In a world where over a third of small businesses still do not have a website, it is important to get ahead where you can. Having good marketing tactics is one area that can help a lot, and you might sometimes think of something you can do to boost this. So, how can you tell if your small business marketing idea holds water or if it is doomed to fail?
This article will run through many of the steps you can take to check your idea and see if it is likely to boost your profile. Consider it a checklist to ensure you do not waste your time, and if you do not tick off any points, it’s time to head back to the drawing board.
Does It Match Your Target Audience?
Make sure that you understand who your target audience is. Have details related to their demographics and interests, so that you can compare who you aim at with people who are likely to want your product.
When you analyze your marketing tactics and compare them to your customer base, ensure that your customers need what you promote. If they do not, you may find yourself wasting your time. It would instead be a much better idea to investigate what problems they have so that you can consider solutions your business can provide.
Have You Done the Market Research?
Even if you have a definable target audience, you need to know if this group is large enough to be worth your effort. Make sure to conduct surveys before attempting customer acquisition, so you can learn about your market size. You can then focus your idea on specific groups who have an interest in your offering, rather than people who would not pay attention.
Sometimes marketing ideas for small businesses are great in theory, but in-fact match older trends. As such, make sure to follow changes in the culture surrounding your industry, both in terms of companies and their customers. You can then pivot toward more recent shifts in customer behavior to ensure you do not waste your marketing budget.
Does It Boost You Over Your Competitors?
Consider whether your marketing idea promotes you as an industry leader ahead of your competitors. Make sure it shows off both how you are competitive compared to them, as well as how your product solves problems theirs does not.
Promoting yourself in this way can differentiate you in the marketplace. It even allows you to price yourself higher as you provide a service they cannot find anywhere else.
Chances are high you have areas you excel at. By researching your competition, you can find which of these you do better and focus more on those. In general, your marketing idea should show you as in a much better position than others in your industry.
Does It Use the Correct Channels?
Using the market research you concluded earlier, work out what platforms your customers are most likely to use. Then, focus on these to ensure your potential audience is most receptive to what you have to say. If your marketing idea does not match this method of reaching out, you might want to rethink what you wanted to do.
You could even use several channels of communication to ensure as many people as possible see it. These could include social media, search engine marketing, and emails. However you do it, though, make sure you divide your resources in a way that matches the audience size in each channel.
Do You Have a USP?
Your unique selling point (USP) is the benefit to your customers that makes your company unique compared to others. Whereas above we discuss how you might excel in business, this focuses on a different area. It shows how your products or services place you head and shoulders above others.
Your marketing idea should focus on this aspect of your product, showing off how it ensures satisfaction. If your communication does not focus on, or at least mention, this feature, you will find that people will start asking, “So what?”
Do You Have SMART Targets?
You need a way to ensure any marketing idea is trackable. By using SMART targets, you create a set of parameters with which to measure how well the idea is continuing.
If you do not create SMART goals, you will only ever be able to guess whether your concept worked. Others can even use marketing to suggest you do not know what you are doing unless you can prove it with data from SMART objectives.
Another benefit of SMART aims is that they are time-bound (the “T”). This ensures you do not spend too long on a specific path before changing your plan if it is not going as you expect it to.
If It Doesn’t Work How Do You Iterate?
After you have ended a cycle of work in this form of marketing, you should analyze the key performance indicators (KPIs) you planned ahead of time. Make sure to gather data that will show you whether your idea succeeded. This could include:
- Seeking customer feedback
- Engaging in A/B testing
- Performing detailed UX tests
Once you have the information related to your marketing idea, you can look at this data to learn where you are succeeding and failing. You should then adapt the idea, focusing on ensuring you hit targets related to funnel acquisition or customer conversion. Do not only do this once but instead iterate several times over the lifetime of your marketing to ensure you get the best out of it.
Ensure Your Small Business Marketing Idea Works
You should now have a much better clue of if your small business marketing idea will sink or swim. Though, there is always so much you can investigate, and you only have so much time to spare. This is where we can help.
We are experts in the world of digital marketing and can help you boost your image online and off. So, get in contact to find out what we can do for you to bring you ahead of your competitors.
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