Marketing your business can seem like a tricky process, but it is actually quite simple when you cut out all of the extras and focus on the basics. It is easy to get lost in all of the extensive approaches to marketing your product or your business. Until you have established the basic ways to market your product or business, you cannot then take it to the next level or target different audiences.
The Five Marketing Essentials
- Know your product
- Know your customers
- Target local if you are local
- Establish a social media presence
- Engage your customers
Know Your Product
Before you can market your product, you must know your product. If you are selling a service, you must familiarize yourself with your competitors and what they offer. You must also know your workers and how well they provide the service. You should document the service and keep an updated webpage that displays how well you provide the service.
No matter what you sell, whether it is food, goods, or services, you should know absolutely everything about your product to keep your consumers informed. If you are selling food, you should know each ingredient and be able to answer any questions about allergies. If you are selling a product, you will need to know where it is manufactured and all information on the textile or element it is composed of and where it is sourced from.
Know Your Customers
When you have a complete understanding of your product, then you must know your customers. Understand what makes them tick and what draws them in. If your customers are eccentric, they will not be awed by unimpressive display racks and low-key advertising techniques. High-end customers expect high-end advertising.
If you are marketing towards children or big box retail strategies, then you can utilize unique but whimsical cardboard displays. These are easily moved throughout your establishment and can be created with vibrant colors or subtle shades to be soothing and blend in easily. They will easily display the product name, facts, and hold sample products for retail.
Children and parents are often drawn into the fun bright colors of displays that feature toys and children’s books. These are especially easy to spot during the holiday shopping season.
Target Local if You Are Local
The next step in your marketing strategy should be to target local if your business is local. Many people enjoy “small business Saturday” and supporting their local businesses. This means you need to have outreach to your community. No matter what your business features, you can show your support to the community by placing ads with the local school district or village social media page. This is a great way to reach those who live within the community of your business. Also, take advantage of sponsoring local events and youth teams. This will get your name out to the public in a positive light and people will want to spend their time and money at your business.
Social Media Presence
You cannot survive on word of mouth and catchy signs alone. You must be involved in social media if you want your business to grow in this increasingly digital age. If you provide a service, then you can give helpful tips every day on your social media feed to keep the public engaged. You can also offer give-away contests that encourage followers to share or comment in order to be entered in the giveaway. This will further spread your name with little effort. If you sell a product, make your posts engaging and include posts about new products and sales.
Customer Engagement
There are so many ways to engage your customers and clients to keep them happy. If you own a massage or chiropractic office, you can offer ladies nights or family nights that host pizza and raffle prizes. Stores can host events where customers are encouraged to try on new products to receive a mimosa and coupon on all new inventory. Service provider businesses can feature raffles and giveaway prizes for free services provided if a social media post is shared and liked.
Once you have established a solid customer base, you can then focus on additional ways to advertise. These include flyers, email blasts, and click advertising on social media sites to draw more customers to your brand.
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