Marketing is a way that companies engage potential customers to become part of the team that buys goods and services from them. Without proper marketing, a business is bound to fail for lack of establishment.
So, the marketing function in every business plays an important role. It’s tasked with participation in public activities to create awareness of its existence.
It’s done through advertising, getting feedback from customers and branding.
The aim is to establish a long-lasting relationship between customers and winning referrals.
Small businesses shy away from holding marketing campaigns due to the enormous costs that it’s associated with.
This does not have to keep small business owners from establishing themselves through marketing. The reason being, there are easy and cost-effective ways, some of them being a do it yourself initiative. Some of these great ideas include;
Pitching
This is an act of presenting your business ideas in forums, for instance, during a women empowerment meeting. Keep researching for an opportunity where such meetings are held.
It’s paramount that you request for an opportunity to talk about your business.
Ensure that you are speaking to the right audience so that you can grab their attention within the first 8 seconds of your presentation.
Once they are comfortable with your presentation, use the opportunity to sell your products as much as possible. This should be a continuous process. Pitch to as many forums and gatherings as possible.
Content Marketing
Content Marketing is a strategy implemented by marketers in today’s technology.
A website is created to showcase the business’ products and services.
The information includes the products, services, about us pages, and reviews from customers.
Getting your business to be found online is a strategy that cannot be ignored at any cost.
Ultimately, it’s becoming the king of Marketing by increasing local SEO to a global level.
From a research point of view, businesses are driving profits at a higher rate through content marketing than most of the other strategies.
One-to-one Marketing strategy
This is a form of marketing aimed at having personalized interaction with customers. For instance, sending a birthday email to a return customer makes them feel appreciated and valued.
As you send the email, attach a leaflet explaining your products and services in detail. The customer will create time and go through the notes to understand better.
This is a cheap way of marketing oneself but, at the same time, building a strong customer relationship that is intended to run for an extended period.
Enhancing such a strategy will nurture more significant royalty and win a long term return client.
Request for referrals
A referral is another powerful and cost-effective method of marketing. One will take less time since the reference is made from a satisfied customer.
The most important thing is to ensure that referrals requests are made from satisfied customers only.
These are the people willing to talk positively about your business.
Once you start getting referrals, ensure that;
- Make follow-ups and close contracts with them.
- Offer some incentives to both existing customers and referrals. Goodies always attract people to come closer to you.
- Use open-minded questions to the new referrals. They will not feel harassed and will be ready to say either Yes or No to your questions.
Volunteer during Community Charitable events
Participating in charitable events is an excellent way of marketing your business. Make it visible during this time by distributing business cards, and offer incentives.
When existing customers also take part in such events, they will help spread the gospel to the potential customers present.
They will also love to be associated with your brand during your presence.
It’s in such events that an outgoing business person will collect as much information as possible.
The data relates to the contacts of potential customers for a follow-up and subsequent closure of a business deal.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the fact that you do not have a huge budget to plan for a vast marketing campaign does not deter you from marketing your business. All that matters is the focus, proper planning, and commitment.
With these points in mind, you can set the business rolling and reap in bounds in a short period.
