HOW TO GET MORE BANG-FOR-BUCK FROM YOUR MARKETING BUDGET
Is your branding consistent?
Branding is an extremely important aspect of any small businesses marketing. It’s especially important now, with the popularity of Google Searching and social media for products and services - 93% of shoppers’ buying decisions are influenced by social media! Crazy hey!
So what is branding?
It is the image you create for your business services or products with your target audience in mind. It involves the name, imagery, fonts, colours and messages you use. It should communicate your point of difference in comparison to your competitors and your customer's experiences should strengthen this point of difference. Everything should tie together to make sure your branding is consistent across all customer experiences. So, no, branding is not just using your logo and a list of services. This is just not enough anymore. By the way, “FREE QUOTE” is one of the worse selling points ever!!
What are your customer’s pain points?
What are the problems (pain points) that you can solve for your customers? Pain points make very attractive messages for marketing. For example, a plumber in Sydney listed out the top 10 problems that people have with plumbers and then addressed each one in his marketing, giving a guarantee that he will deliver on his word or the job is free! That business has turned into one of the most lucrative plumbing businesses ever!
Make a list of all your touch points
Touch points are all the ways your customers have contact with you. You should break up the touch points into before, during and after purchase to get clarity on when and how they have contact with you. Here are some examples:
BEFORE PURCHASE - Social media, review and ratings, testimonials, Google Adwords, Google organic search, radio advertising, billboard and bus advertising, magazine and newspaper advertising, press releases / articles, flyers and business cards etc.
DURING PURCHASE - Online store, physical store, staff or sales team, website, catalogue, promotions, phone system, point of sale and landing pages etc.
AFTER PURCHASE - Invoice, transaction emails, marketing emails / newsletters, service and support teams, online help, follow-ups and thank you cards etc.
Make a list of your business touch points and analyse how you present your business at each of these points – are your brand messages, graphics and personality consistent? Are they communicating your unique selling proposition (what sets you apart from your competitors and why your current clients keep coming back)?
Make your marketing budget stretch further
Small to medium local businesses don’t have copious amounts of money to throw at advertising and marketing so get more bang-for-your-buck by getting your designs right the first time. Whether its’ business cards, flyers or documents, it will cost you the same for printing regardless of what the design includes. With better branding, messaging and calls-to-action you can generate more work for the same printing costs.
