The prospect of marketing your business can be overwhelming, especially when your budget is tight.

But don’t despair! Often the most simple and cost-effective ideas can produce the best results.

Here are my 10 quick and easy tips to spend less and market more!

1. Blog – Still one of the most effective ways to share your knowledge and expertise as well as position your brand and extend your reach. Engage with your desired audience in a more informal way - search engines love them too!
   
   
2. Network (Offline) - People buy from people! It’s a two-way process - making connections and building mutually beneficial relationships.
   
   There are plenty of local and regional networking events from BNI to Network B2B, Chamber of Commerce to FSB. If you can’t find a suitable networking event – why not set up your own?
   
   
3. Network (Online) - Currently over 250,000+ social media groups - region, sector and...

STOP!

Before you spend a penny on your marketing...

How about doing a quick marketing audit?

Marketing can be an expensive activity for your business, so it's good to know what's working and what isn't long before you invest your hard earned cash.

For a small business, a marketing audit doesn't need to be too in depth, just concentrate on the important factors which have a big impact on your business operations, resources and spend. Such as:

Your target audience

Your proposition

Your marketing channels and tools

Your measurement and control

Do you know what your ‘customer journey’ looks like?

Or how many touchpoints your audience experiences from being a cold prospect to a warm hot lead?

The customer journey refers to the process someone goes through, from being a member of your target audience to becoming a customer/partner.

And, every person who has an interest in your product or service, will experience that 'journey'.

As business owners, we need to consider each time a person has any form of contact with our brand - more commonly known as a ‘touchpoints’. Research tells us that the average number of touchpoints someone undergoes before they become a customer is eight.

The more targeted touchpoints we can create – the better!

Brand touchpoints can include a wide range of marketing activities including:

The list doesn't need to be too exhaustive, just consider your target audience - who they are, what they do and their pain points (this is where you can offer a solution) and more...

Your content: it’s your brand voice and how you speak to customers. More than that, it determines how customers see you and is the ultimate decider of if they continue to engage with you and make the decision to purchase. 

Q: What’s the secret of great content that engages, nurtures and communicates with your target audience?

A: It isn’t about you. It isn’t even about your products and services. It’s about one thing: the customer. What are the benefits for them? Why should they use you? Why are you a better choice than the other options available?

Content is...

Any form of ‘created’ communication – whether written or visualised – with the aim of attracting, acquiring, engaging and communicating with a clearly defined and understood target audience.

Content comes in many forms:

Video     Infographic          Competition      ...

Is your glass half empty or half full?

Running my business has been (and is) incredibly challenging at times, but the rewards far outweigh the negatives and I wouldn't want it any other way.

However, having coached many business owners, it's no surprise how many have suffered from a negative mindset. This can lead to self-doubt, low confidence and anxiety - which can ultimately affect the performance of your business.

Based on my experience, here's my 5 tips to help you develop a healthy and positive business mindset.

 Set your goals and keep them realistic

Goals are not set to become a whipping-stick when things go wrong, nor are they set to promote failure!

Setting a clear (and achievable) direction for your business will keep you focused and heading in the right direction.

 Recognise your strengths and accept weaknesses

One of my favourite quotes sums this up nicely:

“Growth begins when we begin to accept our weaknesses.” ~ Jean Vanier

Even Superman had...

Do you want to get more engagement and business leads on social media?

Yes - of course you do!

But it's surprising how many people get it SO wrong when posting... 

So, instead of the usual 'Tips to get more engagement on social media ' post... here's three things you SHOULDN'T be doing.

Enjoy!

Hands up – who loves SPAM?
(and I don’t mean the canned cooked pork stuff you used to get at school)

The plethora of unsolicited emails and calls that we still get bombarded with on a daily basis.

Let’s face it, nobody does and yet it’s still cluttering our inboxes – unwanted offers and promotions – quite aggressive sometimes – for products and services that would never appeal to us.

As the quote says, spam exists because of bad targeting...

• not understanding or appreciating our target audience
• their personalities and characteristics,
• their roles and responsibilities and more importantly,
• their ‘pain points’ and how we can provide a solution for them.

It’s surprising how many businesses think they know their customers and yet, there’s very often a gap between the basics they already know and, the behaviours and preferences that are key to reaching their target market and selling to them.

Defining who your potential...

It's surprising how many businesses still use lots of different marketing tools, not knowing whether they're getting ROI or just wasting time and money.

We all desire the 'personal touch' and thanks to new technologies, marketing has become much more personal.

And, choosing the ‘right’ tools and channels will enhance communication and engagement.

Here are my 6 tips to consider when planning your marketing strategy:

1. What value does your product / service offer your customer? What type of content will help you educate this in your marketing?

2. What types of media does your target audience consume – videos, blogs, eBooks - the list could be endless so prioritise!

3. Do you have a specific budget – always best to agree this first before purchasing so you don't overspend.

4. Do you have a specific timescales in mind – some tools and channels can take longer to gather momentum and provide results.

5. Which channels are your competitors using - what type...

Nobody likes being SOLD to - agree?

As consumers, we like to be in control of the buying process – it’s our cash and we’ll decide how, when and where we’ll part with it!

We like to educate ourselves first by:

- Viewing all the options available

- Listening to what others have to say – especially those who have already experienced the product / service

- Comparing features and benefits

- And, considering the cost – is it competitive - especially in relation to our budget, needs and desires!

As business owners, we need to nurture this process through education - before, during and after purchase - which will help us develop mutually beneficial relationships with our customers.

And, we need to consider each ‘touch-point’ and how we can educate and add value.

Here’s a few ideas on how you can achieve this:

• Demonstrations instore or online - show your customers the product / service in action, demonstrating how it will answer...

I’m sure we can all remember a time when we experienced poor customer service...

And, I’m sure we told family, friends, colleagues – and the rest of the world on social media!

As buyers and consumers, we have more power and control than ever when it comes to deciding what, where, how and when we purchase.

Which puts a great deal of pressure on business owners - as first impressions DO count!

So here’s my five tips for making a positive first impression with your marketing: 

• Make sure your branding is consistent across all your marketing channels – from letterhead to website, social media to packaging and point of sale – inconsistency may present a fragmented and disjointed business in your customers mind.
  
  
• Consider your customer journey from the initial enquiry right through to after-sales service – make the experience meaningful and rewarding.
  
  
• Consider your tone of language – friendly is fine, but always remain professional. How...