What marketing are you planning today to bring in customers tomorrow? Beyond the importance of having a marketing plan in place, don’t overlook the importance of a marketing mindset. [level-members]
As important as what you’re doing is the idea that you’re thinking about marketing, paying attention to your marketing, and measuring the results of your marketing. Maybe you’ve been doing “Val-Pak” or a similar mailer for years. The sales guy shows up or calls once in a while. You have a nice conversation, you re-up for another 6 months … but is that generating any new business? Do you have any way to track the business that it’s generating?
If not, you may be wasting time and money – and missing opportunities that could be generating much more business. Put the lost business and lost opportunities and it’s a big swing in the wrong direction.
That’s why marketing can’t be “set it and forget it.” It has to be something you devote a portion of each day to in order to consistently grow the business. Pay attention to how you’re marketed to by other businesses, both in your role as a business owner and in your “civilian life.” The consumer marketing is probably more instructive to watch since you’re marketing to other consumers.
With good listening skills, you can find great marketing ideas to adapt to your shop regardless of your budget. We’ll begin discussing a few of those next week. [/level-members]