Just because you’ve a small business and no huge marketing budget, that doesn’t mean having a well thought out marketing strategy is optional.
I think of strategy as the overall plan of how you’re getting from here to there. If you’re climbing a mountain, you’d better have a route layed out or you’re not likely to reach the top.
So it is with marketing.
It starts with knowing where you’re at. Where is your business coming from? What are your strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities (known as SWOT)?
And where are you trying to get to? A realistic medium range goal (say a year, at most two into the future) works well for me.
What are your capabilities and resources to get something done?
Work out a plan, get it down in writing. Put it aside for a few days and look at it again. Have marketing-savvy friends look at it and offer suggestions.
Finalize it, put it into action. Take a look at it every week or month and make sure you are making progress on it.
Adjust it as needed. No strategy survives for a year or even six months without adjustment.
There are lots of ways to market. You maybe only need one or two pieces of the puzzle working well to take your business to the next level. But the wrong approach can be a complete wasted effort – time and money lost.
Think about it.