- Be clear about what your business is
Your business should have a clear hook. If customers cannot tell what your business does, then their confusion could stem their likelihood to spend money with you. In your initial marketing, pick a few services you want to spotlight, and then focus on those as you build your brand. As you grow, then your future ads can highlight other services.
The same clear hook holds true should success allow you to expand your company’s services. Make sure these new services match what you currently offer. If you are a salon, then you do not want to start selling clothes. Do you offer medical services? Then try to keep your new services strictly medical. Do not start offering makeup or spa amenities. This will muddy your marketing, puzzling not only potential new customers, but also your current loyal base.
- Listen to advice
Owning your business is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Being your own boss, commanding all the shots – it is the fantasy of many for a reason! Growing your business, though, requires more than just your own knowledge. While you may know your industry inside and out, the marketing industry is a different breed entirely. Let’s say you own a body shop. You know how to replace an alternator better than anyone, but do you know how to place television ads during the right programs to get the most out of your marketing budget?
Hiring a marketing agency removes the guesswork for you. However, your agency may have ideas that clash with what you think should happen. Keep in mind, though, that you hired the agency for a reason. They are experts in their field, as you are in yours. Maximizing your marketing dollars means listening to the people you hired to market your business. Embrace the idea that they know what they are doing when it comes to utilizing your money and getting your business the best value possible.
- Try to be open to change
Remember the old saying, “Do what you know”? That is definitely true to an extent. However, sometimes repeatedly doing the same thing you know can end up hindering your business. This is quite true in these times of ever changing media. In the past, placing ads in phone books or in a local newspaper could do wondrous things for your business. Nowadays, when the majority of people pick the phone book off the stoop and plop it straight into the dumpster or do not subscribe to a paper, the old ways of marketing may not work as well.
To combat this, embrace change! With or without your say-so, the marketing industry is always fluctuating. You may not use social media apps much or spend time watching YouTube videos, but your likely customers are. Rather than force your marketing agency to cling to the old ways tighter than Celine Dion clutching her fist as she sings “My Heart Will Go On,” entertain the idea of adapting your business’s marketing strategy to the changing times. You may like the results, especially if it increases your profits!
2019 just started, so now is the optimal time to start implementing these ideas! If you do not yet have a marketing home, or you want to touch base with us, please fill out the contact form here or call us at (417) 553-9105!