It’s been a very strange year. I don’t think that anyone will disagree with that statement. Lots of businesses have taken a hit financially, whilst others have seen a huge upsurge in orders, depending upon their product, service or sector.
What is true for all of our businesses, right now, is that the need to market our way through this is as strong as ever. With the prospect of a recession looming, there’s a temptation to save money wherever possible, and the marketing budget is one that can often been seen as tempting to cut.
Let’s look at that idea in more detail.
Which of these are the reasons you market your business in the first place?
- Because everyone tells me I should
- To get our business name out there
- It’s how we generate leads into our pipeline
If you’re marketing your business to get more leads, then stripping back on your marketing budget is really the last thing you should be considering. Instead, take a look at the marketing you’re doing right now, work out what’s giving you the biggest bang for your buck, and do more of it so you get more of those leads.
If you’re marketing to get your business name out there, and it’s working, that’s OK too. But take a next step and work out what else you need to do in order to turn that brand awareness into actual enquiries.
If you’re only doing marketing because you think you should, then you definitely should put the brakes on temporarily. If you’ve got no firm goal for your marketing, and you don’t even know what you’re getting from it, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Don’t give up on marketing as a concept, but accept that you need to give it some proper consideration, and work out what you need to do so that your marketing gets your name out there and generates leads for your pipeline.
If you’re not sure what’s going to work best for your business, ask for help. When you’ve got a limited budget, investing in an expert that who will help you get it right first time can save you money in the long run. Nobody wants to waste money doing stuff because they don’t know any better.
Post Covid, there’s no doubt that marketing will be changing. It will have to. It stands to reason that on-line is going to continue to grow and grow. On one hand that’s great for the small business, because it can offer so many free opportunities, but on the other you’ll need to make sure you are standing out from everyone else. Knowing who your target market is, what problem you solve for them, and how to push their buttons will be so important, as it will help you cut through the noise so you can get your message noticed by them.
To really make it work, you’ll need to be smart about it, innovative where possible and be consistent.
What changes are you making to your strategies to keep you strong in the Brave New World?
If you want some help, book a focus call and we can have a chat about where you are and what you want to achieve – https://calendly.com/zhrmarketing/focus-call