MASTER CLASS SME Marketing
Bursting the marketing
Save budget, ask yourself … does my business need this?
what they like to engage with when they do. This doesn't need to be a lengthy and expensive market research piece – every customer interaction is a chance to gain a little insight. Reaching the biggest possible audience is seldom a better approach
FOR MANY COMPANIES A first foray into marketing can be an eye opening experience. Often it requires those closest to the business to be more honest
and objective about their own company than they have ever allowed themselves to be, with the result being a "bare-all" state of the nation- style report. I've seen more than a few clients leaf through the pages of one of these analysis reports with a look of genuine surprise on their face, seeing for the first time an outsider's view of the market they operate in. Certainly exploring the world of effective marketing has the
potential to burst the bubble. In many cases, companies find they have been committing significant chunks of budget to marketing activities that don't necessarily add benefit, bring brand awareness or ultimately lead to sales. It is a tough thing to take motivation from, but companies that are serious about increasing sales and 'honing in' on what drives the business will jump at the opportunity. So how do companies without a dedicated marketing resource
begin to tackle their marketing activities while keeping to budget? It's all about identifying a set of honest truths for your business.
Now where did I put those customers? Knowing where your customer interactions and communications
should happen is marketing at its most fundamental. Even with the best campaign, communicating an offer to trump all others with a product streets ahead of its competitors is wasted if you're not telling the right people. Take the opportunity to talk to your customers and find out what they like, what they read, when they consume their media and
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than reaching the right audience. Focussing your communications and ridding yourself of the 'scatter gun' approach is the first step towards making your spend work harder for you.
SAVE BUDGET, ASK YOURSELF: Do we need a mass media advert, when all our potential customers read niche publications?
People would love our Facebook page! As social media continues to grow as a medium for communication,
more and more businesses are throwing resources into developing their 'online voice'. Dentists extol the virtues of brushing twice-a-day, automotive engineers advertise cheap WOFs, and microchip makers release information on the newest and smallest silicon processor – all to a small audience which may not necessarily be reached by each communication.
Knowing where your customer interactions and communications should happen is marketing at its most fundamental.
bubble for SMEs
