How to Turn Your Small Business from Blah to Wow
Wendy Marx
Branding & marketing expert| Business owners, nail your branding & marketing to sell yourself more successfully & grow your business in 90 days | Coach, Consultant | Free power positioning consult ??
It's easy for a small business owner to consider marketing an expense.
If you're counting every penny you earn, how can you afford to market yourself?
The better question is: How can you afford not to market yourself?
Unless you have the most amazing product or service in the world that everyone wants, few people will want to work with you unless you're approachable.. and enticing.. and visible.
By marketing, I'm talking about branding, positioning, messaging and promotion.
Now, as a small business, you probably don't have a big budget to spend on marketing.
That's why you need a smart strategy that won't break the bank.
Here are 5 ways to do that:
Know Your Audience
Not everyone wants what you're selling. Your products or services need to appeal to a specific niche.
How do you know who your audience is?
On effective approach is buyer personas.
These are profiles that describe your prospects, their demographics, pain points, problems, priorities and communication channels.
Here's an example to explain what I mean.
If you're an executive coach one persona might be:
A 50-year-old CFO of a mid-size company we'll call Bob.
Bob fears he is being targeted to leave his company and worried his $250,000 salary is in jeopardy.
He knows he needs to look for a new job but doesn't know where to start. His resume is out of date and forget networking. His bio is pre-dinosaur era.
He is on LinkedIn and Facebook but not particularly active on either.
Brand Yourself
People need a reason to work with you. They need to know you understand their pain points and have a track record of success.
Remember: You're not just a collection of facts. What you're doing is important to the people who need your services.
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How can you distinguish yourself?
Let me explain with an example.
One of my clients is an executive coach. She wasn't differentiated, yet she was amazingly effective.
We branded her as: The coach executives need to land their next senior role. And the reason to work with her? A nearly 100% success rate with thousands of executives.
As part of our branding, we highlighted her secret sauce: a job search playbook based on thousands of campaigns.
Success Stories
It's important to connect with your audience on an emotional level. Success stories help you do so.
Too many small business owners say what they do, but omit the results.
If you're just starting out and don't yet have results, not to worry. Do some work gratis in return for testimonials.
Your best endorsement is a happy customer singing your praises.
Blog
A blog is a great way to establish yourself as an expert and thought leader in your space.
One caveat: Don't be self-promotional. Your blog isn't the place to puff out your chest, but to educate and help your audience. That will build your credibility and showcase your expertise.
Revisit your buyer personas. Consider what pain points and problems people struggle with and pose solutions. Answer common questions of prospects and customers and share your views on industry topics.
Use your blog to attract leads. Include a call to action to encourage readers to take the next step. Consider offering a checklist or free consult as your CTA.
Use email marketing
Email will help turn leads into customers.
Start by building an email list. Create an offer your audience will appreciate, such as an ebook, tip sheet or brief white paper. Require people provide their emails to access the offer.
Email is a an effect way to nurture prospects. Provide valuable tips and advice. Make it engaging. And in time include a special subscriber offer in your emails.
These are some ways to kickstart your marketing, taking you from virtual anonymity to an entity people know about and want. It's all the more reason to think about marketing as a need-to-have, not an expense.
What are you doing to market yourself and your business? Share in the comments
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I help small business owners, including coaches and consultants, nail their messaging, branding and marketing to grow their business. Schedule a?free Power Positioning call with me.
CEO/President Co-Communications | Author | TEDx Speaker
2 年Wendy Marx you are spot on!!! Great post!!!! ??
Renaissance Coach | Empowering Clients to Integrate Passions, Achieve Balance, and Succeed in Life and Career
2 年Several good marketing pointers in this article, such as getting to notice your audience, offering a tip sheet with email request, etc. ??
?? Career Coach ?? I help mid to senior level professionals get unstuck, gain clarity, and land their ideal role with more balance, pay, and impact in less than 90 days ?? Free Career Clarity Call in About??
2 年These are such great tips, Wendy Marx! I agree with you—connecting with your audience on an emotional level is very important, and it's crucial to tell them what your business can do for them. It's easy to forget, but it's important to remember that the people you're trying to reach are human beings, not robots who only need the facts. So really focus on telling a story and making your audience feel something. That's why success stories are so powerful—they're relatable and tell a story of how you helped someone achieve something they couldn't before.
Because THRIVING in law isn’t just about long hours—it’s about strategic focus, strong well-being, and celebrating each milestone
2 年"Remember: You're not just a collection of facts. What you're doing is important to the people who need your services." This is so true, Wendy Marx. We can do this by showing the world the success stories we have accomplished. Great post and thanks for sharing.
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2 年I typically use LI to post and share value. I have just recently started delving into email marketing. Can you share what the typical cost for a series of 5 welcome emails should cost after someone was to take advantage of a lead magnet/freebie?