Erin Martin of Dallas, Texas, has more than a decade of experience helping small businesses grow through cost-effective marketing strategies and tactics. She has created and implemented programs in public relations, demand generation, customer affairs, trade show management and collateral materials.
What is marketing and why do I need to know about it?
Marketing is how a business creates opportunities for itself, how it gets interest going in the business, generating leads, visibility and revenue.
What are some basics of marketing a small startup business?
Thinking of people who maybe have cottage industry kind of businesses. My own experience recently has been painting rugs, and people have been saying, "You ought to be selling these things." The most important thing is referrals. I've made things for friends, and I've told them, "Listen, if someone's interested in this, I'd appreciate it if you referred them to me."
On more general terms, public relations is probably more effective than advertising because it's going to lend you more credibility.
How can I find out more about the people who are likely to be my customers?
You may have already had some customers, and you should already have an idea of who's attracted to what you have to offer. Profile those individuals and work on ways to start communicating with them. If you're a graphic designer and you work with ad agencies, spend some time researching all the other agencies in your geographic area and start reaching out to them with letters and followup. If you're a house painter, you want to profile who your best customers are and find more like them. So if you've had six friends that are interested, find out what neighborhoods they live in, find places that don't have as many house painters or where people are working long hours and don't have time or interest to do this themselves.
If my product costs less than the competition, that's good, right?
It depends on why people are buying what you have to sell. Knowing who your customers are already, even a sole proprietor can ask, "Why are you buying from me?" In the past when I've worked for companies, I've found that often people aren't buying because of price, they're buying for convenience. If you're in the right place at the right time, they might just like the kind of work you're doing. Position your offerings in such a way that it's easier for them to find you and do business with you, and so that it's easier to make a decision about working with you.
What are some inexpensive ways to do market research?
Go to the library and find directories of the kinds of companies you want to target. Your local library will have directories of various kinds. With the Hoovers' directory ($35/month) you can build mailing lists. Different levels of subscription are available.
How can I get the most for my limited advertising budget?
I would, if you've got money, find a PR person. You can usually find one through a referral or a friend. Someone who can pitch your story to the media. It's actually a much better investment, something you can use for your business for the future. Stick the story up on your wall or send it out with your marketing materials.
What are some common marketing mistakes made by small businesses?
Thinking that if they spend a lot of money on ads, it's going to produce results for them. Failing to track how they're getting new business. Not using the Internet to promote your business. You want to create a Web site and find ways to draw people to your site. Google and Yahoo keyword advertising tends to be a really good use of marketing money.
What are some ways to let the world know my business is open?
It depends on what kind of business you've got. I tend to be in favor of integrated marketing programs. Let's say you're going to launch your business in September. In July you should be finding someone to help you with PR, creating some kind of event to launch your new business. Ideally you would want all your activities to culminate with some kind of physical event to start building a community around what you're offering.
When should I call a marketing professional?
I don't think the vast majority of small businesses really need much more than someone to help with PR and maybe advertising once your PR starts to pay off. When you need that kind of support is when you start to realize you're spending most of your time on marketing and you don't have enough time to do the part of the business you really enjoy.
I think marketing is a lot easier and less mysterious than people imagine. It's not rocket science. In order for it to be successful you have to have some kind of resource dedicated to it. You need to set aside time or bring someone in to do it. You've got to have a continuous resource, either yourself or hire someone. Consistency is what works.
