Page 11 - Home Business - Fall 2018

Pocket-Friendly Marketing Plan
MARKETING & SALES

Successfully Advertise Your Home Business on a
$5,000 Budget

By Philip Piletic
he beginning of a business adventure can ■ Contact information
be exciting. It all starts with an idea and a ■ Physical and web locations
Tdream, but turning that dream into a real-
■ Map and driving directions
ity takes solid planning. To make your business
■ Your uniqueness
a success, you need to develop the marketing
strategy that is right for you. If you do not have a website, you are missing
out on the cheap way to give your customers
You may think that you need to have a large
basic information about your business, but you
amount of capital upfront to develop a
are also missing out on something else. You
successful marketing plan, but with technology
are missing out on the opportunity to connect
such as the Internet and social media, building
with your customers and give them important
a successful marketing plan is no longer a Produce unique video content to
information about why your product or service
monumental task. Th ere are many marketing engage website visitors.
is unique, and how you are diff erent than your
avenues for building a successful business,
competition. Getting your fi rst client through
many of which are low-cost or even free to your customers updated about your products
your blog is the fi rst major hurdle that you have
integrate. Let’s say that you only have $5,000 and services, and to connect with them through
to overcome when starting out.
to spend and you want to get the most out special sales campaigns or newsletters.
of your marketing budget. What are the best One of the best tips for running a successful
ways to spend it so that you get the most from “Giving something email campaign is to make your messages
your eff orts? personal, rather than using a mass-marketing
away for free can often
Know Your Customers approach. Gone are the days when you can send
Many smaller entrepreneurs think that if you have big returns when out a message full of hype and hyperbole with
have a great product and you put it out there the expectation that it will increase sales. In
that it will automatically sell. Th is is the biggest it comes to attracting fact, this type of message can harm your brand
mistake that most small businesses make. You and your future sales by making you sound like
need to not only let people know about your attention. ” everybody’s used car salesman.
product and how it can help them, you also
Now, low-cost email programs can help you get
need to build long-term relationships to keep
Social Media Works the most from your advertising dollars. Th ey
them coming back. Building relationships with
If you do not understand the importance of allow you to handle the task quickly and easily
your customers has a lifetime impact on the
social media in a marketing campaign, it is through creating groups, special lists and pre-
bottom line not only through more business
possible that you may have been living in a scheduling your email campaign.
from the same client, but from word-of-mouth
cave for the past several decades. In today’s
advertising, which is the best free advertising Stand Out from the Crowd
marketing mix, social media is king. Platforms
because it is based on trust. In a crowded marketplace, developing a
such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can
gimmick can help you attract attention. Th ese
Th e fi rst step to any successful campaign is help you reach customers through sharing what strategies can include special promotions,
to do market research about your customers you post about your business.
holiday advertising campaigns and anything
and your competition. You need to know what
Social media not only allows you to get free that creates buzz. Giving something away for
your clients want and what media channels will
exposure when people share your post; it free can oft en have big returns when it comes
reach them best. You also need to know about
also allows you to build a personality for your to attracting attention. Another popular idea is
your competitors’ products and how they reach
business that is truly unique. Creating social fi nding a cause that means something to your
their customer base.
media goals is the key to getting the most customers and donating a portion of your sales
Website Essentials value from your social media strategy. Social to it. People like to win prizes and free stuff .
In today’s world, having a website or blog is the media is one of the most important resources Don’t Forget Local
new business card. If you don’t have a website, for reaching your target market at a cost that is In the world of the World Wide Web, sometimes
you automatically lose credibility as a legitimate budget-friendly.
free local opportunities for advertising are
business. You also lose out on an important way
Email Marketing Campaign overlooked. Even though it seems as if the
to reach your customers with information such
In the world of social media, many people forget Internet has taken over the advertising world,
as your:
that email campaigns still play an important it is important not to ignore your local market.
■ Products and services role in providing free or low-cost advertising A recurring ad in a local publication can be an
■ Hours of operation opportunities. Email is a great way to keep excellent choice.
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