, you not only waste your time, but valuable marketing dollars too;
- Means – Through what means are you marketing your brand? Do you tend to stick to more traditional means like email, brochures and flyers? Have you dipped into mobile marketing more recently? Where does social media fall on your list of marketing methods? A nice array of marketing efforts will give you a better chance of succeeding. For example, if you market personal care items for women, how do you know what might sell and what might be all but ignored? If AiryHair is a brand your market, will that be something tailored towards younger women or older ladies? Once again, going back to demographics allows you to get started in the right direction. While not set in stone, younger women tend to be a better target market for mobile marketing simply due to the fact many of them have smartphones. Older women (though not totally absent from using cell phones etc.) are probably better suited for email campaigns, brochures, and flyers. That said don’t avoid a well-rounded mix of marketing means if the numbers show that you can reach a variety of age ranges with your marketing initiatives;
- Motivation – Sure, your employees probably at times get tired of hearing the same old message, but that is all the more reason you need to mix things up and keep those ideas from becoming stale. Whether you have been in business for many years or you just recently started a business, marketing is the heart and soul of gaining new clients. That said it is important that you keep your employees (especially those in marketing) motivated to spread that message day after day. While your marketing team is the engine that runs brand promotions, it never hurts to let other employees give their two cents about spreading the word. Leave a box in your workplace or an online folder etc. where all employees can contribute ideas on marketing your brand. For starters, having a wide range of ideas can prove very beneficial. Secondly, letting other employees outside marketing know that they can have a positive impact too in promoting your brand is great for keeping employee motivation up. Never discourage others around the office from helping out in marketing your brand, be it with leaving suggestions, helping out on your social media accounts etc. Employees who feel like their opinions are truly valued tend to be the better motivated workers showing up for work each day.
With the economy proving a challenge for many small businesses nationwide, you can’t lose sight of just how important marketing truly is to your operation.
Take your marketing initiatives seriously and run with them day after day.