Marketing 101 with the Small Business Genie Ron McMahon
On this episode of Get to the Contest Small Business Podcast, we will be talking to Ron McMahon from Small Business Genies, a full service marketing, web and creative agency uniquely geared to helping small business owners achieve their potential.
Here are some key takeaways from this episode:
Know your unique value proposition.
Start your marketing plan with your business by answering this question: What's unique about your business and why is it valuable and relevant for your customers? If you know this, not only are you going to stand out from the pack and your competitors, you’re also going to have less comparisons to people just based on price.
Know your target customers.
We don't want to have anyone and everyone as a potential customer. If we know and are clear about whom we want to deal with, why and what value we can add to them, what we do well and what we're going to make the most money on, we can tailor our marketing and our approach to those businesses. Its one thing to win the job but it’s another to win jobs that are actually going to be profitable in your small business.
Have a plan, get it on paper, make a commitment, and take action.
Once you have a plan with your own small business, have a play and document it. It will prompt the right kind of action. If it doesn't work, adjust, vary the plan. All the theory in the world will be pointless, unless we take action and implement. Get it on paper, make a commitment to doing something, and then measure the results. It's that simple.
Put yourself in your client’s shoes.
What’s your client's experience? Too often we’re too close with our business to really appreciate what our clients experience. Are we easy to deal with? What is it like to walk in? Analyze this and get the perspective from your customer’s point of view. Do the same with your online presence, Google yourself and your business and see if what’s reflected is the actual message that you want. Online presence is important especially in this day and age.
Do not over complicate things.
Marketing should not be that complicated. Simple things such as presentations and case studies will help you demonstrate your relevance and the importance of your product. These will carry significant weight with your customers.
