How to Market Your Small to Medium Size Business
Marketing is how you create messaging and campaigns that stick. There are three key ingredients that make up the marketing trifecta: the messages, the masses, and the mediums. Those ingredients are the difference between a successful and a failed marketing campaign.
When you send the right messages to the right masses through the right mediums, and you know how to accurately measure your results, you’ll find yourself with consumers who are not just purchasing your products but becoming raving fans!
Key Ingredient 1: Messages
You need to have seven different types of messages in order for your product or brand to become top of mind! And you want your messages to help people truly understand who you are, what you do, and why they want your product rather than anyone else’s.
Many business owners consider their messages to be just a description of their benefits and services, but what people are really interested in is results. So focus your messages on the results people get by using your product or service. You’ll find that your messages will reach your target market in more powerful ways.
Key Ingredient 2: Masses
I’m sure that you know who your target market is. But how can you tweak your masses in your target market for greater results? Start by going down one step further to what we call a niche. I'm a fan of creating a niche (or multiple niches) that works within your general target market.
I do work with entrepreneurs and small businesses. I tailor my messaging for each niche because I want them to feel connected and that I truly understand who they are. If you are marketing to everyone, you will reach no one. So make sure that you're looking at your target market, creating different niches, and telling the right stories so you can connect with them in a specific way.
Key Ingredient 3: Mediums
One of the challenges that I give all my clients large and small is to consider five new mediums in the next 12 months. Whether they run them simultaneously, or stagger them, I want my clients to consider different ways to share their business.
In part that’s because I want clients to look beyond social media. I see companies, especially small businesses, look at social media as a quick fix or a free option, but they then spend so much time and effort on social media. It can be paralyzing! Especially because algorithms work in favor of the consumer, not in favor of the business.
I love balancing traditional and emerging strategies that can help share messages in bigger ways. So as you consider the marketing trifecta, what different mediums can you use? Many people will just do one medium and consider it a marketing campaign. But the reality is, you reach people with multiple messages in multiple mediums and that’s why you should put your marketing dollars in a variety of places.
How do you measure your results?
When I talk about using the three Ms together- the messages, the mediums and the masses- I also tell people that you have to make money. You should be spending about four to 10% of your annual income (or what you want your annual income to be) on your marketing efforts. And in order for your marketing investment to work, you need to measure your results.
Track your success and which mediums are working for you. Look at the last 12 months and then look ahead 12 months and see how you can tweak your current marketing efforts to bring you greater results.
As you evaluate what works and what doesn't, give yourself the permission to use some of the same mediums, but just tweak the messages or target a different market, or consider new messages in different mediums.
If you apply all three key ingredients together, you'll find that you have greater control over something that feels out of your control. You can powerfully and effectively market your business to those who love you and will rave about you.
If you’d like to go deeper on marketing strategy for your business, consider the Marketing Blueprint Workshop, offered live and virtually to help you make a 12 month marketing strategy.
I help you create your content structure for 12 months and help you integrate your messages into the right mediums like social media and even traditional outlets. Learn more about this course here.
To learn more about how you should be marketing your small to medium size business, subscribe to my YouTube channel.