Critical Marketing Tactics for Every Business

Everyone has great aspirations when they decide to start a new business. They come up with a terrific product or service to sell and immediately start trying to build their customer base. In theory that sounds like a great way to start, but I can tell you that most small businesses choose to fly by the seat of their pants. The fact is, they start selling before they’ve secured a solid foundation to market from and that inhibits their growth.

What I mean by that, is they have not clearly identified the messaging that will resonate with their ideal customer and they haven’t got a solid sales process in place that will allow them to effectively sell their product.

If you don’t have a strong marketing foundation, then you are not making it easy for people to buy from you. This could lead you to compete on price rather than value, and will likely keep you in the small fish pond.

Furthermore, as you bring in more sales people to try to scale your business, you will discover you cannot keep them because you don’t have the proper supports in place to set them up for success.

Let me be frank with you. That strong foundation is not about the number of flyers and brochures you produce, or even your social media followers. None of that means much if you are not saying and doing the right things.

Here are some ways to build a strong marketing foundation for your business. Feel free to reach out to me if you need some extra help.

Be concise in your messaging:?Think in terms of short, clear sentences that speak to the problems you are solving for your clients. 1-800-GOT-JUNK is an excellent example to follow. They have a very concise message that immediately lets you know what they do. “Got Junk?” is brilliantly short and memorable. Who is their competition? You really have to think about that, don’t you?

Be very clear about what you are offering, who your customer is and what they really need. If you don’t know for sure what they really need, then conduct a little survey to find out.

Include a call to action:?Every single marketing piece needs to have a call to action. You may think it’s obvious that you want people to call you, but unless to say so, the reader probably won’t. This has been studied extensively, so believe me when ai tell you, the obvious isn’t typically that obvious.?

Making your call to action time sensitive is even more effective. Phrases like “book now”, “call today”, and “while supplies last”, are some surprisingly effective ways to accomplish this.

Don’t neglect your website:?Have a clear and compelling message on your website. Very few businesses get that right. They make the mistake of thinking they can keep your attention with pretty graphics but people respond to words first. If they can’t immediately see how you can help them, they will jump off your site.?

Your customers don’t care about the history of your company or how pretty your office space is. They come to you looking for a solution, so the smart thing to do is spell it out immediately using the smallest number of words possible.?

If you want to impress your potential customers, make a bold statement about what you do for them.?Statements such as, “We bring you qualified leads” or “We take the pain out of your renovations” are simple, bold statements that will inspire your prospects to take action.

Use a lead magnet:?Most businesses can benefit from a lead magnet. This can be in the form of an e-booklet or some sort of tool that your customers will find helpful. The purpose is mainly to help you build an opt-in email list. If you print it up, your sales people can use it as a door opener when they call on prospects or inactive customers.?

Email helpful content to your web leads regularly:?Most small businesses miss the boat on email opportunities. If they use it at all, it is only to directly sell something. The problem with that is that nobody really likes to be sold to. If you want to keep people subscribed, you have to balance out the content you send out.?

The best way to maximize your email list is to regularly send subscribers helpful and interesting information and occasional sales content. You should always send out more interesting content than sales pitches (three or four non-salesy emails for every sale-focused email).

Keeping your email messages short and sweet is also a good practice. Avoid putting too much information in your email. Do send each helpful message with a subtle call to action such as a little button encouraging your reader to book a consultation.

Sales Presentations and Kits:?To be really effective, your sales people need to have professional looking tools to work with. That is, sales presentations and sell sheets that use language effectively and guide the customer to a decision, rather than boring them with irrelevant information. Your messaging needs to be consistent across all channels and relevant to your prospect's needs. Most people make the mistake of crowding their PowerPoint with detail and then struggle to close the sale. Selling is about asking, not telling. Refine your message and speak to the problem you solve for your customers. Ask questions along the way.

If you apply these suggestions to your marketing efforts, you should be able to secure more lasting customers over time. This of course, assumes you have a solid product and well trained staff to support your efforts. Words are very powerful, but people drive your business!

About Renée?:

There are many things businesses are doing well but few have fully examined how they can make the greatest impact on?their bottom line. When you want to grow, clarity is your friend. Renée works with companies to determine exactly what is working the best for them and shows them how to uncover the path of least resistance to making more money without adding stress, complexity and overwhelm to the equation.?

Every business needs a strong foundation to market from.

I specialize in working with small businesses and start-ups to establish a strong foundation so your offer is clearly understood and speaks to the dire needs of your ideal customer. Visit?reneecormier.com ?for more information.

You can read all of my blogs on beBee.com!