Skip the resolutions list this year. Many small-business owners would grow their companies more in 2015 – and find greater work-life balance to boot – by making a few small attitude changes about marketing. Which one of these sentences have you found yourself saying in the last year?
1) “I can handle it myself!”
Really? If it’s been more than a month since you posted something new to your website, if you can’t even remember the password for your Facebook business page or Pinterest account, and if postage was 44 cents the last time you did a customer mailing, it’s time to do a little outsourcing of your marketing program.
2) “I don’t need to do any marketing – I get all my business from word of mouth.”
Well, that may be. But even those customers deserve a follow-up mailing, especially if you want to encourage them to spread the word to their friends and neighbors. Besides, if you’re not raking in enough dough to spend a good portion of these New England winters doing your favorite non-work activity – hitting the slopes, sunning in the Bahamas – I bet you’re missing one or two potential customers out there!
3) “Advertising my business is too expensive.”
True, advertising is not free. But a good marketing design company can help you maximize your bang for the buck. A series of print ads in the local weekly might be just what one business needs; for another, a two-part mailing might be the best use of limited funds.
The question to ask yourself is: “How much is it costing me not to be busy during my company’s slow times of the year?” Probably a whole lot more than the cost of a smart marketing campaign.