What type of marketer are you? If your first thought is that you’re not a marketer at all, you’re missing an important part of your business. We are all marketers for our businesses. We are all salespeople. Everything you do to promote your business is part of marketing. Each time you discuss your business is one more opportunity to market. One more chance to promote yourself.
While there are many components to business marketing, including advertising, three facets that should walk hand-in-hand are print marketing, a strong web presence and a social presence. Each has a specific purpose and particular strategies but what they all have in common is that they need to be done professionally in order to be most effective.
Print marketing covers the physical. It includes anything a business prints that identifies the company and/or the person. Business cards, pens, brochures and even signs and banners are examples of ways to market your business. Don’t underestimate the impact that a 3.5” x 2” business card can have on getting your business noticed. By handing out something that is uniquely you and thoughtfully designed and printed, you’re giving your business an opportunity to be noticed and remembered. Print marketing is only effective when it remains in the hands of your clients and prospects so yours should be impactful.
Web marketing covers the virtual. Having a professionally designed website that fits your company’s business model while respecting its style is important in maintaining brand identity while educating visitors on what they need to know about you and your business. Studies show that the majority of people use the Internet to search for businesses plus people who you meet through networking and within the community will often check your website before committing to patronize your business. What they see online will set the tone for how well you’ve represented yourself. While DIY websites may seem like a good bargain, they may not have the flexibility to give your business the necessities that will elevate you in the eyes of your website visitors. Much like print marketing, cookie cutter website templates make you look like everyone else rather than reflecting your own unique identity.
Social presence covers the personal. While you may think ‘social’ refers just to Social Media, it’s actually broader than that. The term “Social Media” is mostly associated with sites and Apps like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn but the ‘social’ part of that phrase also refers to other personal ways to connect such as networking. Internet Social Media is a highly effective way to communicate your business and build online relationships. By posting regularly to Social Media sites, you and your business will continuously remind your circle (and their circle) of your products and services. Live videos are a great way to showcase your company and help viewers learn more about you. Equally important are those you meet through social networking. More and more networking groups and functions pop up all the time. Finding the ones that work for you may take time but will ultimately create your social circle that will be an invaluable help in growing your business.
Treating these three marketing essentials cohesively is one of the most important business strategies you can have. Finding trusted professionals, each who specializes in their part of your marketing plan, will create that consistency that is so important in building and maintaining your brand.