SMB Marketing-Planning

If you haven’t thought about it yet, even the smallest of businesses can improve their brand awareness with a small amount of sweat equity.  I am referring to the everyday bakery, florist, plumber, etc., whether you have 1 shop or several shops, you have a brand and with it is your responsibility opportunity to create awareness and help grow your business. 

Some key questions to ask yourself:

• Have you sat down recently and thought about a plan?
• Where are most of your business referrals coming from?
• How do you measure your growth opportunity?

This is just a short list, of course, as there are many more follow-on questions to create the whole picture.  If you can take a few minutes a day and answer these questions, you will start to see your future formula of success, but, it will take additional thinking and processing to devise your next plan.

I bring these up for the SMBs because I know you wear many hats during the day, and your day is never just 8-5.  This is not going to lead you down a path of advertising $s necessary for your business.  It actually will introduce you to the notion of online marketing you can manage yourself.

First step is asking yourself about your website.  Do you have one yet?  When did you last update it?  What are you doing with it?  Are you communicating a message to drive people to it?  How are you communicating your message?  What happens when people find your website (Do you use web analytics?)

If you can say yes to all the above, that’s great, keep doing it.  If not, then its time to look at your current marketing model and see where you can improve it. 

Next steps are revising your marketing plan.  Are you using a blog such as WordPress or Blogger?  Are you tapped into Twitterto promote your business AND engage with potential customers?  Transparency is and will be key to driving consumers to your business, whether you are a BtB or a BtC.  If you are offering advice/help, pointing people to solutions(maybe not even yours), then a consumer will remember you.  In todays economic environment, consumer is king when it comes to spending their money, and it is NOT just about the cheapest price.  Its actually about trust.  A consumer who is opening their wallet for a coffee, pipe fitting, floral basket for the significant other, is more willing to spend their money in your store if they trust you and your BRAND.  This is your time to take action, gain credibility and retain your business. 

Doing all of these now will not only help you weather the current storm, but, give you the edge and growth factors when our communities climb out from this economy.

I hope these suggestions help in someway for businesses who are in a floundering mode right now.  There are actions you can take to improve your situation.  If you need more, feel free to ask.

Matt Nees

www.stickitcommunications.com

matt@stickitcommunications.com

Follow me on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/smbguru

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