There are several marketing tips that would help in advertising a small business that are far different from the marketing tips that would be employed in helping a large business. A marketing expert knows the difference. Large companies have big budgets and when advertising a small business, the budgets are usually much more tight. Because of this, owners need to be smart, savvy and efficient in everything they do, so here are some marketing tips for advertising a small business:
- When advertising a small business, identify your most profitable potential market. In generic terms, find a specific demographic group that’s, if marketed to, would bring you a constant stream of revenue by giving you repeat business. Spending advertising dollars going after an audience that will buy once is not an efficient way to spend your limited ad budget.
- When advertising a small business, look at your service or product mix and decide what your strength is and focus on that and what you are not really good at, drop that from your service or product mix. Consumers reward a business that is really good at something and they stay away from companies that are not good enough.
I use the example of an athlete. You have never heard of Jim Jamieson, he was a good runner, a good swimmer, a good tennis player, a good hockey player, but, never an expert at one sport, so you have never heard of him. Ok, now think of a professional, expert Goalie. Curtis Joseph was an all start Goalie in the NHL™ and has won numerous awards over the years. People, in this case various NHL™ teams, rewarded Curtis with a lot of money over the years because he was an expert at something.
Be an expert, communicate that strength to the market and you will be rewarded. - Make sure that you have a logo and a brand that are consistent in every single iteration, whether on signage, a brochure, or a newspaper ad. To build a relationship with the market, you need to have a consistent, dependable image.
I’ve had clients that had a different logo for each paper they ran an ad in. It’s hard for consumers to tie them all together and the synergies that can be gained by having a consistent image to the market will be lost. PLEASE, remember that when advertising your small business, get a PROPER LOGO and use it in all media applications. - If you don’t have a company name that is easy to understand, clearly explains what you are all about and gets a positive response from customers by rewarding you with their business, get a proper name to use when advertising a small business. A proper name that is clear, concise and is easily understood is critical to your success.
- You can read marketing tips like these on the Internet. But, in many cases, it is in your best interest when advertising a small business to call an expert to go over various marketing tips you have read and heard and have him or her explain them to you in detail. When you have a problem with your toilet, you call a plumber because he is an expert. When you have a problem with your electrical, you call an electrician because he is an expert. So, logic would suggest, when you have a advertising problem or your sales are flat, call a marketing expert.