Do You Have a Small Business Marketing Plan?
You should! Every business should have one, small or large and it doesn’t have to be super complicated. So, how do you begin?
Start with research
If you’re here, it is possible that you have already begun researching, and that’s why you’re reading this article. If that’s the case, great! You’ve already gotten this far, so let’s keep going. Research is fundamental to our understanding of not only marketing, but also to understand our own business and where it fits in the small business world. Hubspot has a great article that has 46 ideas for small business marketing strategy – check it out!
Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Small Business Marketing Plan
- What are you selling?
- Who is your target audience?
- Why should they want to buy your product?
Answering all of these questions can seem a bit intimidating, but don’t worry. The solution to many of these largely exist online.
Once you are able to answer the questions listed above, you can start putting together your marketing plan. (also, if you are interested in tips for small business organization, I have that for you, too.)
Define your business
This is super important when creating your small business marketing plan because you have to know who you are in order to sell that to someone else.
Answer these questions:
- Who are you?
- What do you sell?
- Why should people care about it?
Creating a clear and concise summary to define your business will help you keep focused on your long-term goals and your vision.
Objective
What is your objective, your goal? What exactly are you going for here?
You could be looking to increase sales, or engagement.
Maybe you are looking to bring more students to your website, or office workers, or anyone. Whatever it is that you want to come from your marketing goes here.
Budget
How much money can you put into your marketing?
Getting a general ballpark estimate will keep you from overspending, and will also allow you to be more strategic in deciding where to promote your business.
Your budget can go into hiring professionals to create your website, logo, or other advertisements. It could also go into paying for advertising spaces in your city, or on popular social media websites such as Facebook or Instagram.
Plan
Now it is time to create your plan of action.
You know what you’re doing, how you’re going to do it, and how much of a budget you have.
If you are a visual person, it can be helpful to create a visual plan of action. Otherwise, a bulleted list on a word document will also do just fine.
Now that you understand how to create a small business marketing plan a bit more, it is time to implement it.
If you feel unsure and intimidated, don’t worry, you are not alone!
It is okay to feel this way, but if you move forwards and try your best, you are absolutely capable of being a successful small business owner.
If you have any questions, please contact us on here or any of our social media platforms.
