A business owner’s guide to manageable marketing in 2021
23 January 2021
We understand that finding the time for marketing can be tricky for independent business owners, so we’ve compiled some tips to help make marketing your business manageable
As a business owner, no matter how busy your business actually is, there’s a never-ending list of things to do.
From replying to emails, paying invoices and balancing the books, tasks big and small monopolise your time, and before you know it, your list of goals for business growth sits untouched.
One thing that so easily gets pushed to the bottom of the to-do list… marketing.
Why is marketing harder for small-to-medium size businesses?
Time.
Time plays a huge part in why marketing can be more challenging for small-to-medium size businesses.
When you run your own business, your time is precious and usually accounted for.
You’re often wearing many hats that maybe you weren’t expecting when you started your business, marketing expert being one of them.
Marketing comes naturally for some business owners; however, marketing is not your primary skillset for many entrepreneurs.
You’re an innovator with a passion for the business you started but understanding your market and how to reach it is another story.
Almost 60% of small business owners spend less than 5 hours a week on marketing for lack of time and knowledge.
Why is marketing for small-to-medium size businesses important?
The marketing demands of business owners have skyrocketed in recent years; this has made finding the time for marketing activities even more daunting – where do you start?
As an independent business, marketing is so important.
Not only will it help your customers find you, but it also allows you to share with them why they need your product or service.
Marketing helps build your brand and reputation, which is essential when competing in the same space as big brands.
Before making a purchase, 85% of consumers will do research online. Even if your customers find you, if your website isn’t up to date, you have no social media presence or online reviews, you’re making it hard for your customers to choose your product or service.
The good news?
Investing in marketing is proven to see business growth, and it doesn’t need to be complicated.
With so many more avenues to reach your customer online – all you need to do is find the time.
We believe all independent business owners should have the opportunity to compete with more prominent brands with bigger budgets.
So, here are 7 tips to help make marketing more manageable.
7 tips for making marketing more manageable in 2021
1. Make sure you know your customer
Sounds simple, but it’s incredible how many companies can miss the mark when it comes to communicating with their ideal customers.
Knowing exactly who your target market is and speaking exclusively to them will make all your marketing efforts so much easier (and effective).
Creating a customer persona doesn’t take long and is a great way to establish your ideal customer and what drives them so you can easily meet their needs.
2. Be clear about your brand identity
Just like understanding who your customers are, having a clear brand identity will make marketing your product or service more manageable from the get-go.
Your brand encompasses your company values and personality; it’s how you communicate and how you want to make people feel, and it’s more important to your customer that you might think.
Research shows that 73% of consumers say brand experience is important in their purchasing decision, and 77% will buy from brands who share the same value.
3. Be selective with your platforms and channels
Online marketing has opened up so many avenues for independent business owners to reach their ideal customer.
So many options and limited time can immediately make your marketing plans unmanageable.
It’s important to remember that you can be selective with the channels you use for your business.
Think about your customers, what platforms are they using? Think about your brand, what medium would best suit your brand personality?
Dedicating your marketing efforts to one or two platforms will ensure quality content and yield better results.
4. Create a realistic schedule and have a plan
Investing time into marketing for your business pays off, but as we’ve established, finding the time is the problem.
Creating a realistic schedule with a goal for how you’ll spend your time is critical.
Making time commitments you can’t keep will lead to a feeling of frustration, and not knowing what you want to achieve in that time may lead to you abandoning your efforts.
Start small and as you become more confident and see the benefits, scale-up.
Set out what you want to achieve and make it manageable. For example, if you’re looking to create a social media channel for your brand, you might start scheduling your time to research different social channels and create the account.
5. Use content you already have
Content creation is essential for engaging and communicating effectively with your customers.
It can also be one of the more time-consuming tasks. Luckily, you probably already have content you can repurpose.
Repacking content is a highly effective and efficient form of content creation.
For example, if you’re looking for content for your social media channels, look for content that already performs well on your website. Answer some of your most frequently asked questions or repost customer testimonials.
6. Assess your efforts regularly + stick with what works
When finding the time for marketing activities is already a struggle, make sure it is worth it.
Each month review things you have rolled out. You might find that adding a blog to your website has increased site visits, but the content you’re posting on social hasn’t received much engagement. Prioritise what works and make sure you change what doesn’t.
7. Ask for help if you need it
We understand the time and sacrifice it takes to get a business started and keep it running, especially when competing with big brands with big budgets.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t know where to start or can’t find the time for marketing your business, ask for help.
Another Story Digital started with independent business owners in mind.
We believe every brave business owner should have the opportunity to see their business reach its full potential.
So we’re putting our marketing experience to good use, offering flexible, fuss-free marketing assistance.
How Another Story Digital makes marketing more manageable
We want business owners to access a highly-skilled, cost-effective marketing team as and when they need it.
Whether you’re a business owner looking for guidance to get your Facebook advertising started or you want to build a brand from scratch, we customise our services to your needs.
We understand the importance of adaptability when running a business, which is why we keep our plans flexible and fuss-free.
How working with Another Story Digital works
1. We chat
To get things going, we book a 30-minute call where you can tell us your story.
You tell us where you’d like help, your goals, timeframe and budget.
2. We plan
A brand’s strength lies in its story, we take what you’ve told us about your business and present a tailored, flexible plan based on your needs, goals + budget
3. We work
We join your team.
Once we’ve agreed to the plan, we get to work, keeping you updated at every step and teaching you along the way.