October 9th, 2015 – It’s officially autumn and while there’s not much growth happening outside, it’s the time of year to nail down your marketing wish list! The answer to “How to Grow Your Small Business” used to be pretty simple. Even just 10 years ago, the average buying process was only a few steps long. Before the internet was as prevalent as it is today, not a lot of research went into choosing a dentist, carpet cleaner, or hair salon. A consumer might look in the phone book, ask their friends or family, notice a street sign, or see an advertisement in the newspaper. As the buying process has changed, so must our approach to marketing. Before you consider beginning a marketing campaign to help grow your small business, I strongly recommend you go through these 5 steps:
5 Steps to Grow Your Small Business
Step 1: Explore and Understand Your Key Differentiator
Imagine you’re a dentist… my examples are always about dentists because the average consumer would agree the dental field is rather unremarkable. For most people, it’s a matter of getting your teeth cleaned and examined twice a year and nothing more. For some, the most remarkable part about a visit to the dentist is that they deplore it so much! A dental office has to seriously consider what makes them different (and better) from the other dozen dentists within a few miles of them. You should have an idea of what that difference is for your business, too.
Step 2: Create your Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is a common piece of the sales process but it’s missed when developing a small business marketing strategy. In less than 30 seconds, you should be able to describe: who you are, what services you offer, who needs those services, how they’ll benefit from your business, and what makes you different from your competitors. I know you’re proud of your business and you can probably tell me exactly why you’re proud… but if I asked “So what?” to each point, what would you say?
Step 3: Learn to Translate your Pitch
Unless you travel up and down Seattle skyscrapers all day, you’re probably going to need to translate your elevator pitch to another form of media. That process ought to start with your own website design where the majority of final decisions to do business take place. This elevator pitch translation should also happen within the planning stages for search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising and social media marketing. The key here is understanding how buyers navigate and interact with your information online.
Step 4: Understand Your Target Demographic
You should always consider yourself a sales person when trying to grow your small business. And a sales person should know who they’re selling to. We can usually discover who we want to target by looking at our current customer base. What is their age and marital status? Do they have kids? How far away do they live? How do they make purchases? What do they love about you and why do they keep coming back? Knowing this information will not only help you develop the proper elevator pitch, it will also help you decide which avenues to deliver your message.
Step 5: Get An Expert On Your Side
You could spin your wheels for months trying to complete Steps 1-4. And even then, would you be completely confident that the conclusions you came to were accurate and able to be put to work? Hiring a marketing expert reduces the amount of time and resources you have to spend on trying to research, write, plan and strategize on your own. Our marketing audit and report is completely free for those looking for a small business marketing consultant.
These days, marketers and business owners alike have much more to keep in mind when developing strategies to acquire new business. And almost always, those considerations have to do with the internet.
“When consumers hear about a product today, their first reaction is ‘Let me search online for it.’ And so they go on a journey of discovery: about a product, a service, an issue, an opportunity. Today you are not behind your competition. You are not behind the technology. You are behind your consumer.” — Rishad Tobaccowala Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer VivaKi
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