18 Sep The New Rules Of Marketing For Small Business

Most small business owners we speak with are eager to grow their business but clueless about marketing that works today. You will be amazed how many still think that marketing their business requires handing out flyers, doing direct mail and running ads on radio. All of which requires thousands of dollars, has less than 3% ROI generally speaking, and most importantly they are not scalable. Just as technology is always changing so is consumer behavior. That means that marketing has changed, and will be changing in the coming years. So what do you do to succeed in business where everything is changing for the better except your bottom line? You change with it. You embrace new ideas, new concepts, adapt fast and implement.

Who can benefit from these new rules of marketing? Everyone. Even Fortune 500 companies are changing the way they market to their consumers. So if you’re a small business owner with employees, or a sole proprietor or even a consultant/freelancer and feel like you may need some help with marketing your services or products then you will enjoy this article.

1. Customer care. Notice we are saying customer care not customer service. Customer service is typically accepted as servicing to the customer’s concern or need via inbound requests. Customer care is being proactive about caring for the customer. Now more than ever customer care is crucial not just for growth of your business but even survival. Competition is high, attention is scarce and consumers are less loyal than ever. The best way to retain clients and acquire new ones via referrals is through top of the line customer care. Customer service is being reactive for the most part. Customer care is being proactive. Also, be proactive in responding to negative feedback. Especially online reviews and feedback which can be detrimental to your business if left unaddressed. It’s easy to reply with a “thank you” to a positive review but where most businesses drop the ball is with the negative or constructive reviews. ALWAYS respond to any type of feedback.
2. Social Media.  Most small business owners know they need to use it more often but reality is well over 90% of the business owners we speak with do not have a clue on how to properly and effectively utilize Social Media to deliver quality content to their followers. When we evaluate Social Media accounts for small business owners here is what we find most of the time; no proper branding, no synchrony between their social media platforms, no value added, high sales pitch (the account looks like one big commercial without value), lack of engagement, no call to action (CTA), nowhere to collect email addresses, and about 30 other tabu behaviors that scream “HELP”. Properly setup and managed Social Media accounts serve as the best platforms and distribution channels known to Capitalism to date. It has never been easier to engaged potential customers than it is today via Social Media distribution. Our suggestion is if you can’t do it yourself either because you lack proper knowledge or lack the time just hire a Social Media manager or a small company to do it for you. We always recommend to our customers to have someone in house doing proper marketing to supplement what the Social Media agency will do.
3. Email Marketing. You probably heard by that “money is in the list” and if you’re not building your list then the money is short lived. What list you’re asking? Email list. Every business should have an email auto responder and it must collect email addresses of prospects. Also, every existing client should be entered into an email auto responder. Communicate with your list at least once a week to let them know you’re around and care. Provide value through email newsletter. Promotions should not be sent more often then value based emails. If you’re not building your email list by now then now is a good time to start. There are various providers available. MailChimp, Constant Contact, GetResponse, Aweber or iContact.
4. Text Marketing. Just as you would collect email addresses you should collect mobile numbers of anyone that comes across your brand, product or service. Find the right text marketing service and start offering something of value to your customers and prospects in exchange for their mobile number. Normally the marketing piece to collect data works like this “Text ______ to XXXXX to receive your ________” when the sender texts that number (assigned to you by the program) they are entered into your data base and now you have legal right to send any notifications of your choice. This is a paid platform and prices vary based on which provider you will choose. Text marketing delivers virtually a 100% display rate so you can be sure that the recipients will see your message.
5. Influencer collaboration. This marketing method is nothing new by any means. Collaborations with other influential individuals or companies have been practiced since the early days of merchant activities. The only difference is today with the help of Social Media and live networking events it is easier to put it into practice than ever before. Find influencers in the industry you’re in that specialize in something other than your niche. For example, if you have a hair product line that you would like to sell directly to consumers then find a hair dresser or stylist that has a large influence or online followers and collaborate with them. Offer them your products for free. Get creative. Paying them to endorse your products is worth every penny because you’re targeting a very niche specific audience. Think of the indirect return on your investment, referrals and repeat customers.

All of these marketing methods are scalable and affordable. They are definitely less expensive than the marketing techniques from 10+ years ago. When a business isn’t growing it’s dying, just like everything else. Stay on top of your marketing efforts and never stop innovating. Become more proactive with value, customer care and collaborations. We hope you enjoyed this article and if you find this post valuable we only ask that you share it on your favorite social networks via Share buttons below.

To your massive success.

Unplugged Influence, Inc.