Marketing is not about spending money on random activities in the hope you’ll find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It’s about knowing who you want to target – prospects, customers and lapsed customers and then developing simple communication campaigns with the job of motivating them to respond. You don’t want to target the world – just those that will benefit from your wares and your fantastic customer service. And where you can profit from your passion too. You’re not a charity, which is something I remind clients of regularly! Marketing is also about putting customers at the centre of your universe, making it your mission to delight them from onboarding to delivery, relationship building, up-selling and cross-selling.
So how do you start on your marketing on a shoestring journey?
Marketing audit required
Start by auditing your last twelve months of marketing activities and don’t spare the horses! Beside each activity, note why you did it and be honest. Were you tempted? Was panic buying a reason? Were you blindly following a competitor? Make that note. Then detail how the activity played out – what were the results? Finally, how much did each activity cost? What is your overall summary? You may be surprised at what is staring back at you. A practical marketing audit enables you to see where you have been spending money on a whim, what you must do more of, and indeed less of, and what you should abandon altogether. Every time I have undertaken this activity with a client, it has led to some real breakthroughs. It has also resulted in the business taking a much more targeted approach to marketing when the folly of spending money on random tactics is revealed to them.
Target audience exercise
Start with a pen and pad, and your laptop. That said, I tend to use flip charts for this exercise with clients and we then transfer the information into a plan. Make two lists: “cold prospects” and “existing customers” and then create smaller subgroups if relevant (i.e. VIP customers, lapsed customers and likewise the importance you attach to prospects and the sectors they hail from, plus their size). You must know who you’re targeting and why if you’re to use your time wisely. Don’t lump your targets into one big group if you need smaller groups to apply tailored messages to.
Then consider…
- What will influence these cold prospects to use you? Now more than ever, people are looking for genuine value, decent payment terms and the reassurance that you provide quality consistently. Make a list of all the needs you meet starting with the most important. Include sector specific messages that build your case as a desirable brand – with each sector. Can you whittle it down to the four most important needs and beside each one, how you meet it? This content is your stock in trade when you start marketing to cold prospects. You’re talking their language and demonstrating why they should choose you!
- The need to build loyalty with customers – existing and lapsed. What are the welcome back messages you think will woo back lapsed customers, make existing customers buy more and new ones come on board? I see so many businesses knee-jerk into offering a price reduction when it’s not always needed. It’s always good to remind customers of what you can offer them, any new products, or services you have added (don’t assume they are aware of these) and why you are their best bet! It’s good to reconnect with customers that have fallen by the wayside because reminding them of what you do and why you are worth a second look, could be what’s needed to start the ball rolling again.
- Look at the options for communicating with these groups. I’m a big advocate of good old-fashioned pen and paper when it comes to the WOW factor. Sending a personal letter, hand signed enclosed in a handwritten envelope, will ensure your message is read and reflected on. What to say? Revisit the messages you have created above and add a charming introduction. Are you writing to say hello and catch up with your customer, or are you introducing yourself to a prospect because you know that what you offer will be of genuine interest to them? Email may be more efficient, so don’t dismiss it, but when you’re aiming for real impact, it can’t compete with a personal letter that has a genuinely interesting message. I can share many case studies of clients that ventured into paper, pen, and stamp (with some resistance, I must confess!), and as a result, signed up new customers and had healthy sales from many lapsed customers, who they had all but given up on. Sending a nice letter and then picking up the phone a few days after it has landed is a good marketing strategy. Also, consider how you can bring social media into the mix using private messages to make that initial contact.
Review your marketing activities monthly
What’s working, what’s not? What needs tightening up? A regular marketing stock take will help you to focus on planning marketing campaigns with a realistic chance of succeeding.
Acknowledge that you must play a part in the marketing process
Don’t expect your apprentice, your son, daughter, or your other half to have all the answers. Marketing on a shoestring is a team effort.
Consider an extra human resource
Marketing on a shoestring is not about ducking spending money on marketing; it’s about spending money wisely. Having a person organise your campaigns will not only put regular marketing on your map, but it will also lead to new sales.
If you want to discover more Dee magic
You can buy her latest book, You’re the Best! How to Build an Authentic and Magnetic Personal Brand, and The 15 Essential Marketing Masterclasses For Your Small Business. Currently, 6 five-star reviews on Amazon, none written by her husband or sons… You can buy Dee’s book on Amazon and contact her at dee@themarketinggym.org
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