In their most recent fact sheet, the Small Business Administration (SBA) counts more than 28 million small businesses in the US. That’s a lot of background noise in the marketing world with companies trying to rise to the top, get noticed, make the sale, close the deal. Does this mean your marketing budget needs to be the biggest and baddest just to be a player and compete in your industry? NO! The key is to be smart with your marketing dollars. Here are four tips to help you stretch your budget and maximize your momentum.
1. Maximize your momentum via your website. Your website is the gateway to your company and one of your most vital marketing tools. There are countless options for building professional sites and thousands of templates should you need to be your own webmaster. Hosting packages have reasonable monthly fees and most have unlimited email addresses. But don’t stop with just building a beautiful site – optimize it, refresh the content often and use it as the hub for all of your digital outreach. (Get more do-it-yourself pointers on The Marketing Mojo Show’s Webmaster by Default episode on Wednesday, August 20 at 1:00 pm ET.)
2. Maximize your momentum via your content marketing. Start or jumpstart your blog. Establish a YouTube channel. Share original graphics. Distribute an e-newsletter. Generate white papers. All of these things keep you relevant, current and solidify your stance as an expert. Kristi Hines, a professional blogger and social media strategist has more to say about it here:
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3. Maximize your momentum via your social media. Post, tweet and like your way into your customers’ and potential customers’ daily or weekly routines. Your business model and goals will help determine which social platforms would work best. For example a B2B company might have a different strategy than one focused on B2C. Raymon Ray, author of The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing gives his thoughts about it here:
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4. Maximize your momentum via consistent messaging. This is a priceless marketing must that comes with no price tag at all. Think about every move you make, big or small, and make sure the message, intent and outcome is true to who you are and in sync with your vision and goals. This is critical for your brand and image.
Budget for your marketing and stretch your dollars with these low-cost, high-impact items.
The first person to email me here will get a free copy of The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing by Ramon Ray.
Leisa Chester Weir
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