I’m asked, “What are the most cost-effective small business marketing strategies?” so much, I’ve started referring to it as the “magic bullet” question. If you want to know how to get the biggest bang for your marketing dollar, ignore that ad man who keeps calling and forget about those humorous postcards you’ve been considering sending. Instead, focus on these three ways:
Market to Past Clients.
Your customer list is your business’ most-valuable asset. These people have already bought from you and already know, like, and trust you. They already know how you work, what you offer, and what you can do for them. And not only are they most likely to buy from you again, they are most likely to tell others about your products and services. So make it easy for them! Give people a story to talk about. Make your product or service so exceptional, they can’t wait to tell their friends and family members because it’s just so incredible they can’t keep it to themselves.
Market to Referral Partners.
Think of all the types of businesses who also can do business with your customers and clients. What do your customers usually purchase before they buy your products and services? What about after they purchase your products and services? You can’t possibly offer everything they could ever want or need by yourself, so partner with other businesses to make it easy for you to refer your clients and customers to other professionals who can also help them. They’ll appreciate and reciprocate the referrals.
Create Education-Based Marketing Materials.
One of the biggest modern myths of marketing is that your advertising, promotions, website, postcards, and other materials should be clever, cute, entertaining, or creative to “break through the clutter” and grab people’s attention.
It’s true that we are exposed to thousands of marketing messages a day, but what happens is that we filter out anything that isn’t relevant to our top concerns. That means, the best way to grab someone’s attention isn’t to make the funniest ad you can, but to create something – a free guide, FAQ, special report, free analysis, audio CD, DVD, or book – that is so relevant to your prospects’ current problems, concerns and fears that they say, “Wow, they read my mind. Maybe that guide really can help me.”
When you educate your prospects about their problems, you show them you understand what they are going through and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You demonstrate how your products and services have helped others like them and educate them about what it takes to solve their problem. That’s what sells your products and services.
What About Small Business Marketing Tactics?
You might be asking: What about small business advertising, websites, postcards, mailings, and other promotions? Shouldn’t you also do those? Yes, you can, but those marketing tactics work best in conjunction with offering some type of free sample or product rather than encouraging people to take a giant leap of faith and “call now for their free consultation,” which in your prospect’s mind equates with a sales pitch.
If you focus your ad, postcard, or mailing solely on selling your prospect a free report, guide or CD, it’s much easier to get them to raise their hands and say, “Yes, I’ve been thinking about this issue. Please tell me more.” It’s less risky than talking with you directly, and it gives them a way to sample and evaluate your products and services at their leisure.
Prospects buy when they are ready – not when you want them to. That’s why small business marketing can seem so challenging. It’s not about reaching millions of people to sell them on buying from you right now. It’s about finding the right people who are already researching or considering solutions and getting them to raise their hands and tell you “I’m interested, but I’m not quite ready to buy yet. How can you help me solve my problem?”
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