Even in the best of times, business failure rates among small and medium-sized businesses are high. The terrible shame of that statement is that it just doesn’t have to be that way, if only businesses had their marketing right, many of those failing businesses could have succeeded and their owners and shareholders would get a return on their investment. .

So how does a company get its marketing effort right?

1. Define your target market – First of all, it is important to convey a consistent message to your target market. So consider who your target market is, you’d be surprised how many companies don’t! Factors to consider for consumer-directed businesses and services include geographic location, age, gender, income level, and interest groups. For business-to-business products and services, the factors would be geographic location, business sector, and volume of business. Write a definition of your target market.

2. Unique Selling Points/Main Selling Points – Once you have clearly defined your target market, you need to start thinking about your unique selling points or main selling points. Why should potential customers or customers choose to deal with your business instead of your competitors? The answer could be the price, the location, the quality of the service or product, the knowledge, the experience, the uniqueness of the product, etc. Think about it, define it and write it down.

3. Marketing Tactics and Media – Once you know your target market and its unique selling points, you need to identify the right marketing tactics and media to get your message across. Choices in marketing tactics will include online marketing, direct marketing, sales promotion, advertising, public relations, or telesales. A combination of several of these options will most likely be correct depending on your location, type of business, and target market. Above all, it’s critical to maintain a consistent marketing message and design style across whatever media channels you decide to employ. By doing so, you will begin to build your brand.

4. Convey a consistent message/build trust: Everything your potential customers see or hear should convince them that yours is a business that can deliver on its promises. This starts with your core corporate identity and logo. A professionally designed and developed logo is a must, your logo must be relevant in terms of color, shape, font, symbolism and usage. Once you have the right logo for your business, have your stationery professionally designed as well. It’s also worth considering developing a logo descriptor, which is a phrase that accompanies your logo and encapsulates your offering, such as our own ‘ACCESS TO GREAT AGENCY TALENT FOR SMBs’.

5. Make the most of your online presence – For many businesses, a website is a key element of their marketing strategy, so it’s important that your website is well thought out. The most important question to answer is what is the purpose of your website, is it a means of recruiting new customers and clients or is it a place to refer existing contacts to showcase your services or products. If the former, the website should be designed to be ‘search engine friendly’, which can mean, for example, avoiding a lot of flash work. In general, you need a clear and concise website that is easy to navigate and reasonably quick to download, and gives your target market confidence that you can deliver on your promises.

6. Professional Marketing Help – Marketing your business is a very complex task and vital to the success of your business, so it is important that you get professional advice. The Internet is now a great place to get the help you need and the place where you’re most likely to get the best deal. Look for marketing and design professionals who understand the importance of giving you a return on your investment, and make sure the people you commission have the experience, track record, and knowledge to deliver. Hiring the wrong people could be a costly mistake!