Many people overlook the importance of marketing, but that may be one of the biggest mistakes that small business owners can make. Marketing is the fuel of your business and should be taking up the majority of your attention and funding if you want your business to expand healthily and not sink. Whether you are in real estate, the restaurant business, or any other industry, this isn’t a matter of opinion. This is a fact. Successful companies operate by prioritizing their marketing plan.
What is marketing?
Marketing comprises activities that spread awareness about a brand or encourage customers to connect with a company. These can include commercial video advertisements, product photography, website copy, and social media presence. However, did you know that your pricing strategy, customer service style, and product design are part of your marketing strategy? Marketing is anything that creates an impression on customers. You need to make the most engaging impression possible to grow your business.
How to Create a Marketing Plan that Will Rock Your Business
Get Back to Basics
Like anything, you need to build a solid foundation to reach new heights. To create a marketing plan, you need to identify who you are marketing towards as if they were your own best friend. You need to know what they want, how much they spend, and their value in life. Also important are the locations they frequent and the types of media they consume.
Who Are You Anyway?
You need to create a brand, a business’ personality, from which to base your marketing. Many people like to choose from the twelve brand personality archetypes to tap into customer’s emotional motivations and increase engagement. Base your branding on your customer’s desires and who they want to be in your business. For example, if your restaurant caters to couples enjoying romantic dates by candlelight, you might consider using The Lover as your brand archetype. If so, your photography should include rich textures, elegant staging, and warm colors. You can always communicate your vision to your photographer or videographer.
Upgrade Your Image (wink wink)
People are visual creates. Color, form, and imagery move us.
To reiterate the need for a visual marketing plan, customers will and do judge a book by its cover to determine whether they can trust what’s inside. The quality of your photos and videos helps customers make intuitive judgments about your company’s ability to deliver. This especially applies to product photography and headshots.
Remember, your goal is to impress, inspire and engage.
How do you present yourself on:
Your website
Social media
Your menus and catalogs
All other marketing
Create Lead Generation and Make More Money
Once you have a plan and your look is polished, you can go out there and generate some leads!
Here are some common methods for finding new customers:
Video commercials
Social media
Paid ads
Billboards and magazines
Marketing is the Backbone of Your Business, and You Need to Start Somewhere
It’s time to take steps towards upgrading your marketing plan and letting your business flourish. Ask yourself if your website, imagery, and online presence are contributing to your success.
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