Strategy Targets Accounts Marketing People However you voted in December, and whatever your preferred outcome, we know the UK will be leaving the EU on 31st January. The clock starts on the transition period… but don’t worry, this is not a Brexit rant! The start of every New Year is the perfect time to restock your thought-bank, recharge your batteries and do some planning. Here’s how you can put your STAMP on your business in 2020 by focusing on these 5 important areas: Strategy Most small businesses do not have an up-to-date business plan, which means they tend to focus only on shorter-term outcomes. And as the Cheshire Cat in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road can take you there.” The classic result is an initial feeling that you are responding to the market and widening the range of services you provide, but this soon develops into a business spread so wide that it’s impossible for potential customers … [Read more...]
Social Networking for Small Businesses
Social Networking is the term given to a variety of new techniques for communication with clients, customers, prospects and other interested parties. As with other marketing techniques it needs careful planning to ensure that the right message gets through to the right (target) audience. Whilst using social networking and media can be a blunt, scatter gun approach, with careful planning and dedicated application it can, like a rifle, be accurate, well targeted and can be useful in developing relationships with the target audience. What it is. Social networking is the name given to a variety of tools that can be used to develop relationships with customers. Of particular importance is the fact that the use of these tools will help to drive traffic to a website or blog and ultimately help search engine optimisation of the website. For businesses these tools can be used for reputation management, test marketing and feedback from customers on existing or proposed new products. It can … [Read more...]
See our latest presentation
Customers and cash. How to get more of both! In difficult times most SMEs need to get more of one and conserve the other. In fact many would like to get more of both. Our latest presentation gives ideas and tips on how to do both. Feel free to comment on the presentation and we look forward to receiving your feedback. … [Read more...]
10 First Aid Marketing Tips
One of the first items that is cut in an economic downturn is the marketing budget. Often it is perceived as expensive and it is not always easy to see that there is some benefit from the cost expended. And this might be true if you focus on the wrong things. Many would argue that the time to increase or at least maintain marketing activity is during a downturn when many of your competitors are reducing their campaigns. Here are a few first aid tips to keep your lead generation and brand image marketing going while not spending a fortune: Messages/Targetting Understand clearly who your customers are. Write a specification for your ideal customer. What they are business or consumer or both; what size they are; what do they do; why do they buy from you; what do they buy from you. Once you have a clear idea ensure that all the rest of your activity addresses this ‘ideal customer’ wherever possible. Review all marketing messages. Ensure that they speak to the range of customers you … [Read more...]
Small Businesses Need to Step up Online Presence
In the 21st century, a good online presence is almost essential for a business to succeed. So, is there a way to enhance your online profile without parting with much-needed cash? The answer is yes, but businesses need to be innovative to attract traffic. Successful small businesses quickly learn about their customers and adapt their marketing activities to fit. As you'd expect, many startups have no choice but to rely on low cost and creative means such as word-of-mouth and social media due to a limited budget which more often than not rules out traditional advertising. Social Media The emergence of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have been hugely beneficial for small businesses, allowing them to connect directly with their users and amplify the “online word-of-mouth” that is usually associated with satisfied customers endorsing you offline. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) In additional to using social media platforms, good SEO can be a very effective way to … [Read more...]
