If you’re looking for a way to win the attention of the public and get them coming through the front door to your business, then you’ll have realised how hard it is to get recognised in a competitive marketplace with all kinds of brands jockeying for people’s attention — and their hard-earned cash.
However there are always ways to capture the eye of potential customers by thinking differently from your competitionand recognising what it is that they want. Here are some tips for you to bear in mind to help you when it comes to marketing for your small business.
Offering Something Different
Always remember from the off that you are not a big firm with a large budget and massive name recognition. While other firms may have to do very little as they are the first port of call for customers, you may be starting from the very beginning and trying to establish a brand from scratch.
Big businesses advertise in order to build on their name recognition and generate more sales in the future. Smaller firms don’t have the resources and the budget to do that, so you have to build your advertising strategy in order to produce far more immediate sales. You can do this for example by including an offer in your advertising to drive in sales now. Many customers look for a cheaper price, so offering a smaller version of a product or service at a lower price will entice them.
Similarly other customers are willing to pay a higher price in order to get a better level of service or a premium product. If you offer a more comprehensive packet you can boost your average sale size and your total revenue. Alternatively you can combine several products or services in a special package which you can then sell at a higher price.
Targeting Your Message
Of course you can always try some rather more unconventional methods of marketing to generate business. For example you may want to print a small ad on a postcard and mail it to your targets rather than relying on spending money in traditional media on messages that may go missed. Reducing the size of your ads will also allow you to run more ads at a lower cost.
If you’re operating in a community with other small businesses you could consider setting up joint promotions too. Ultimately you must look to bring the most value from your established customer base, as they already know and trust you. You can use software like Phorest to maintain relationships with your existing customers, and keep them coming back to your business. That way you can rest assured that you’ll keep a steady level of trade coming in rather than constantly having to bring in new custom.
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