At Pinpoint, we often find that people are a little scared of marketing. Although it’s not rocket science, it’s also not an exact science, which means people feel nervous of taking even the initial simple steps. Indeed, this nervousness often equates no action at all.
Today’s blog will share 3 ways you can make your marketing work for you. That means 3 things you can do, right now, to start marketing. It also means you can make it work ‘for you’ – specifically for your business, because not all marketing has to follow the same style or approach. There isn’t a one size fits all solution.
- Stop thinking of it as a ‘tick box’ exercise
You might not feel confident about marketing but there’s no point in dreading it. In fact, if you can spend some time thinking about what you want to get out of it, you might even start enjoying it. Just by understanding the ‘why’ of your marketing will help you to see the point, rather than having marketing as an item somewhere on your to-do list.
To achieve this, why not think about getting an accountability partner? It could be another small business owner or someone you network with, but it’s best if they want to achieve the same thing. You can then brainstorm your ‘why’, work out a simple plan of activities and keep each other accountable for making progress.
- Measure the outcome
Another thing that always amazes us here at Pinpoint is that people will spend money on marketing but not check what they got in return. You wouldn’t go to a shop, pay for your goods and then walk out without them so the same should be true of marketing.
I don’t think anyone should be a slave to the numbers, and it is always important to prioritise quality over quantity, but it is worth having a few measurements that you check regularly to see whether what you are doing is working. For example, number of leads or enquiries, the source of these leads and what marketing method brings in the most results, as well as looking at likes, reach and engagement. Which you choose will depend on what you were aiming for. You might be trying to get more followers on social media. So keep a track of the numbers but perhaps also look at who your new followers are. Great news if they fit the profile of your ideal client. Not so great if it’s your mum!
- Hit the right target at the right time
Talking of ideal customers, have you ever heard of an ‘avatar’? This is a made up person and creating one is really valuable for your business. You imagine your ideal client (you can have as many avatars as you want) and develop them by thinking about what makes them tick, what their issues or struggles are, where they hang out, what they read/watch/do, when they are likely to buy or browse and then you give them a name and identity. Suddenly, you’ll find you start seeing them everywhere and it becomes much easier to target your messages. And, your messages are a big part of your marketing.
Although it feels like you might be missing out, it is really important to be specific when you put out marketing messages. The more you can hit the nail on the head when you talk about a problem you can solve or a product you supply, the more likely you are to get more business.
So, there you have my 3 ways to make your marketing work for you. Pretty simple wouldn’t you say? As I said before, it’s not rocket science so hopefully this can be a list you feel you can take action on. Let me know how you get on …
