13 Steps to Creating a Successful Small Business Marketing Strategy

By James Cummings

The goal of every business owner is to improve their company's bottom line, and this usually involves marketing the company's brand. Unfortunately, most businesses don't really get marketing.

Over the last 10 years I have been marketing in the finance, tech, and travel niches, some of the most competitive places to ply the trade. I'd like to think I’ve learned some of the fundamentals along the way. From reading? Yes! But also from a lot of trial and error through a process of continuous improvement.

This article is the sum of that acquired wisdom. I hope it will stop you from making some of the many mistakes I have made.

What is marketing?

The Business Dictionary defines marketing as the "management process through, which goods and services move from concept to the customer." There are four key elements involved in marketing:

1. Selecting, designing or manufacturing a product that will be attractive to customers;
2. Determining a modest price that will be competitive;
3. Choice of a delivery channel to reach the customer; and
4. Development of an effective promotional strategy.

This description is a complete marketing chain, and describes the process for companies like Coca-Cola and Apple. However, for now we will focus on the last element of the marketing chain: the development of an effective promotional strategy.

And as you read on, always keep this in mind: What steps can you take to create (yes, create) the market environment where you are successful? The answer: Be proactive, be positive and follow through!

1. Create a marketing budget

A lot of companies shoot themselves in the foot by not having a marketing budget. As such, they are stuck as to how wide they can go to push their products. A budget will clearly assist with your planning, choice of marketing type, and how far you can go.

Also, too many marketing companies cut their marketing budgets to save money. Consider the following quote from one of the most successful marketers of all time: “A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.”—Henry Ford

2. Have a marketing team and theme

Now that the budget is in place, you need a team of creative people who will decide on a catchy theme for your product and determine how to implement the budget. Find talented marketing people to work with. The difference between average marketing and great marketing is the whole world!

3. Begin with existing clients

For every new marketing drive, the first port of call should be your existing customers. They have probably come to trust your products over the years and are more likely to accept a new product faster. Place phone calls, send out emails, letters, and flyers—never leave anyone out. In business it is the low-hanging fruit that needs to be picked regularly. Don’t take clients for granted. Offer them value in every communication and every transaction.

4. Reach out via traditional channels

After contacting your existing clients, reach out to new clients through all traditional means. Public billboards, radio TV, and newspaper ads, and so on will increase your reach. In a world dominated by digital marketing your competitors may well be neglecting print and traditional marketing. If they are, then there is an opportunity for you to capitalize on.

5. Flood social media

The importance of social media in marketing cannot be over emphasized. Every form of social media should be employed: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube are all important. Paid ads on these channels will help you reach more people than just followers. Prioritize your social activity according to the networks that your prospects spend their most time at. Answer questions. Write articles. Engage with authority figures in your niche. Do interviews.

6. Have a reliable website

You have to ensure your company website is up and running to give effective information on your products and services, and how customers can access them. Sometimes clients can be turned off by a slow or poorly-designed website. Unreliable hosting can play havoc with your reputation. Get hosting in the country you are targeting. It makes your site load faster for local visitors, and is a signal to Google that they should rank your content highly in that geolocation.

RELATED: Why Every Small Business Needs a Website—Your Company’s Most Valuable Marketing Tool

Equally important is to get the right domain extension. A ".com" can rank everywhere, but country top level domans (TLDs) like "co.nz," ".co.uk," ".com.au," and ".ie" are targeted at specific locations and are less likely to have global appeal, but are excellent for their local markets.

7. Blog regularly

Displaying an expertise in your particular niche will help people trust your company. Don't just blog about your own products or services, but demonstrate general knowledge as well. Blog on LinkedIn and your company website; also reach out to other sites and offer to write blogs for them. When you offer other websites the benefit of your expertise, in return, you might just get links back to your website.

8. Learn from other businesses

Learn from the mistakes and successes of your competitors to help you reposition your product. “Intelligence is the ability to learn from your mistakes. Wisdom is the ability to learn from the mistakes of others.”—Anonymous

9. Understand e-commerce

Not every potential customer can come to you to buy your products. This is why it's important to set up an e-commerce site to allow for online shopping. But, if your product requires face-to-face sales, your website should be geared to generating leads, instead of e-commerce sales. Getting your call to action right is one of the single most important things you can do when marketing a product or service. Think strategically, and test-test-test.

10. Offer discounts, deals, and freebies

As part of a strategic marketing plan you can offer discounts and deals to your customers. Even better, offer customers something for free. A strange thing happens when someone gets something that they value for free. They mentally find it hard to reconcile the fact that they didn’t pay for the item and seek to equalize the relationship. Guess what they'll do? They'll end up buying more from you!

11. Apply for business awards

Business awards offer the ultimate marketing tool, and an entire marketing theme can be centered around the honors you receive. In a business age where credibility is crucial, and reputation is built through social connections, having an award can mean the difference between being the best versus the worst in your marketplace. 

12. Work with marketing firms

If you need help with your marketing, don't be afraid to ask for assistance. If you're not doing your own marketing, you can invest your time elsewhere in your company; the time spent doing productive activities can also pay for the services of an outside marketing firm. Be smart about how you work, and don’t try to do every task yourself. Engage experts who can get results.

13. Track, measure, and analyze

The only way to find out if the money you're spending on your marketing is working is to track your results. You should be spending more in the areas where you are getting positive results, and cutting back in the areas that aren't working. Create web sales funnels and track conversions by asking customers how they found you; have different landing pages for each of your campaigns. The process of tracking and analysis allows you to improve your content too. A/B test the content on your landing page, and then look for small changes you can make that will have a big impact.

Business marketing should be an exciting part of your business process. It is the opportunity to reach more people and to build your company's reputation. Engage people through innovative ideas, viral content, and communications. Make it human, and make it fun!

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