Marketing is such a general term so how do you know exactly how to market your business? It comes down to some basic concepts and lessons that can be applied to all companies no matter what their size or their age.

1. Just Get Started

One of the hardest steps for anyone is pulling the trigger. Most business owners tend to want everything perfect, including their website and its content. It is far better to have a good, basic, professional website that may have a few spelling mistakes than a website that looks grammatically correct but does not hit the right mark.

Your website should not look sloppy, but it will always be a work in progress. Your business will continue to grow and change, and so will SEO algorithms (the way search engines search your site)…so should your website.

Bottom line: Waiting for your website to be perfect will cause you to miss the boat. Having an unprofessional one will sink it.

2. Build a Recognizable Brand

The goal is to create an image and feeling that consumers will remember every time they need to solve a well-defined problem. Need new sneakers? Look for that familiar Nike Swoosh. Need a new computer? There is that Apple logo. Hungry? The Golden Arches are waiting for you.

While these are internationally known symbols, your business should still have a logo and branding that your target audience associates only with you and represents your business’ services, products, and the characteristics that set your business apart from all the others.

Bottom line: It’s imperative that your brand is not only clear but memorable to your target market.

3. Start Small and See What Works

A big mistake several companies make is to dump a large amount of money into one type of advertising without testing the market. Perhaps organic (unpaid) marketing will be your biggest marketing tool, but you have already spent $10,000 monthly on Google Ads. There are multiple options out there. Don’t go all-in on one until you see that truly works.

Not all marketing streams work or are available for all businesses. For example, if you have a weight loss company, you are able to promote physical fitness on social media, but you may not advertise specific weight loss products. You cannot place a vertical ad on Amazon if you have a winery or brewery. If you sell CBD oil and some related products, you cannot place a Google Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad.

Bottom line: Try not put all your eggs in one basket. Start small and build on the techniques that work the best for you.

4. Move Fast and Be Creative

Again, waiting for perfection will leave you in the dust. Get moving and try a few things and you have a better chance of getting ahead of the crowd.

Take note of what your competitors are doing but, even more importantly, see what they are not doing. Look at other businesses, even if they are not related to your products or services. Their techniques may open new doors for your business.

Bottom line: Move quickly before someone else takes the spot.

5. Make It As Easy As Possible to Buy From You

Make your content concise and easy to read. Consider using accordion text or other methods if you must include details so you don’t overwhelm your viewer.

Add clear Call-To-Action (CTAs) on every page of your website, even multiple buttons if your page has sections of content.

Give as many payment options as possible. Allow your customer or client to pay with credit or debit cards, Paypal, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay,., Google Pay, Venmo, checks, or even cash on delivery if it works with your business model. You don’t want to discount anyone that is more comfortable a particular way of payment.

Bottom line: Don’t make your customers frustrated by a hard-to-find CTA or lack of ways to pay.

6. Be Consistent

Being consistent ties in with your branding. Marketing with core messages, visual branding, and other brand elements repeatedly can help to solidify brand recognition. Changing your message or trying to be too many things at once will only confuse your customers.

What if you add a new line of products or services or change the entire look? This can be used to your advantage without losing a loyal customer base when done correctly. Make an announcement of your change but emphasize what stays the same:

• Providing a consistent customer experience fosters trust and confidence

• Emphasize that your core values have not changed and demonstrate how that is true

• Continue to explain how your business cannot only solve a problem but exactly how it stands out from the competition

Bottom line: Consistency breeds familiarity, which then breeds trust.

7. Prove Your Expertise

There is nothing worse than a website full of blurry photos or an ad that does not have a clear message. Customers will immediately see the correlation between your lack of effort in your marketing to lack of effort in your service.

Only display your best images and ensure they are clear and easy to see. If you can, hire a professional photographer. If need be, take out all your bad images or use professional quality, royalty-free images (making it clear that this is only a representation of your work).

Ensure that your content is correct and it proves that you are knowledgeable and dependable. Adding new quality content on a consistent basis shows a commitment to your business and your customers.

Bottom line: Show your professionalism every chance you get.

8. Don’t Be Afraid to Learn from Your Mistakes

Everyone makes them. The key is to find out how and why you failed.

Did you spend money on a marketing technique and received no results? Take a better look at your target market. Do they spend time on that particular social media platform? What are the normal spending habits for these viewers?

If your target market is there but did not respond to your ad, is there a problem with the ad itself? Is it clear about the problem that you can solve? Does it invoke trust and confidence in your product or service?

Bottom line: Making mistakes is not bad. Not learning from them is.

9. Network

There is so much to learn from networking with others. Whether it is a formal weekly group or an informal gathering at the local coffee shop, you can always learn from other business owners even if their business is drastically different than yours. In fact, those are the business owners that may be the best to talk to as they may introduce you to a new way to market that you may be able to adapt to your own business.

Networking opportunities can be found at your local Chamber of Commerce, formal networking groups like BNI, or in-person networking events. More of an online networker? Check out Facebook networking groups, LinkedIn, and others.

Bottom line: Every person you talk to is an opportunity to learn.

10. Hire Someone Who Knows What They are Doing

This is one of the smartest things any business owner can do. Yes, it is important to learn from your mistakes but what if you hire someone that already learned from those mistakes? How much time and money will you save in the long run? How much faster will your business grow?

The key to hiring professionals is to thoroughly check their experiences and references. Were they successful at least twice doing what you need (as once could be considered lucky)? Do you trust the opinions of the reviewers? Do your due diligence and beware of the “good talkers”. See the evidence for yourself.

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