If one marketing channel appears to be working really well for your small business, it can be tempting to think that’s all you’ll ever need to do. But if the marketing channel is one you have zero control over, what will you do if circumstances suddenly change? Take the story of a friend of mine, who [...]
Do you want to know what your customers ask every time they see your marketing? “So what?” In other words: “What’s in it for me?” When you do marketing, you need to be able to answer that question. It’s not enough to talk about how wonderful you or your products or services are. Instead, you need [...]
It’s time to change your thinking. You know those tyre-kickers and time-wasters your small business deals with? Well, what if they weren’t actually tyre-kickers and time-wasters … but customers who weren’t ready to buy right now? And what if, instead of ignoring them or sending cursory replies to their questions, you took the time to help [...]
Testimonials are one of the most powerful forms of marketing ever invented. So every small business should ask customers for testimonials. Don’t be scared. If you’ve made your customers happy, there’s a good chance they’ll agree to provide a testimonial. Of course, they might decline. But if they do, it might not be because they don’t [...]
Building a successful small business is a long, hard slog. If you want to reach your goal – whether that be a revenue goal, a profit goal or some other goal – you need to build your business one customer at a time. That’s why small businesses should do daily marketing. Because more marketing equals more [...]
Even simple, unsophisticated marketing can be effective. For example, as I was waiting for a bus recently, I noticed a flashing electronic sign in the window of a bottle shop. Every few seconds, I would see an image of a new product and a new price. There were so many ways this bottle shop could’ve improved [...]
Here’s a marketing idea that, hopefully, won’t make you tear your hair out. Resist the temptation to list facts about your product in your marketing. Why? Because, chances are, customers will find that dry and uninspiring. Instead, look for ways to tell stories through words and images, so you build an emotional connection with your customers. [...]
Here’s a case study in how not to market yourself. I had a meeting with a business owner who wanted to partner with my business, Hunter & Scribe. So how did he market the idea? By focusing entirely on his own needs. He talked about himself. He talked about his business. He talked about how he [...]
Fun fact: it takes an average of 55,000 steps for a man to run a marathon and 70,000 steps for a woman. Succeeding with marketing is a bit like running a marathon, because you need to put in a lot of effort before you establish trust, credibility and brand recognition for your small business. But surely [...]
Fun fact: pubs don’t sell alcohol. Huh? No, it’s true. Think about it: you can get that same alcohol at lower cost and greater convenience by visiting the supermarket. So why, then, do people go to the pub to buy the alcohol? It’s because they’re not going to the pub for the alcohol. They’re going for [...]
