Once you’ve started your small business, how do you ensure that you will have a consistent stream of customers? One key to business success is having effective marketing. Many approaches are available for creating a marketing strategy. Do you know the best ways to market your small business?
Many small businesses owners believe that it is their word-of-mouth promotions and their networks that bring them the most purchases. There can be a disconnect about the amount of impact that these approaches have on the bottomline for the business. Business owners often over-estimate the significance of their word-of-mouth marketing and rely on this one approach too heavily.
While word-of-mouth promotions provides a good start, all businesses, and especially small ones, benefit from the consistency of a well-vetted marketing strategy. Small business owners are typically close with their customers and often have direct contact with them. Still, they can help these customers gain knowledge about their brands from the use of printed promotional materials. Essential to initiating business is the use of business cards that provide more than contact information. A business card should convey messages about product and services or the values of the company.
It’s always best to start with your company’s core message and ensure that your marketing materials stay on topic. We’ve discussed in earlier posts how to create and maintain your brand identity, and how the use of marketing personas and storytelling can personalize your brand with potential customers. The next step is to determine what marketing approaches will work best to transfer your brand information to customers.
Often the marketing approach for a small business owner is based on cost and convenience. Although online advertising and social media may offer a quick solution, the use of print media can work better to broadcast the uniqueness of your business services with consistency. A brochure, flyer, catalogue and business card can combine the impact of branding by repeating messages so that your brand leaves an impression that customers recognize as your brand. Print media can also inform a potential customer of the existence of social media and other online advertisements. The power of branding occurs when the messages across all media vehicles are recognizable and similar. The consistency and continuity of your message across print media over time can give you that extra, extra that gets the news out about your brand.
