Why every business needs a marketing strategy

Publicity and marketing isn’t just for big businesses. Small businesses can also benefit from a strategic marketing plan that doesn’t have to break the bank. Your business, however big or small, can benefit from a marketing and publicity strategy. I want to show you how a small business can use a marketing strategy to develop a successful customer base and build your reputation in the local area.

What to do to get more customers:

You might ask why a plumber or a roofer would need marketing and publicity, how could they benefit from it and how does it work? Well a plumber or a roofer needs customers. Many of those customers historically have come via word of mouth recommendation/advertising on the side of a work van or small local adverts. The world has changed and is largely digital now. To grow their business or to get more customers and build a pipeline of work, they need to be visible. Being visible also means being active on social media and the web as well as in the local and national press. A marketing strategy for a plumber could involve four posts a week on Instagram and Facebook (including a ‘service offer’ post on local town and village sites), a monthly blog on their website and a small feature on an online trade publication or in the local press each month. This is instead of advertising. 

Attract more people to your service:

You might ask why a state school would need marketing and publicity? All state schools are funded on a per pupil basis. Some schools may be looking to increase the amount of pupils at their school or even to raise money for specialist equipment. They may want to be better known within their local area. Sharing school news via a blog or on their website in a news format can often be very beneficial. Commenting on common issues surrounding parents and writing an informative article in the shape of a blog means that the school is seen as a thought leader on that subject. For example Special Educational Needs (SEN) is often a minefield for parents and an SEN teacher offering some helpful tips on the website could help. Often monitoring the news for stories where the head teacher could offer some expert comment are also good ways of getting a school into the media and getting a bit of free publicity. Schools can also have a successful social media presence. All this helps to bring more pupils to the school and create a strong reputation around it in the local community.  

New Business no customers:

You might be starting out as a beautician. New business no customers. How do you develop a successful client base from scratch. One that sets you apart from the many other beauticians around? A marketing strategy which focuses on social media and PR would be beneficial. Four posts on instagram and Facebook showcasing your work, offering discounts. On Facebook you can offer a ‘new business’ post on local village and town sites. You can monitor what’s on the news each day to see if there are any stories you could offer comment on. For example are strikes affecting your business, is the cost of living affecting your customers? How are you getting round the issue of the economy? You can offer your comment to the local press and get your business name included. In terms of publicity - what is the story behind your business. What was the reason behind you starting it…what challenges are you facing? Then you can pitch this to local press outlets including your local BBC + ITV Radio and TV, local newspapers or magazines. Also it is worth thinking about sending out a weekly email newsletter with offers and news straight into people’s email inboxes.

How to get more customers and clients:

An estate agent will already have an online presence with most estate agents being on rightmove. However, many people may not be actively looking to move house. Some potential sellers may not know a local estate agent even exists. A social media campaign across Facebook primarily is incredibly important for an Estate Agent. Up to 2 posts a day and weekly or bi weekly blog are also very useful in attracting sellers as well as buyers. A blog shows that you have an expert opinion on your industry and are therefore a trusted business. It could mean the difference between someone selling their property with you or their competitor. Quite often estate agents have a presence on social media but ensuring you are piquing people’s interest is paramount. A couple of pictures and posting the description of the house may not be enough. Some excellent examples of great social media use by estate agents are Suffolk/Norfolk based attikestateagents  and North Essex based damianpriorexpuk they are doing more than just showing houses. They might be sharing details of local hotspots, for example if a house is by a beach - they might show photos of the beach. They might have a team member taking us through the valuation process. 

Any service provider or product manufacturer needs some kind of marketing and publicity strategy. It could be blogs or social media or email marketing or all three. With marketing and publicity for small businesses it is important to get experts to help you. We can all have a bash at social media and have a go at writing a blog but it isn’t that simple. A blog alone does not reach people. You have to consider google ranking. Your blog must be written with search engine optimisation in mind. That requires a skill and knowledge of finding high ranking key words which organically show in searches. With social media you need to understand what algorithms are and what sort of posts those algorithms will like and push to the top so more people will see them. Social media experts will ensure that you are using the right hashtags. There is a also an element of growing your social media community which takes time and research.

If you need any help with the above - email us for more information and prices hello@exposure-pr.co.uk