Marketing is one of the most misunderstood topics in small business. There are dozens of myths and misconceptions about marketing, and you may not be aware of how to successfully market your products or services. But that’s what this blog post is for! Here is the truth about marketing: http://cherryanma.com/.
In this article, you will learn the truth about marketing strategies so that you can build a strategy for success for your business. You will find out about how to ensure that customers are engaged with your business, which social media platforms are best for instant customer feedback, and even what influencer marketing really means.
1. Social Media Is Overrated
Everyone talks about social media, but it’s not something that you want to focus on in your marketing strategy. There is a lot of hype around social media, but many businesses are wasting time and energy by being overzealous with their social activity. If you post things that don’t generate sincere interest from your audience, then you will waste your time and money on unproductive activity.
Don’t get your business caught up in the hype about social media. It’s important for companies to use effective strategies for capturing customer attention, but blowing huge budgets on Facebook ads won’t help you get more customers or leads. Instead, focus on connecting with people one-on-one. If you provide valuable information that will be of interest to your target market, then people will reach out to you. The old adage, “The money is in the list,” is still correct today.
2. Marketing Is NOT A One-Off Event
People look at marketing as another part of the company they have to manage and make sure gets done. They think that they can get a professional to do it for them and make sure it happens – once and for all. Things that you might have to do once, like setting up Facebook ads or scheduling a TV ads, can be difficult and costly. But the benefits from good marketing don’t come from one-time efforts; rather, it’s about the regular relationship with customers that your business forms over time.
You want people to become aware of what you’re offering so that they are inspired to choose you when they need your services. You want them to tell their friends about your business for the same reason – so that they can reap the benefits of your marketing efforts as well. The same is true for a small business. You don’t want to go out of your way to repurchase something, but you can ask for referrals from customers.
You can ask customers who are happy with your services to tell others about what you offer and how great it is. Your marketing efforts will be successful if you encourage others to tell their friends about what you offer and how much they value it.
3. Your Marketing Efforts Are Not Just About You
While the whole idea of “personal branding” seems like a lot of buzzwords, it does have some truth behind it. Personal branding is important when it comes to marketing your business. Think of your business as a brand or a product. Your relationship with your customers is the same as your relationship with other businesses and consumers – that’s why you can’t treat them as completely different entities.
When you market yourself and build a solid platform for personal branding, you are also adding value to other people’s lives. That’s what will make people want to work with you in the future and refer their friends and family to do business with you as well.
4. Social Media Marketing Is About Engagement, Not Numbers
Social media has become the expectation for marketing…but there is a huge difference between social media marketing and social networking. The biggest misconception about Facebook and Twitter is that they are free ways to market your business through outreach and advertising. If you were selling something, would you want to be noticed or would you want people to see the value your product offers?
You want to be in front of as many people as possible, yet doing so will turn off potential consumers because it will seem like spam. Social media is not a place where you can put ads and hope that it works; rather, it’s a place where you engage with others so they will engage with your business. Marketing is about finding the right people, and social media allows you to find them. Social media is about getting your message out to people…but it’s not about you.
5. Your Business Needs an Agenda for Marketing Incentives
It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that marketing can be a one-time effort like filling out a card at the end of a transaction, but it’s actually more important to consider the marketing effort as an ongoing process.
Considering marketing as a process makes more sense because it includes the steps of identifying, generating and retaining customers. Even if your business has a lot of loyal clients, you still need to put a strategy in place to bring in new ones. When you have an effective strategy that connects you with new potential customers, it becomes easier to convert them into long-term clients or loyal customers.
