Youbee Media and Boo! Marketing were introduced by Michael Edwards, Founder of The Northern Affinity back in 2021. Our agencies often collaborate and share ideas to create the best possible solutions for our clients. Anna's expertise in marketing strategy means she adds great value to our projects and is a fantastic addition to our wider team. Marketing strategy is at the core of what Anna does and she has vast experience in this area.
We asked Anna to share her thoughts on 'why small businesses need a marketing strategy' in this blog. This article is Part 1 of a 2 part blog series, where Anna addresses all of the WHY's you need to know when it comes to your strategy.
The noise around strategies, plans and goals is intense at the beginning and end of the year isn’t it. We get told we need to have and do all of these things, yet quite often we don’t know the ‘real’ reasons for needing them. We don’t know what the true benefits are. And let’s be honest, no one wrote the rule book on small business strategy did they.
Strategy is so misunderstood, especially when it comes to social media management. It doesn’t need to be a chunky, fabulous looking document used only in big businesses. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone and everything has a strategy in business and life. Wherever you are spending your time lately there is a reason for that, there is a strategy behind it.
Here's one of the best reasons to have a strategy…
Businesses with a strategy are over 500% more likely to achieve success than businesses that don’t.
Need I say more?
So, what is a marketing strategy?
There’s many ways to define a marketing strategy, I won’t go there. In simple terms a strategy is about understanding what your challenges are, the options available to you and how to make the right choices from those options. It’s about choosing the right places to spend your time, energy and money in a way that gets you to your goals.
When you know which marketing activities are the right ones for your business, you can get on with working them as well as possible to achieve your business goals. You can be strategic – simple!
Getting started with a marketing strategy
I regularly speak with small business owners that just don’t know where to start when it comes to marketing. My reply is always the same – start with a marketing strategy.
When it comes to marketing your small business it has to be about finding the right way for you. After all, your business is unique! And, marketing is just as much about people as it is the business itself.
Every single person your business comes into contact with has the potential to market your business in the right way.
You want all of your people and everyone you come into contact with to be crystal clear on what your business stands for. What it does best.
Know that marketing is essential for every business
You’ve probably already worked out that you always need to be marketing your business. I’m a big believer in ‘always on’ marketing. We always need to be getting and keeping customers don’t we.
Here’s a few other reasons why marketing is essential for your small business:
- To show your business actually exists. No business wants to be the best kept secret
- To build trust
- To reach and connect with the right customers as well as keep the ones you already have
- To grow your business
Now you know why your business needs to market itself, let’s look at making sure your marketing is ‘always on’ in the right way.
'Always on' marketing that’s focused and consistent
You want the right customers don’t you. With solid marketing foundations and a strategic approach, you’ll get your business known for what it does best amongst the right types of customers. The customers that make you a profit and are great to do business with.
Focus and consistency are two of the biggest marketing challenges faced by small businesses.
Always on marketing requires focus and consistency. The best way to achieve this is to apply a simple approach that makes your marketing happen easily.
Simple marketing is about playing to the strengths of your business in a genuine and natural way. No one wants sales or marketing to feel forced or out of sync with the business.
With simple marketing foundations everyone knows exactly what the business does best and the goals it is working towards – they’re focused and consistent. The outside world also knows to come to you when they have that need or challenge which your business is perfectly positioned to help with.
A simple marketing strategy is the best way to achieve focused and consistent marketing from the outset. It provides solid marketing foundations unique to your business. And once done, a strategy is a lifelong tool for continuous learning and business growth. It gives you the confidence to know what’s right and will work for your business, immediately removing distractions like those smooth talkers that promise you a flood of sales within a month. It also removes the need for expensive digital marketing and social media strategies.
By seeing the bigger picture around all your marketing, you will reach the goals of your business.
Next, let’s look at why a simple marketing strategy is all you need for your small business.
A simple marketing strategy is all you need
A simple marketing strategy is the very first thing you should do before committing time, effort, people, and money to any marketing activities. It’s your business bible and marketing guide on who your target customers are, what you should be saying to them and how you are different from all other businesses. It’s the strategic foundation, first building block for all of your marketing and plans, whether it’s digital, social, online or offline.
Your marketing strategy makes sure your marketing is aligned to meet the goals of your small business and enables you to achieve maximum value from all marketing activities.
There are no quick wins when it comes to marketing your business in the right way. The good news is it’s never too late to put a marketing strategy in place, whether you are a start-up or a long-standing business, the rewards are endless when you are focused and consistent.
With a simple marketing strategy, you will:
- Work towards achieving your business goals with focus and consistency
- Attract more of the right customers
- Know which marketing activities get the best results. No more feeling stuck or overwhelmed
- Get clear on what sets you apart and makes you different from the competition
Imagine knowing who your target audiences are, where they are, what they’re interested in and how you can speak directly to them in their language.
With 5 simple steps your marketing can work towards achieving your business goals
Need help or want to chat through your strategy to check the best marketing activities for your business?
We’d love to talk simple strategy with you at our marketing consultancy. Give us a ring on: 01133235959 send an email: hello@youbeemedia.co.uk
Or join one of Becky's marketing workshops for more expert advice !
