Marketing is an area that I find confuses and to some degree frightens a lot of entrepreneurs and small business owners. There is a perceived notion that marketing has to be expensive, takes up too much time and that creativity is needed to attract clients. I disagree with this thinking and here is why.
I believe the best form of marketing is just getting out there and spreading the word about your business face to face with other small business owners. Small business owners really do want to help each other and understand the hardships of their counterparts and will share your business name and information with others when given the opportunity.
It's really about getting to know folks and establishing that "know, like and trust" factor. Be genuine when you network, meet others kindly and get to know their business. If you have someone they should meet, get the two together - follow through is key to building trust.
What's great about networking your business is that if you go frequently and make good, strong connections, the members of your group will share about your business and talk about you even when you can't be there. I've seen it happen time and time again - a lead for a new client passed out to someone who isn't even at a particular meeting. I'm not going to sugar coat it - networking done right is hard work, but it does work and it's low cost.
Besides networking another kind of marketing I do in my business is social media marketing. Now that I've developed a system it really takes very little if any time away from my day. I can usually handle this marketing quickly when checking my email first thing each morning, again at lunch and sometime in the early evening. I have a folder I keep on my desktop where I stash great information that I find along my internet travels to share in posts and tweets.
When I'm online and I see something that grabs my attention I put it in my folder and then when it's time to post updates, I have a ton of ideas to pull from. If you are not finding ways to stay on top of these social media systems, you could plan an hour a week and use an inexpensive solution like Hootsuite to preplan your posts and set them to go out on particular days and times. This will give you freedom during the week . Facebook now has its own preset method for posting too. A third alternative is to hire it done - delegate. If you keep a folder of ideas and share that through Dropbox, a Social Media expert or even some teenagers would be great for this job.
Lack of creativity does not have to give you anxiety about your marketing either. You can always watch what others in fields similar to you are doing and market your idea with a little twist in a similar fashion. Also, I find my family and friends are a huge help with this. Go to dinner and toss out an idea or ask for help with developing your marketing and I bet you'll be surprised at the ideas generated around the kitchen table. I also believe that if you believe in your product, its value and are truly sincere about helping others, that is the best CREATIVE marketing you can have or that you need. Tell your story about how you got into business, how you were led down this path and be authentic. People will be drawn to you, you've made a memorable impact and when called upon to give a referral you will be at the tip top of their mind.
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