Small business marketing in Wichita can’t stop for a down economy
Posted by Dave Mace at 10:37 pm
Like many of you, we at Valé encounter many potential Wichita small business customers who say they don’t have the funds to put toward our particular service. And while we don’t try to “hard sell” these prospects, we are perplexed at how these small business owners expect to grow their revenues without the right blend of promotional strategy.
No matter your business, you must promote.
Take, for example, the clothing retailer who plops down $20 per square foot for prime real estate and stocks the store with thousands of dollars in inventory only to put little or nothing toward promoting the store in the best promotional channels. It’s the small business marketing equivalent of buying a top-of-the-line car and not spending money on gasoline so you can drive it. What’s the use?
A friend of mine has an expression. You’ve probably heard it before: “If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got.” You might have heard it another way: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.”
Relying solely on old-time methods, such as print, broadcast and the phone book are not going to get it done for your small business. You must have a solid Web site with strong content, a strong social media presence, a smart e-mail marketing campaign and good use of Google and Facebook advertising. A healthy dose of public relations is also in order.
But sitting back and doing nothing? Well, there is a time and a place to avoid spending money. We’re simply advocating spending money in the right way under the guidance of a trusted small business marketing advisor. And if you look at the strategies mentioned above, you’ll see that they’re much less expensive than the ones you’ve used in the past. And more effective.
