How do small businesses use marketing?

[jng88]

Hi all,

I am currently in the process of setting up a marketing agency for small businesses, offering a variety of services from copywriting to stategy at competitive prices.

To assist me in developing my service, I am interested in finding out how small businesses currently use marketing; in particular the following:

1. Where and how do you normally advertise?
2. How much do you spend, on average on marketing on a yearly or monthly basis?
3. Which marketing services do you need for your business (eg. social media page management, copywriting etc) and would you be willing to pay for?
4. How much would your monthly/yearly budget allow you to spend on marketing services?


Please feel free to PM me, and thank you for your help!

 

[Karimbo]

If you don't know that, you should not be providing your services for money.

 

[ethical PR]

Hi all,

I am currently in the process of setting up a marketing agency for small businesses, offering a variety of services from copywriting to stategy at competitive prices.

To assist me in developing my service, I am interested in finding out how small businesses currently use marketing; in particular the following:

1. Where and how do you normally advertise?
2. How much do you spend, on average on marketing on a yearly or monthly basis?
3. Which marketing services do you need for your business (eg. social media page management, copywriting etc) and would you be willing to pay for?
4. How much would your monthly/yearly budget allow you to spend on marketing services?

!

s

I presume you are starting up a marketing agency as you have senior level experience as a marketeer. As such you will know there is not a one size fits all approach when it comes to marketing.

Someone marketing a high end restaurant will market their services very differently to someone developing an app aimed at young people.

Having a handful of businesses answer your questions isn't going to help you develop your business.

If you want to know more about how smaller business market themselves you can get hold of reports for the small business market you want to specialise in.

You would be better using your marketing expertise to carry out market research to identify a niche and positioning and then marketing your services to your target audiences.

 

[ethical PR]

As someone who wants to start up their own marketing agency, you will know that there isn't a one size fits all when it comes to marketing.

A high end restaurant for example will market itself very different to a games app aimed at young people.

How will getting answers from a handful of disparate businesses help you develop your service?

Do what I would hope you would advise your clients if they want to develop a business. Carry out your market research based on the niche you want to specialise in backed up by wider market research reports you can buy in, target audience analysis and competitor research to develop your positioning and brand.

Once you have this in place you can develop your marketing plan.

 

[amac]

You'll find smb's do a mixture of online and offline marketing. The mix will depend on the market or type of business you're in. Econsultancy have lots of good research - some paid, some free - that will help you with your own research.

 

[StevePoster]

Well said by our kind members to give advises. As i stated from the other thread every site needs different optimization to perform well on the web. Online marketing is not only the medium to reach your potential clients but also offline marketing. As a small business to start define your specialties regarding your site's services the target your audience specifically.

 

[JonV6]

As a small business owner I advertise almost exclusively online using a mixture of SEO and PPC. I do this all myself and have taught myself in my spare time. I see this type of marketing as a real investment in not only the present but also future success of my company. I wouldn't say the same about other forms of marketing.

 

[TheTankard]

Have you identified your target market? If you have, I recommend a service called MailPad - you essentially search by keyword (e.g. small business, startup, founder), and then you're given a list of relevant contacts from Twitter, LinkedIn and GitHub. You can then directly email these people on MailPad, which is pretty cool.

I'm working with the founder on helping him establish his launch (they're currently in a closed beta), and it's a sweet tool. You can join the subscribers list to get 20% off your first month and to be notified of launch.

Can't type the link in here but if you're interested feel free to PM me or Google 'GetMailPad'.

Good luck

 

[Spider Aerial Filming]

In my honest opinion. This day in age, a small business can manage their own marketing for the first segment of growth. Once the company reaches sustained growth patterns and progressive development, it should then take the external marketing step.

I hope the best for you endeavour and hope you can offer more than what we've experienced the small business marketing sector has to offer.

 

[Textlocal]

Hi jng88, We work with an array of small businesses, from a vast range of business sectors. They use text messaging to communicate with their customers, building customer loyalty, promoting products, services and special offers and also capturing info about their customers. These are just a handful of examples of uses of mobile messaging by small businesses. Feel free to get in touch if you'd like to know more. Thanks, Jemma

 

[AllUpHere]

In my honest opinion. This day in age, a small business can manage their own marketing for the first segment of growth. Once the company reaches sustained growth patterns and progressive development, it should then take the external marketing step.

I hope the best for you endeavour and hope you can offer more than what we've experienced the small business marketing sector has to offer.

Predictably (as I make a living from giving small businesses initial marketing guidance) I look at the use of professional marketing advice from the other angle.

Whilst I do appreciate that the majority of small businesses should be doing their own marketing rather than paying someone to do it, they will have much better results doing it themselves, if they base their efforts on some initial professional guidance. If they do this they will also be able to carry out their marketing in house for longer too.

There are very few small businesses that couldn't have reduced their marketing costs (and increased it's effectiveness) by taking a couple of hours good advice in the early days of the business.

As mentioned above though, my opinion on this is hardly unbiased.

 

[InternetMarketingPlatinum]

Hi jng88, We work with an array of small businesses, from a vast range of business sectors. They use text messaging to communicate with their customers, building customer loyalty, promoting products, services and special offers and also capturing info about their customers. These are just a handful of examples of uses of mobile messaging by small businesses. Feel free to get in touch if you'd like to know more. Thanks, Jemma

Your customers would use SMS because that is what you provide but I'd be interested to hear what they use in conjunction with this...besides the obvious flyer shortcode restaurant options etc

 

[Karen Bennett]

We use a number of digital and traditional channels. I think it's important to have an integrated marketing strategy where you have your marketing message over a few channels. We use PPC, Google display ads, re-marketing, LinkedIn PPC, social media updates, content creation, forums and discussions. They would be the main ones but I'm always looking for new ways to reach our audiences. Budget, depends on what I get in return. So many advertising companies ask me for my budget then to tell me they'll work a package around it, which is crazy. I want to know the prices and then I'll decide what will give me the best ROI.

 

[Textlocal]

Your customers would use SMS because that is what you provide but I'd be interested to hear what they use in conjunction with this...besides the obvious flyer shortcode restaurant options etc

The beauty of mobile messaging is that it complements a range of marketing channels, for a vast array of businesses. As you mentioned, SMS can be used in conjunction with flyers, but mobile messaging also provides a call to action on email, via advertising space on a range of outdoor options such as bus stops, A boards, vehicle livery etc. Online, via DM, using social media at events, via radio and perimeter advertising. In addition, our customers use our surveys and forms tool to capture customer data, to build, maintain or segment a database. Our customers use our attachments tool to attach price lists, menus, supporting documents etc to SMS and they are also building customer loyalty via our vouchers and mobile tickets tools. The list of opportunities truly is endless and as we offer a small business friendly PAYG service, it is easy to determine the most appropriate use for each business type. Let me know if you'd like a call to discuss the possibilities in more depth and I can offer you some free credits to have a play with the options available.

Thanks, Jemma.

 

[businessfunding]

In my honest opinion. This day in age, a small business can manage their own marketing for the first segment of growth. Once the company reaches sustained growth patterns and progressive development, it should then take the external marketing step.

I hope the best for you endeavour and hope you can offer more than what we've experienced the small business marketing sector has to offer.

I think most - potentially all - small businesses could benefit from grass - roots understanding of what marketing actually is - since in nearly every case it gets confused with promotion.

Hence every thread, like this one, becomes bombarded by people trying to push their medium and their service, rather than advocating the process which start well before you put anything out to prospects.

 

[Karen Bennett]

Hi Jemma, will you private message me about the mobile marketing. I definitely won't have time to look at it before Xmas but if we could have a call early January?

 

[Textlocal]

Hi Jemma, will you private message me about the mobile marketing. I definitely won't have time to look at it before Xmas but if we could have a call early January?[/QUOTE

Hi Jemma, will you private message me about the mobile marketing. I definitely won't have time to look at it before Xmas but if we could have a call early January?

Hi Karen, I have PM'd you. Thanks, Jemma

 

[Karen Bennett]

Thanks Jemma, sent you my number but leave it until Jan please.

 

[HazelC]

1. Where and how do you normally advertise? - Social Media (Twitter, FB, LinkedIn and G+), local magazines, at networking events, via newsletters and email marketing
2. How much do you spend, on average on marketing on a yearly or monthly basis? - varies as only in 2nd year
3. Which marketing services do you need for your business (eg. social media page management, copywriting etc) and would you be willing to pay for? nope - I supply these services so nope, not needed
4. How much would your monthly/yearly budget allow you to spend on marketing services? 50% goes on marketing

 

[Textlocal]

Thanks Jemma, sent you my number but leave it until Jan please.

No problem - I've popped it in the calendar. Have a very merry Christmas and a great New Year.