As a small business owner you have a lot on your plate. While larger companies have entire departments devoted to certain tasks, you have….you.
Since your time and resources are limited, you need to do everything as efficiently as possible—including the marketing. While you may dream of an unlimited budget, in reality you’ll have to make some tough choices. Since you don’t have the time or money to try every marketing channel available, you need to choose one that will be the most effective. How do you choose the right option?
Consider Your Goals
What is your main objective?
Do you have a brand new business? You should probably start with building awareness of your brand.
Are you looking for ways to boost website traffic? You may want to consider search engine optimization and PPC campaigns.
Do you simply need to increase sales? You might need to ramp up your direct mail marketing or educate customers about the need for your product (remember, no one new they needed an iPod until it was invented).
The marketing channel you choose should suit your main goal. The tools you use to boost sales may not be the tools best suited to increase website traffic.
Consider Your Target Audience
Once you’ve set a goal, you need to identify your target audience. This will help you figure out where to reach your intended customers. For example, younger, more tech savvy customers may be easier to reach online, while older customers may be best reached through traditional advertising channels. Ask the following questions about your target audience:
- How old is your ideal customer?
- How much education do they have?
- Are they male or female?
- Are they married or single?
- Are they a renter or homeowner?
- What kind of neighborhood do they live in?
- What is their income level?
- Do they have children?
- What are their hobbies and interests?
- What is their native language?
- What problems are they trying to solve?
Identifying your target audience makes it easier to find them and appeal to their needs.
Consider Your Resources
While budget should never be the only factor you consider, you do have to take it into account when making a decision. Often you’ll need to choose between spending time and spending money. For example, viral content campaigns require a lot of effort, but very little monetary investment. PPC advertising, on the other hand can be expensive, but requires very little effort on your part.
You can choose to divide your budget up equally between strategies or invest most of it in an effective marketing channel such as search engine optimization and watch as that investment snowballs into more business. For more advice contact a company that specializes in small business marketing services.
Choosing the right marketing channel can be difficult, but if you determine your objective, get to know your target audience, and evaluate your resources, you’ll be able to find a strategy that works for you.
For help with your startup give us a call at Alphagraphics in Park Ridge today.
