Email, social media, print media and word of mouth are all ways you can get your message out about the business you are running but before you decide on which strategy to utilize it is important to have a concise message. When creating a message for your business there are some critical questions to look at.
- Who is your ideal customer? Define who your customer is as narrowly as possible. By have a clear idea about who you want to market to you can ensure your message will be clear.
- What is your category of business? Are you a baker? Then your category would be baking. It is important to highlight why you could be the leader in that specific category.
- What are the benefits of your product or service? Write a list of all the benefits of using your product. Then chose three to highlight in your marketing strategy. It is important not to list a whole bunch of benefits but rather to highlight the top three benefits of using your services or product.
- Who is your competition? Here you need to identify who your competitors are. It is important to narrow it down to the two most prominent competitors and design your marketing strategy around those. The reason for this is that it there will be different reasons why different people are your competitors.
- What differentiates you from your competitors? Here you need to write down a list of tasks which you do differently or better compared to your competitor. Take the top two or three of these ideas and highlight them on your website and use them in your elevator pitch.
When you have your answer to these five questions, it is time to write your marketing message down in a single sentence.
According to smallbiztrends.com, you can use the following fill-in statement:
Your company name is the leading category for target customers that provides unique benefit. Unlike competitors, your company does unique differentiator.
An example would be: The Bakerman is the leading baking shop in Southern Africa for children’s birthday cakes that provides uniquely designed cakes for each individual child. Unlike other bake shops, The Bakerman goes the extra mile to ensure that your child’s cake is one in a million.
With our marketing message clearly defined, we can now look at the various strategies which are available:
Social media
With the advent of the internet, social media has become a common occurrence on many people’s smartphones. It is a cheap and easy way to get the word out about your business. It is important to note that though there are many social media platforms. You need to only be present on one or two. Depending on your product or service and who your customers are, will depend on which social media platform you use. When you have chosen the platforms you will be present on then it is important to make sure that you share the same message on all platforms.
Email marketing
When people visit your website, you can ask them to sign up for email marketing. This strategy is good because you know that the customer you are marketing to has an interest in your product. It is important not to spam your customers with useless information. So make sure that the content you send in email marketing is useful, relevant and shareable.
Network
Find a local business forum or society which shares your business ideas. By attending these events, you will be able to make connections and find leads for potential clients. It is important to have a short introduction prepared and be willing to speak about your business to everyone you meet.
Content is critical
One of the most important marketing strategies is to ensure that you create content which is useful, relevant and shareable. Your content should also be adaptable to the various platforms which you use. By creating good content, you will have keen followers who will be willing to spread the word of your business for free.
By utilizing this advice, you will be well on your way to putting your business in the spotlight.
Proudly brought to you by the NSBC.