As a small business owner you’ve gone to great pains to identify the product or service you want to purvey.
You’ve done your research on location, you’ve put your management team in place, you’ve set up shop and you’re open for business.
[source: insidetucsonbusiness.com] The only thing is, no one else seems to know you’re there.
“It’s like having a party,” says Barbara McFadden, partner with McFadden Gavender in Tucson. “If you have a party you need to invite people. You need to give them a compelling reason to be there.”
This is the role that marketing plays in the business plan.
The challenge for small businesses is that marketing incorporates a lot of different avenues. Developing an effective plan requires an understanding of how the elements blend together to build your company’s brand and achieve your goals, be they sales, awareness or some other action. Determining the right budget, strategy and tactics can be overwhelming and expensive.
McFadden’s agency has worked with businesses of all shapes and sizes to help them find effective marketing strategies and tactics on even the thinnest of budgets. In today’s digital world, the possibilities are even greater as traditional and digital media offer innovative solutions to market companies.
“First, there is the strategy of your business,” McFadden says. “Then there’s the tactics of your business. Many business owners are great on the strategy, and not so much on the tactics.”
Tactics are used to build the awareness of the business and how it adds value to customers, she adds. “Awareness is the engine that drives your business.”
What is a small business owner to do if they don’t have an advertising budget? McFadden offers two low- to-no budget solutions that can have a powerful impact on building customers and driving sales. These include building a customer email database and connecting with at least one social media platform.