Marketing is the lifeblood of any business.
Without Marketing – you won’t get new clients nor retain old clients.
Here is my definition of Marketing
‘Marketing is EVERYTHING related to (that affects) the sale and transfer of Your Product to Your Client‘
(read more here > http://www.zedpromarketing.com/js-ramblings/basics-of-marketing/)
So that includes any type of selling, it includes referrals, it includes word of mouth, in includes telling friends about your business.
It also includes how you interact with your clients and customers. It includes matching the products you sell to what your clients need.
It includes having the right quality of products and services at the right price.
It includes timing, and includes your location and how that can impact sales.
So where to start so you never run out of clients, keep sales high, and revenue even higher.
Here are my top 5 things you need to do:
- Clearly determine your target market
- Define your key marketing message
- Choose 2-3 easy marketing tactics
- Tie all three marketing tactics together into one holistic marketing plan
- Implement over and over and over
Target Market – who exactly are you selling too. The more clear you can be on exactly who is your perfect customer, the better you will be able to serve that person.
Key Marketing Message – you need to tell the world, or at least your target market about your business. What is special and unique about you, your products and services, how you sell, the value you offer and how it relates to the price your customer pays.
Marketing tactics – figure out what works for you. This can be anything from newspaper ads, flyers, word of mouth, referrals, signage, events, social media, digital marketing, sales people and more…. the sky is the limit. But find something easy, effective, that you are comfortable with and that you know works. If you don’t know if it works, get someone to help you determine that.
Once you find those marketing strategies, keep doing them over and over. Keep tracking how good they do, and how you can do them better.
Tie it all together. This is about making sure that you are keeping your target market in mind, that your key message is clear and succinct, and that all the marketing tactics work to support each other.
Do it over and over and over. Too many business owners put marketing on the back burner, especially during good times. And in bad times, they often cut the marketing budget, rather than invest in it to get more clients, increase sales and revenue.
Marketing is not a one-off activity for a business – Marketing is the business!!