Checklist for Starting Your Marketing Strategy
The primary goal of a marketing strategy is to connect your business to the right customer base for your product or service. The most important thing to know about marketing is: Marketing does not take a one-size-fits-all approach. With that in mind, marketing is an ever-changing industry. What worked 8 years ago, doesn’t necessarily work now; however, there are parts of marketing that consistently prove to help the growth of a business if maintained and managed constantly.
Luckily you know your business and your goals even if your goals are very generic, having a marketing strategy will help. If we, Momentum3 Growth Pros, were to sit down with you in a strategy meeting, we would want to know a few things about your business so that we can help generate a marketing strategy that will fit your model. Those things include:
- What demographics make up your customer base? The answer to this question can be generic…people of any age looking for _____ product. People in lower income neighborhoods interested in _____, etc. Your demographic may not be very specific, can be large or small, but you must know who you are trying to reach in order to build a successful marketing strategy. There isn’t a wrong answer.
- How do people look for the product you are offering or how do you think they would?
- Who do they listen to when making decisions relative to your business?
- How do you currently market your business?
- What is your company’s mission statement?
So as a small business owner, you may not have an endless marketing budget at the beginning and you definitely don’t have the time to spend learning how to and implementing a marketing strategy for your business. The best place to start for marketing strategy is to collaborate with an agency like Momentum3 Growth. Our prices are affordable, transparent, and flexible based on your needs (Shameless plug for our Incubator service for new businesses looking to get started in the Tulsa area).
We are going to give away a few tips on how to get your marketing strategy up and running for your business. Remember, this will not be a one-size-fits-all, but rather a generic approach that should at least you get you started. Many of the items we will list below are going to be specific to an online marketing campaign, but there will be a few that won’t require an internet presence to be successful.
Step One: Get Yourself a Website– Whether you hire Momentum3 Growth to build your website, do it yourself, or have your cousin Jack who knows more about computers than you, having a website is essential to your marketing strategy and success of your business. Over 40% of the world has access to the internet so if your business doesn’t have a website, you’re likely missing out on a large portion of the market.
Step Two: Put Your Business on Google My Business- Local SEO is essential to your success if you have a storefront or offer services for a specific location or area. The statistics prove that more mobile users will use location-based searching to find restaurants, stores, and event spaces. They also use platforms like Google-My-Business to find reviews, phone numbers, and other important information. We have talked about localization in great lengths in other blogs so be sure to check those out for more information.
Step Three: Set up a profile on Social Media Platforms– Not every company will benefit from every kind of Social Profile, but if your company that offers a specific product or service, you can benefit from having a Facebook. You can use this platform to educate potential customers about what you offer as well as sell your service/product. Instagram is valuable to companies that have products or services that you can see (dentists, general contractors, etc.). Show off your work or products to potential customers. I mean, they don’t “a picture is worth a thousand words” for nothing.
Step Four: Content Marketing- Having a great website that functions well and is easy to navigate for your users isn’t always enough. You must present the information your potential clients are looking for in a fun and engaging way. This is where your content marketing skills come into play (or ours if you choose to hire Momentum3 Growth). Make sure the information on your website is precise and accurate. It can be salesy or informative (sometimes even both!). Content marketing also encompasses other aspects on your website like a blog, social media shares, etc. We have a starter’s guide to content marketing available too!
Step Five: Start a Blog– Blogging is a powerful strategy that can help your company generate the exposure you desire. A blog will help grow your website (Which is an important aspect of SEO) while also driving organic traffic to your site to learn more about your products and services. The key will be publishing content that your audience wants to read; it needs to be valuable and worth their time. Search engines will reward your hard work by ranking your website well in the SERPs (search engine result page). The more content you put on your website, the more search engines will find your website valuable. If you think blogging isn’t for you, we would love to educate you in more detail on the benefits blogging can have in a small business.
Step 6: Network with Other Small Business Owners in your Area- Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the most powerful forms of advertisement. In fact, a referral to your business should be received as the highest compliment to your brand. In order to gain referrals, you must first start by getting your name out into your community. Networking with other small business owners who make work within your same niche offering a different product or service is a great way to move through your community. Once you gain a network, you can begin asking for feedback on how to make your business better. There is nothing more valuable than this information and it should be received with much appreciation.
Wrapping Up the Start to Your Marketing Strategy
Creating a killer marketing plan that will kick-start your business and turn it into the company of your dreams doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It will require your time, effort, and creativity. Focus on providing unique solutions for customers who can use your product/service to fix their issues. When you create a platform that customers can interact with, you will find soon enough that the customers will begin opening their wallets (or swiping their debit card if we want to remain extra modern) for you and your company.
Does this all still sound incredibly overwhelming? Start small. Write it all down, make a to-do list, and research the ways companies like yours have been successful. Use your network to learn more about how to proceed.
As always, Momentum3 Growth is here to help. Reach out to us and we can help you move forward.
