It's always great to have a new product or service to talk about in your marketing because it sounds fresh and exciting. But what can your small business do if you don't have a new product to talk about? The answer is to invent one. Yes, really. To make your marketing more effective, bundle a few [...]
"Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted," John Wannamaker famously said. "The trouble is, I don't know which half." This is a conundrum that bedevils a lot of small businesses. They spend money on marketing activities, but they haven’t got a clue what their return on investment is. The lesson for small businesses is [...]
Does your website clearly explain what your small business sells? You probably think it does – but there's a good chance it doesn't. The key words here are ‘clearly explain’. That means it has to be clear to someone who knows nothing about your business. That’s not you and your staff, it’s your customers. If they [...]
No matter what industry your small business operates in, there's a very good chance your customers are hanging out in online groups. This could be on Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit or any other platform. Wherever it is, you need to join those groups. But don't join to flog your products. Instead, every day, share your knowledge, so [...]
If your small business isn’t using case studies in its marketing, then you need to start. Why? Because case studies are a really powerful form of marketing. One reason is that humans love stories – and well-written case studies are entertaining stories. Another reason is that case studies tell customers that your small business has dealt [...]
Here’s another interesting psychology fact that’s relevant to marketing. The longer it takes someone to deliver a message, the less effective and persuasive that message becomes. So the best marketing tends to be shorter rather than longer. That’s why my marketing videos are always under 60 seconds. Don't force your customers to work hard to figure [...]
Want to make your marketing more effective? Here's a quick win: stop using 'smart' words and start using simple, everyday language that your target market can easily understand and relate to. So don't 'utilise' tools – 'use' tools. Don't 'iterate' ideas – 'test' ideas. Don't 'commence' programs – 'start' programs. A lot of small businesses make [...]
Don’t fall into the trap of replying to ‘annoying’ customer enquiries with templated emails. Instead, take the time to reply with long, detailed emails, as I explained in this episode of 3MinuteMarketing. These kinds of personalised letters are one of the best forms of content marketing ever invented. Now, customers will see you care. Now, they’ll know [...]
Here’s a clever idea that allows you to simultaneously do content marketing AND build relationships with dream referral partners. First, identify who your dream referral partners are. The companies that you’d love to work with but that don’t know you exist. Think of blogs you can write that are relevant to those referral partners. Contact them [...]
One of the big mistakes that small businesses make with their marketing is to send the same message to all their customers. Why is this a mistake? Well, your small business might have younger customers and older customers. It might have customers with less money and with more money. It might have customers who want a [...]
