The 3 rules of marketing for small businesses

More clients, more clients, more clients.  This seems to be a common mantra chanted over and over again by small business owners. And it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information and advice out there on how to get more clients.

However, my favourite character on TV – the meerkat – has the right idea.  Marketing is Simples!  And there are only 3 rules to follow to make sure you are able to attract more clients.

1.  Marketing is Fun

Many small business owners seem to speak about marketing their business with a grimace on their face.  They often associate the word “marketing” with “cold-calling” and “leaflet dropping”.

If these were the only ways to attract clients I think I would have given up a long time ago.

There are many, many ways to market yourself.  Just think about the dozens of ways you communicate with people on a week by week basis.  From phone calls to meeting people face-to-face.  From emails to popping a postcard in the letter box.

Why do the things that fill you with dread when you can choose between having a cup of coffee with someone to writing an article for your local newspaper.

Think about what you enjoy doing.  Do you like standing up and speaking in front of audience?  Do you enjoy writing articles or developing workshop programmes?  Do you prefer using the phone or like getting out and meeting people?

If you are not focusing on what you enjoy doing then marketing can be horrid.

Focus on what you love to do and that way marketing becomes fun; something that you look forward to doing.

2.  Marketing happens each and every day

Marketing is about communicating with potential customers and building relationships with them so that, at some point in the future, they purchase from you (preferably several times) and go on and tell others about what you do.

Marketing is not something that you have a blast at for a couple of days one week and then don’t bother for the rest of the month.

Marketing needs to – and should – happen each and every day of your working life.  Every time you send an email think about what you are communicating about.  Can you include a link to one of your products or programmes at the bottom of your email signature?

Every time you meet someone think about how you follow up. Can you send them something in the post that may be useful to them and help them remember you and what you do?

Marketing happens every time you speak about your business, email someone about your business and write about your business.

3.  Marketing is doing more of less

One of the biggest reasons that most small business owners end up hating marketing is that they flit from one thing to the next.

Too many people end up placing an advert in their local newspaper, submit a few articles online, turn up to a dozen or so networking events, make 20 cold calls and send out a direct mailing to a database they just bought.

And after 3 weeks then declare none of it works!

If it far more effective and far easier to pick just two or three marketing activities to do each and every day for several months AND then always measure the results.

The repeated actions also help make marketing part of the way you communicate so that the process becomes a subconscious one.  The marketing process can be so natural that neither you nor your prospect client actually thinks of it as marketing.  It just helps build that relationship.  When this happens, it is time to start with the next one and then the next.

So remember:  Less is more if it is done each and every day with a smile on your face.

Other articles you may be interested in:

1. Why niche marketing works for small businesses
2. Do Small Businesses Really Have Time For Marketing?
3. Does the ease of using the internet mean that we can stop the harder face-to-face stuff?