Marketing STRATEGIES FOR Small and Medium-Sized Businesses – Jump-Start Your Success Now
You might not have the resources your larger competitors have, nevertheless, you can still set up a strong market presence without needing to match the marketing budget of your bigger competitors.
In fact, with just a little cleverness and ambition, it is possible to conduct very sophisticated marketing activities at little or no cost. This includes learning what you can do to provide for the customers wants or needs, then effectively promote it to them, and build your business in the process.
The initial step is in understanding what your customers want or need. Previously, expensive market research was the only way to find out what issues your customers had. Now, with the mass acceptance of social media, you have a solution to start a dialogue together with your customers–and all you will be charged you is some of your time.
Start by establishing a business page on Facebook. Add info on your products and services in the profile. Ensure it is fun and interesting, not just a dry recitation of features. Then use the page to engage your visitors:
Utilize the status update feature to provide tips, news about products or services, and previews on upcoming enhancements.
Allow your “fans” to create comments on the page.
Add applications just like a message board or perhaps a survey (all available from Facebook free of charge) to facilitate gathering input from your own customers.
Next, focus on providing greater than a product or service. Think about ways to make doing business with your company into a satisfying and interesting experience. Your customers expect this and your competitors are considering how to take action as well. The best experience can drive more loyalty than the best product or best price.
Now, promote your business with announcements in publications and on the net. Write and distribute press releases which are newsworthy, and send them to newspapers, magazines, television and r / c, and sites that distribute news in your industry. It only takes one outlet to feature the story and you may have free access to thousands of people.
When writing the press release, design the headline to grab readers’ attention in as few words as you possibly can. Use active verbs and place the most crucial facts at the beginning, with a lead sentence which will draw the reader right into a convincing piece. Make sure to write the story from the client perspective so it is relevant to them.
Lastly, take jump start service near me of the bad economy! There are several cost-effective marketing resources available now. People with big name corporate experience who can provide you with added expertise at a reasonable price. Actually, outsourcing your marketing can be quite a cost effective approach to level the playing field with your bigger competition.