Member Article

Top ten tips for marketing your business

Nik Entwistle, Managing Director of integrated communications agency Turn Key, gives us his top ten tips on marketing your business.

1. Have a plan. It may sound like an obvious point but many businesses simply start their marketing activity without a plan or strategy. Creating a plan with clear objectives drives your marketing activity, ensures all elements work effectively together and will ultimately result in greater success.

2. Become the number one expert in your business. Studying your industry, competition and clients will help you learn how potential clients think – this will make it easier to connect with them and sell your service.

3. Do your research. This is one of the most important elements in the planning process and covers many areas. Correctly identifying your target audience is a key consideration; finding out where and how they are influenced will highlight the best communication channels to use.

4. Keep it simple. Market your business as clearly and concisely as possible – not everyone understands industry jargon or wants to read a novel. Outline your main service or product and explain the details later. Don’t over complicate things.

5. Build your reputation. There’s not always a quick fix to securing new clients, so building your businesses reputation is just as important as marketing. PR activity will create awareness, raise your profile and help you become a trusted brand.

6. Step out of your comfort zone. It may be that you feel uncomfortable going to networking events, don’t like pitching for new business or feel uneasy about sending out direct mail. However, it is vital to explore different types of marketing. It’s not easy, but try and step out of your comfort zone and carry out one piece of this activity every week – it will become second nature in no time.

7. Gather honest feedback. Sometimes it’s hard to see weaknesses with your business because you’re too close to it. So whether it’s through market research or client surveys, finding out how you are perceived by others will help identify where you need to focus your marketing activity.

8. Put yourself in customers’ shoes. Think about marketing that has worked on you and what has turned you off. Maybe you loved a clever piece of direct mail or you get irritated by cold callers. If you hate it, it’s likely that others do too so steer clear with your business.

9. Never stop marketing! Most businesses launch with lots of activity and then slow down or stop when work comes in and they get busy. This is a dangerous risk, because if business drops off, and in most cases it does, it can be tough to get going again. Stay front of mind with a constant drip feed of activity.

10. Employ an expert. Many businesses don’t have the time, resources or expertise to execute an effective marketing programme. In this situation, by far the best option is to hire an agency of experts to consult on, create and implement a successful communications and marketing campaign.

To find out more visit www.turn-key.co

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Turn Key .