5 Changes to Implement Now to Improve your Marketing

By: Melanie Colusci

I have never felt like marketing was an area I was an expert.  But, I am a business owner, AND, in order to stay in business, I had to learn (and learn fast) how to “get good” at marketing.

Here is what I did (and still do today) as well as some suggestions for you:

• Create a Marketing Calendar

First, you need a plan. Throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks is not an efficient use of time or money. You have too many other important things to do in your business. To start your marketing plan, grab your calendar for the next quarter and start adding your marketing related activities to it. Items to add are:

• Networking events you are attending
• E-mail marketing (you would add this to the day you plan to send it out)
• Blog posts you will be publishing
• Social Media posts
• Advertising campaigns

In creating the marketing calendar it will give you the opportunity to truly plan your “attack” so to speak. It gives you the ability to easily see when your marketing will be occurring and determine if anything should be adjusted.  It also gives you the ability to block out in your daily schedule the time you will need to complete the marketing initiatives.

• Be Consistent

It’s been my experience that an effective marketing program is all about consistency. Don’t expect to send one e-mail or make one post on social media and see 10 new clients or customers as a result. Do expect that over time by consistently getting your marketing messages out your business will see more traffic.

If you are going to post on social media start by posting at least once a week. Use your marketing calendar to pick the day and time the post will go for the next quarter and stick to it.

If you are using e-mail marketing use your calendar to make sure you are sending out one e-mail a month or one e-mail a week. You don’t want to spam your potential customers but you need to send enough e-mails that if they happen to miss one in their inbox it’s not another three months before they see something from you again.

• Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin

Trying to incorporate too many marketing initiatives at the same time can become overwhelming and not as effective. Pick 1 – 3 different marketing strategies that you will focus your time on. Really become proficient at these and maximize your efforts here. Learn as much as you can about the strategies you chose and structure your plan around just those. You can always add more later!

• You Have to Be “Social”

Today most everyone has a smart phone and is using some sort of social media platform. So, it’s important to go where the people are! You don’t have to use every social media option that’s out there but take some time to learn for the demographic of your customer or client base which platform they are most likely to use. This is the platform you will want to use. Start with just one.

• Have a “fresh” website

Do you have a website? If so, when was the last time it was updated? In the tech era we live in now, it’s important to have a website for your company. I believe the website is as important as your business card.  In fact, your website is kind of the electronic version of your business card. If your website is out of date with old information, stale looking graphics and a layout that was done 20 years ago, it’s time to update it.

It’s critical to incorporate sound marketing strategies into your daily business practices to create visibility for your business. Start small and be consistent. To be a successful business owner you HAVE to be embrace marketing. People can’t find you if they don’t know where to look. Your marketing is the map that leads them to you!

At From Start-Up to Success we are here to help–make sure you check out the other tabs on our website to see all of the new services we’ve added that are designed to help you take your business to the next level!

Here’s to you.  All my love,

Melanie Colusci