Marketing Today

It would be so easy if starting a new business was a simple as renting a building. Unfortunately, that’s not reality. There’s so much more that goes into it.  To be a successful business, you must have a plan. Part of that plan is your inventory or services including the talents you bring to the game. Part of that plan is startup costs and long term finances.

And part of that plan needs to be marketing, drawing people to your door. Without customers, you don’t have a business; you have a hobby.

Today’s marketing includes brochures, newspapers, highway billboards, radio, television and now the Internet. Each one of these has the progressive ability to reach a higher and higher number of people; if you’ve got the right message. On this scale, the Internet is definitely the most far reaching. But people still need to know how to find you and your information. This is a virtual “drawing people to your door.”

Do you know how to create an effective message for your customers? There is social media, blogging and website marketing.

Social media is more of a conversation, not a sales pitch. These are sites like Facebook and Twitter. It can be worthwhile, but it does take time to nurture your customers, just like you do your neighbors, asking about their children and activities. Do you want someone to walk up to you and immediately begin talking about their next great sale? No, a conversation is a give and take, showing interest in another. The drawback to social media, besides the time involved, is that you have to continue to find new people to join your circle. Otherwise, you are “talking” to the same people over and over again.

Blogging is another free activity, and you have control of the content. Blogging can be a time consuming activity. The ability to write an interesting article is also a must if you want people to come back. This is your forum.  Again, this is not just a sales pitch; people won’t keep coming back for that. This is your chance to inform people in an area of interest. And the good thing about blogging is that people of like activities tend to draw together naturally.

The one way to have your marketing message out there, all of it, is in a website. This is where you social marketing and blogging can lead people who do want more information about your business.  These are the customers who are interested in what you are selling.  That’s why they are going to your website - it’s expected that you would have business information located here.

This is your virtual business.  The best sites are a direct reflection of your store.  No one wants to be drawn into something, only to find that the business is not what it seems.  Make your website a true reflection of your business, not what you dream it could be.  If you are trying to present your business as “better” or “upscale” when it is not, then your work first must be in changing your business to match your dream.  Truth is advertising is a must.  Trust is essential for keeping customers.

Remember, not one thing makes a good business.  All pieces are needed to make the puzzle picture complete.  If you are lacking in one area of business, it’s worth the time to learn or to learn who to hire to do it.