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If your business has plateaued, it can be frustrating to figure out how to get things growing again. Do you need to adjust prices? Figure out a new promotion? Add new services or products?
The answer may be easier than you think. It may simply be a matter of marketing your business a bit more effectively. If you try some new strategies, you’ll discover why marketing matters so much when you need to expand your business.
Here are some tips you can use to jumpstart your growth with marketing.
Outbound marketing is focused on sending your message out and getting in front of consumers while they’re doing something else. For example, an ad in the midst of a television show is outbound marketing. So are radio ads, social media ads, and banners on websites.
The idea of outbound marketing is to find something your target audience loves to do, and then interrupt them in the midst of that activity with your marketing message. You get their attention, but you don’t get it at the ideal time. Instead, you become a hassle, and with modern technology, your ads may be skipped entirely.
The best option to boost your growth is to switch to inbound marketing, where you attract attention through building interest in your products and services. People then seek out information about what you offer, often through Google. When you rank highly on Google search results through search engine optimization (SEO), you get ideal customers on your website at the exact time they’re most interested in buying your product.
Inbound marketing has a much better return on investment (ROI) than traditional advertising. You’ll spend less on your marketing and get more customers, making it a great way to grow.
One reason why marketing matters is that it’s a great way to educate your audience so that they’re more committed to buying your product or service. Despite their similarities, marketing and sales are not the same things.
Unfortunately, many small business owners make the mistake of only using marketing as a way to push a sales message. The truth is that most people who see your message aren’t ready to buy immediately, so if you only share sales messages you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Instead, see your marketing as a way to build a relationship with potential customers and create trust that you are a top expert in the field. As you nurture that relationship, you’ll be top-of-mind when the customer is ready to buy your product or service.
Creating a platform where you share information and expert advice also increases your potential customer base. People who might not have considered buying your product or service will see your information and start to realize how they can benefit from it. Over time, they’ll learn more and perhaps decide that they want to make a purchase.
Make sure your marketing isn’t focused only on getting a sale. Instead, use your platforms online and offline to educate your customers and give advice so that you cultivate a relationship that can become profitable in the future.
Another way to use marketing to jumpstart your growth is to review what your competitors are doing. Perhaps they’ve changed their message in a way that has affected your positioning, or have found a best practice that you can use.
For example, video marketing has become increasingly important in a variety of industries, even those that traditionally don’t think about video. If you run a lawn care business you might discover that your competitors are using video marketing to demonstrate how to use lawn products or give advice.
If you’re not following the trend, you could be missing out on customers. So take some time to find out what your competitors are doing and determine if you need to take a new marketing approach. If video or other marketing strategies are taking the forefront in your industry, it’s time to adapt!
Finally, if you’ve hit a plateau in your growth, take a look at your marketing and see if you’re still addressing your customers’ top pain points. People change over time, and sometimes you need to change your approach.
For example, a hair salon can do well by addressing its clients’ needs for confidence. However, if their target market has shifted in terms of their goals, life role, or more, it’s possible that the message no longer lands as it did. In that case, it’s time to retool the marketing to be more relevant to today’s needs.
You can’t afford to become complacent in your marketing. Instead, keep focused on your target market’s most important needs and ensure that your message addresses those points in a relevant, expert way.
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why marketing matters if you need to jumpstart growth. A small adjustment to your approach or message can make a big difference, or you may discover that it’s time to shift from traditional advertising to a more inbound approach.
If your small business is looking for assistance with your marketing and growth, we’re here to help. We’ve helped thousands of small businesses grow using SEO and digital marketing at a much lower cost than traditional ads. Contact us today for more information!
