If there’s one area of operations most small businesses can
stand to improve, it’s marketing. As a small business expert, I get more
questions about marketing than any other aspect of business—and it’s been that
way for the last 30 years. Since the New Year is all about improving oneself,
how about making some marketing resolutions for your business? Here are four to
consider.
1. I resolve to make a marketing plan. Many small business
owners market haphazardly, throwing time and money at one marketing method and
then, when it doesn’t pay off immediately, switching gears to the “next big
thing.” This scattershot approach does nothing but waste your resources and
leave you frustrated and frazzled, convinced that marketing doesn't pay off.
Instead, resolve to sit down and set goals for your marketing this year. What
exactly do you want to accomplish—more leads, more sales closed, more
inquiries? Once you've got goals on paper, figure out the marketing methods
that are most likely to get those desired results. Finally, figure out how
you’ll track results from each marketing
method so you can see what’s really
working.
2. I resolve to market consistently. It’s easy to fall into the
trap of marketing only when you’ve got the “spare” time for it (which often
means “never”). Or maybe you market wildly right before your busy season, then
do nothing for months on end. As a result, your sales pipeline slows down. Keep
your pipeline full by marketing consistently all year long. That doesn’t mean
you need the same level of marketing year-round—for instance, a toy retailer
would obviously market more before and during the holiday shopping season than
in, say, July—but it does mean you need some level of marketing all year.
Create a marketing calendar that sets out what you’ll do each month and breaks
it down further into weekly and even daily marketing efforts. Then put someone
in charge of making sure it’s all carried out.
3. I resolve to keep learning new things. Is your marketing
stuck in the past? Advertising only in the print Yellow Pages might work if
your clientele is solely seniors…and even seniors are increasingly going online
to find businesses instead of letting their fingers do the walking. If you want
your business to grow, you’ve got to keep up with the (marketing) times.
Resolve to regularly read industry blogs and publications, attend networking
events and conferences, and take webinars and seminars to learn more about new
marketing trends and how they’re affecting your industry. Pledge to learn
something new every month, and at least try some of it. Marketing is moving
fast, and if you don’t keep up you’re going to get left behind.
4. I resolve to do market research. Many small business owners
see market research as something they do once—when starting their companies—and
then never do again. But what happens when your market changes? The
20-somethings you might have targeted with your extreme sports company in 1998
are now in their 40s. Even if they’re still buying extreme sports products, the
way you market to them needs to be different now from what it was then. Keep
tabs on the demographics of your target market so you can adjust your marketing
approach to changes in their incomes, lifestyles, media consumption habits and
buying behaviors. Use both secondary research from other sources and primary
research—that is, simply asking your customers what they want and need.
These four simple resolutions will make a big difference in
your results—I promise.
What are your marketing resolutions for 2014?
--Rieva Lesonsky
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