In the last blog we wrote on marketing we talked in a very strategic way about how to get it to fit with your business plans and what marketing really was.
In this blog we are going to focus on helpful tools which may not cost as much as you think and which after all should be measured in terms of Return on Investment or ROI. At the last Employers Forum Jean Atkinson talked about marketing which inspired these two blogs and her slide on tools is reproduced here as a pretty comprehensive list of the things which can be used to market your business.
|
DIGITAL
|
TRADITIONAL
|
|
Website
|
Direct Mail
|
|
Social Media ??
|
Newsletter
|
|
Email
|
Referrals / testimonials / networking
|
|
Advertising
|
Advertising
|
|
Affiliate marketing
|
Case studies
|
|
Video
|
Literature
|
|
Web casts / webinars / podcasts
|
Telemarketing
|
|
Viral marketing
|
Whitepapers
|
|
Mobile devices / apps
|
Trade fairs / exhibitions / events
|
|
TV / radio
|
Public relations
|
|
Digital brochures
|
Special offers / promotions
|
|
CD-DVD / USB
|
Presentations
|
So which ones are best and which should be used? I will talk about only a few.
We have already blogged on Social media for small businesses and whilst many businesses think they have to have twitter or facebook they need to consider the time involved and ask what will be different shoudl they use these medium. The positives of using social media are that it increases your reach, gives you an easy way to listen to customers and can lead to more specific targeting and market research.
Websites are very important but for businesses struggling to find funding a facebook site can be tailored to your own company using logos and banners and Linkedin is even better for a company site. Some businesses even use blogging sites such as wordpress instead of paying for a web designer and someone to maintain and manage it. Having a web site which just sits there doing nothing is a waste of money.
Word of mouth is extremely important and therefore knowing how your customers feel about you is increasingly part of using testimonials and referrals. Once again Linkedin can come up trumps on this one by asking customers to write a recommendation and this can then be used in other ways as well.
Email marketing can be cost effective but can also pose potential problems if people have not opted in and you can easily fall foul of the data protection act so it is best to ensure you know what you are doing and use a reputable firm. It is simple to use but once again you need to ensure your email is catchy and not just seen as spam. Give potential customers some information which is important to them.
There is still a place for leaflets and posters of course you can also hold open house events and invite people to come and spend time at your business or have a tour of your facility. You can run contests but make them imaginative and make sure you have prizes which dont take a million years to reach the person who wins.
Becoming a sponsor or donor is also marketing and ensures you are known for philanthropic reasons as well as business. It can help your triple bottom line as well. Other things which may cost little are things such as declaring your own special day so for example saying Tuesdays are Sugarfree for a dental surgery and then letting the local press know what you are doing.
Use your imagination with your marketing and be creative. Dont just go for tried and tested tools and techniques but think of what will make you stand out and be different. Always measure the results because if there is no return on your investment (even if that is only your time) it should be scrapped.
Lastly good relationship building takes time and so patience is needed. Our strongest relationships are those which are built over time and are consistent, trusting and flexible and the same is true for business relationships.
Many thanks to Jean Atkinson from Eden Marketing for the use of her slides from our Employers Forum. The next Forum will be on the 28th February and is free thanks to our sponsor Blackburn College. The Forum will focus on Accelerating Business Growth, Funding sources and Finance. For more details please ring Amin Vepari on 01254 505050
No comments:
Post a Comment