I know it is early on a Monday morning and it is raining outside, but this article is not a moan influenced by these factors. The reason for writing this is to try and help manage the expectations of the SME business.
Over the last few months I a growing trend of marketing expectations for fast fix marketing with objectives like –
- ‘I need to increase sales by the end of the month’
- ‘I need to get infront of 10 more prospects each week’
- ‘I don’t mind spending money on marketing…..providing I see a greater return’,
What every business needs to do is get a real understanding of where they are now. Where would their marketing activity be starting from? What activity yields the best ROI. What financial investment has been made, by who, why and when.
What I say to my clients is that no single marketing initiative will bring retirement closer. Businesses must be realistic in their objective setting, employ a number of initiatives and above all, be patient. For example, Networking is a great way to increase your brand awareness and provides a platform to present yourself, but remember, EVERYONE at Networking is doing the same as you – trying to sell.
Review your website by using Google analytcis to see what visitors are doing. Make sure it is optimised and that it works for you. Drive quality traffic to it via link building, social media, advertising and PR. Speak to your clients and offer them more. Offer incentives for referals. Write articles and/or make comments on relevant websites etc etc.
The most important thing is to experiment. There is no such thing as a quick fix and even the most experienced marketing person will tell you that it is incredibly competitive out there.
