According to the intrepid 19/20th Century author Mark Twain, "The public is the only critic whose opinion is worth anything at all". For you, as a 21st Century business owner, never a truer or wiser few words have been shared by a man who had no way of knowing how the future of ‘glocal' business would evolve.
Regardless of how much you spend on R&D and brand protection/creation, without the correct marketing campaign in place, your brand is literally stuck. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard business owners say they don't see the value or the number of business plans that omit marketing altogether. So what is the solution and how can SME's deliver marketing campaigns that are cost effective and measurable in terms of ROI?
For starters, here are nine top M.A.R.K.E.T.I.N.G tips on how to market a start-up business whilst concurrently driving sales revenues:
M - Media relations
Do not underestimate the power of old-school traditional media. Make sure that you build a relationship with your local media and ensure that any local press releases are regionalised in the header - as well as with your trade and consumer titles. Send well-written, correctly punctuated press releases together with quality (minimum 300dpi) images and offer exclusives.
A - Advertising/Advertorials
Use on and offline advertising and try and negotiate reader's offers, competitions and promotions as viables. This assists with data collection (there is sometimes a Data fee).
R - Relationship building
Work with your community to create kudos by association and widen your potential reach. For example, if you are launching a boutique hotel, contact your local Tourist Board and endeavour to forge positive relationships for trade and consumer exhibitions.
K - Kids
Don't underestimate the power of ‘the nag factor' but also appreciate that those outside your circle may not understand your new venture. Consider you are talking to a child when describing your business - the elevator pitch mindset.
E - Events/Launches/Exhibitions/Expertise
Celebrate your launch and invite local businesses and dignitaries, as appropriate. Use sound, captioned photography post-event (ensure you include a photographer's details as a credit).
T - Try before you buy - market research within your key target audiences
Test your brand or product with market research through friends and family as a starting point. If they don't like your product, brand or service, go back to the drawing board. Use the data for surveys/press releases.
I - Internet presence and social media
The advent of the internet has catapulted business into a different ether over the last five years and gives a new meaning to ‘our reputation proceeding us'. Googleadword campaigns and a great website is no longer enough. Call in specialists and offer a quid pro quo if you don't have a budget.
N - Networking
In my years in PR, it is networking face-to-face that has been the most effective marketing tool in terms of building great contacts. Have high impact business cards that are readily available to buy or print at home and ensure that you write on other people's cards where you met them, the date, any follow up and so on.
G - Giving back/CSR/Community work
Giving back and CSR come in many guises so don't over-extend yourself or your business in terms of time or money to the detriment of your actual brand. If you want to work with charitable bodies or the community, choose organisations that strike a chord with you personally or ones that have some link with your business. And recycling, being conscious of your carbon footprint all link back to your reputation.
In terms of ROI, it will naturally be sales, customers (new and switch) and growth - in terms of marketing opportunities such as PR, a reader's offer can be sales led yet an editorial article can lead to xx number of calls/sales as well. Be creative with your marketing in business and don't be afraid to be confidently better than the competition.
