Small Business Marketing Toolkit

Susan PrinceJanuary 8, 2014

The Big Picture

Marketing creates the sales opportunity

Marketing is the act of attracting customers to your business.

Without customers, you have no business and without marketing you have no customers.

Sales Opportunity

Your Company

What do you do? What problem do you

solve?

The Customer

What do they need? Who has these

problems?

You’ve got

solutions

Customers have

problems

Successful marketing requires a strong foundation

4 Simple Steps:1. Know thyself - what problems do you solve

2. Understand your customers – who has these problems

3. Combine steps 1 and 2 to develop strong marketing tools

4.Choose the right tactics to create the sales opportunity

Four Steps to Marketing like a Pro

Know ThyselfUnderstand

who your Customers are

Build your marketing

toolkit

Get the word out

What do you really do?

Not as straight-forward as you think

More than what line of business you’re in

Not just a list of your products/services

Focus on What Your Customers are Thinking About

People are self-centered and mostly want to know “What’s in it for ME?”

Stop talking about what you do and instead show them how you’ll solve their problems

What Problem or Need does your Business Solve?

Examples:

You aren’t a financial advisor

You help people gain control over their

finances

You aren’t a graphic designer

You help people communicate what

their business does

Especially important for service businesses

Focus on What Sets You Apart

Highlight what makes your solution special

Why are you better/different from your competition?

Why would someone choose you?

Four Steps to Marketing like a Pro

Know ThyselfUnderstand

who your Customers are

Figure out what you want

to say

Get the word out

Who is Your Target Market?

The people who have the problems you solve Can be more than one group, but saying

“everyone” is not an acceptable answer. You must have at least one specific target

market

Define your Target MarketBe specific – each target market needs to be:

Measurable

Sizeable

Reachable

Understand each Segment

What are their problems? Do they know they have a problem? How do they make their decisions? What’s important to them? What’s the

primary motivation for buying this product/service?

Where do they go for information?

Four Steps to Marketing like a Pro

Know ThyselfUnderstand

who your Customers are

Build your marketing

toolkit

Get the word out

Building Blocks to a Better Toolkit

Branding and Messaging Essentials Checklist Mission/Vision Statement – where you’re going as a company Strategy – how you’re going to get there (who you are going to

go after and why) Positioning Statement – what makes you unique Brand Personality – Logo/Look and Feel/Tone Tagline Elevator Pitch Key Messages tailored by audience About Us Boilerplate Services/Product Description and Benefits Statements

Marketing Tools Must have:

Properly Optimized Website Business Cards Customer Database

As needed and as budget allows:Email Template

Product Catalog/Folder

Case Studies/Portfolio

Brochure

Media Kit

Video

PowerPoint Presentation

White Papers

Blog

Online Advertising

Print Advertising

Tradeshow Booth

Promotional Items

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

LinkedIn

Four Steps to Marketing like a Pro

Know ThyselfUnderstand

who your Customers are

Figure out what you want

to say

Get the word out

Before you start

Set some goals Concrete and measurable (either in dollars or number of

units sold) Will it be a stretch to reach? It should be. You need a timeframe to reach these goals

Create a Budget Plan to spend a percentage of sales on marketing Don’t be afraid to invest in marketing,

but continually evaluate and adjust

How to reach your customers – Use your tools There is no magic formula – you

have to know your customers and where they go for information

Try different things to see what works best

Track response rates

Referrals/Loyalty programs Internet Social Media Publicity (PR) Promotional Events Tradeshows Database marketing

Direct Mail Email

Other options: Networking opportunities Public speaking Writing/publishing

Advertising

Time vs. Money

Cost/Contact Time

Social Media Free High

Referrals Low Low

Web Presence Medium Medium

Database Marketing Medium Medium

Tradeshows High High

PR Low Medium

Promotional Events Medium Medium

Advertising High Low

Think about where you want to spend your time and money

Develop a Plan and Measure the Results Decide which tactics you’re going to use Make a commitment to market your business Everyone should be doing the following:

Social media Don’t have to do every platform, just what makes

sense for your business Touching their customers on at least a quarterly

basis (email, postcards, visits/phone calls) Continue to build your network

Review results every 6 months

Congratulations!

You just now know everything to market like a Pro!

These are all the components of a thorough marketing plan…

Follow-up

Feel free to contact me if you have more questions.

Susan Prince

President

Cadence Marketing

22 W. Jefferson St. #405

Rockville, MD 20850

www.cadencemarketing.com

301.340.2520

Follow me on Twitter @CadenceMarket

Like me on Facebook @Cadence Marketing