The other day entrepreneurs were talking about what they wanted to do in 2015 that was different from the previous year. I was surprised that many of them spoke about wanting to try out new marketing ideas, tools and methods above things like cash flow, staffing issues and cost control. It just goes to show how important marketing is in any economy but particularly so with the uncertainty in the local economy.
Is marketing one of the areas that you will focus on in 2015? If it isn’t don’t dismiss reading further because you may need to market harder in this economy should this uncertainty and low growth continue.
When you look at marketing you can approach it from changing the media you use, using different tools or methods and changing who does your marketing for you. Let’s quickly look at the different media. Many small businesses now rely on social media such as Facebook for an online presence but they also need to advertise in local print and even city magazines. But not enough small business owners try out radio. In one coastal area I know of radio is used to its full effect which helps bring in more customers for these businesses. Social media is fine for keeping prospective customers up to date with what you are doing in your business but you will still need to drive traffic to your Facebook site.
You can also experiment with different media tools. You may want to use plain vanilla advertising, media releases, feature articles, guest columns (in print and online) and direct mail (the problem with postal services is putting many marketers off this medium and perhaps it’s better to plan your marketing strategy for online media).
Where much innovation can be had in your marketing strategy is in your approach, message or story that you want to get across. This requires experimentation, testing such as the A/B split tests. That’s the challenge, isn’t it, with conventional media approaches? It’s not like direct marketing where you know the performance of the media that you are advertising in. Yet there are ways around this including seeing your advertising or running specials where the advertisement needs to be brought in on purchase.
You won’t find the creative approach necessarily from amateurs advertising their graphic design and advertising capabilities on supermarket noticeboards. Yes, they may design you something that looks all glitzy but it will be hard to measure its performance. It’s far better to involve someone who is professional, has experience and won’t waste your money. By all means, choose whoever you want to to innovate your marketing. There are a lot of people out there claiming to be marketing experts. Check their credentials and work carefully.
If you want to come up with new marketing ideas and approaches in 2015, you need professional advice from an innovative source. Put your name down for the upcoming book “Breakthrough Ideas”, a resource that includes marketing information and advice that entrepreneurs don’t want to talk about because it works so well. It’s also got a chapter on selling which is an important leg of the marketing mix. If you believe in selling without selling this book’s not for you. Yes, it includes conversational selling but steers well clear away from the rubbish you hear about selling these days. Shoot me an email and I’ll put your name on the waiting list.
