Advertise in Ways that Work for Small Businesses

Big businesses have big budgets. They advertise on broadcast TV, cable, radio, newspaper, magazines and major local events to name a few. As a small business owner, you may not be able to afford to advertise that way. But what you can do is advertise in ways that work for your business and obtain sales results. To get the most leverage of any marketing tactic, make sure that you include some type of promotional offer.  This may sound obvious, but many have made this mistake.  If you place an advertisement and you have no promotional offer, you won't be getting the most "bang for your buck". Prospective customers may look at your ad and say to themselves "so what".  You will obtain a substantially greater response from any advertisement if it includes a promo.  After all, when you are the customer, don't you look for promo offers?

Offer Your Products and Services in Multiple Flavors

Some prospective customers are willing to pay more for a "high quality" product or service with greater benefits, while others may want a "good quality" product or service at a lower price. If possible, why not sell customers your product or service in a Good, Better and Best arrangement? You will satisfy all three (3) customer groups. As customer needs change they can move up or down your category group, but most importantly you'll retain them as a customer.

A Customer Website is a Must

For small businesses, a website helps to make your company look professional and substantial, providing prospective customers a place to learn about your company and products. It's been reported that up to 56% of small businesses can attribute some portion of their annual sales to having a customer website. In fact, many customers now do much of their research online for goods and services, and pass over businesses that do not have Internet websites. In many cases, customers now type product names, company names and local locations into search engines like Google and Yahoo, expecting to find them on the Internet.  If your company doesn’t have a website, it’s like you simply don’t exist. Customers research and look for products and services on the Internet at all hours, often late at night when you are long closed for business. But with a website, you'll never be closed.

Use Your Website in Ways That Work

A website is a promotional brochure that is available for all to see on the Internet. It helps to “level the playing field” between large and small businesses. You can have a beautiful storefront and not have a website, or you can be located in a warehouse bay on a side street, and do most of your business online. Both businesses may sell the same thing and effectively have the same number of customer sales. The bottom line is that the Internet is a very low cost way to expand your business across town or across the country. Use your website to tell customers and prospects what you do, why your company does it better, and be sure that your website includes a call-to-action in the form of a promotional offer. In addition, make sure that your website has a customer "Contact Us" form, where visitors can request additional information from your company. Many people are “introverts”, and they are more comfortable requesting information in writing. You want these new customers too!  On a final note, it's been proven time again that the key to converting a prospect inquiry into a sale is the speed in which you respond to that request, so always be prompt and responsive to prospects and customers.

Do You Need Large or Small Display Advertisements

Before you had a website, you may have run large ads in local newspapers and publications, but a small ad may work just as well. Try reducing the size of your ads. This will enable you to run more of them with the same amount of money, and be sure to include your website address. People will move from your display ad to your website for additional information, and you can include additional promotional offers on your website.   In essence, your website becomes an extension of that display ad, lessening the need for the larger ad space.

Consistency in Messaging

Years ago, advertising folks coined the phrase “reach and frequency”. The concept is really simple: Figure out who your target customers or prospective customers are and send them the message again and again. Consistency in messaging means that all of your materials need to include the same things every time, including your company logo, company name, address, phone number and website address. All of your materials should have the same general “look and feel”, so that when your customers see these materials, they identify them as coming from your company. Everything you print or present to customers is also a promotional opportunity. This includes your business cards, invoices, truck signs, uniforms, building signs, display ads and your company website to name a few.  Also, be sure that your promotional offers present buying opportunities for both new and existing customers.

Tell Everyone Why You Are Better

There is the old argument “If a tree falls in the woods, and there is no one to hear it, did it make a noise?” You’re probably saying to yourself, what the heck does that have to do with me. Well, if you don’t tell your customers and prospective customers why you do something better, they may not know.  So, since they may not know why your product or service is better, then it's not better unless you tell them.  While it’s true that some of your customers may recognize that you are better, not all of them will.  So, be sure to tell them you are better and remember to tell them why.  It’s not bragging, it’s pride in what you do, and it makes good business sense. Your customers will feel good about getting something from your business that they can’t get elsewhere, and that will make them feel special.  And if they feel special, it will help to keep them coming back.

Who Are Your Customers and Who Are Your Prospective Customers

This may seem obvious, but it can sometimes be tricky. Here's one way to look at it:

• Who are your customers: Your likely know them well.

• Who are your prospective customers: They probably look a lot like your current customers. (resemble with regard to needs and buying habits).

• Where do you find prospective customers: They are probably located in the same places as your current customers.

Simply put, take care of your current customers, because you know them well. And to find new customers, understand why your current customers purchase your products and services, and go market to folks that want and need the same things for the same reasons.

Set up Cooperative Joint Marketing Promotions with Other Small Businesses

Sometimes it makes great sense for two businesses to get together and share marketing costs, even if they are totally unrelated. This allows both businesses to participate and share in the cost of the materials, which enables them to reach more prospective customers for the same money, assuming their target group is the same as yours. For example: A local "home cleaning service" is going to deliver 5,000 door tags to local homes in the area. That home cleaning service is next door to a "landscape company". The owners of both businesses get together and print 5,000 door tags with the home cleaning advertisement on one side of the tag, and the landscape company advertisement on the other side. Both businesses include a promotional coupon offer, and 2,500 are delivered with the cleaning company facing out, with the remaining 2,500 delivered with the landscape company facing out.  It’s a win for both businesses. Although the printing cost may be slightly higher because of the copy on both sides, it's still a lot less expensive than if each of the businesses printed and delivered 5,000 each.  You save a bundle on the labor cost, because you’re only delivering to the same home once.

Don’t Forget Your Current Customers

If you take your customers for granted, they will eventually go somewhere else.  Remember to always give your customers great service and always listen to what they have to say. Don’t forget to develop promotional offers for them too, since it is always much less expensive to retain a customer than it is to gain a new one. When a customer is unhappy, make a concession, even if it cost you a few dollars. Customers understand that everyone has a bad day, and that mistakes are sometimes made. It is how you respond to their complaint that is important. Also, if you see that your customer is not taken care of correctly, bring it to their attention and correct the issue promptly. Your customer will appreciate it.  Many customers never complain; they just show their dissatisfaction by not returning to your business.