Simple, Effective Marketing for Time-Strapped Small Businesses

Whew! Can we just say it’s like a race out there, trying to run a small business and keep up with the nuts and bolts of each day? Marketing sometimes falls by the wayside, but it really shouldn’t. You must market your business, but the question is how to do it without making yourself crazy. If you’re short on time and sanity, we’ve got you covered. Below are a few of our favorite tips to keep your marketing boat rowing!

Start Small, Scale Slow

Pick a Channel

The reality is that you can’t master every marketing channel out there. Nor should you. Pick one or two biggies and knock ‘em out of the park. Does your target audience spend time on specific platforms? Spend your time there. If you find your zen crafting killer emails, enrapture your audience that way. A total paid search guru? More power to you! The point is to find your lane and excel in it.

Repurpose Your Content

Seriously, you can take one kick-butt blog post and transform that bad boy into a week’s worth of additional content across mediums. Repurpose email campaigns and distribute them in varying forms across social media. Every goal with content production should be to work smarter, not harder. Someday you’ll have a clone, but until then, clone your content. Your blood pressure will thank you.

Keep It Consistent

We know! It’s so hard! But you can master this beast if you plan ahead and block out some time. What you schedule is what gets done, so schedule a day or hour or whatever you need each week to focus just on marketing tasks. Wine encouraged! You’ll be growing your business like a weed before you know it.

Face Your Marketing Challenges Head On

What’s Clicking?

If you don’t know, it’s because you’re not tracking. Analytics are your friend, and there are plenty of tools available to make it easier than you think. Start tracking your marketing efforts and results, then figure out what’s working and what’s not. Scale the things that are working.

Where Do You Have Knowledge Gaps?

Let’s face it: you may feel overwhelmed and know nothing about marketing anymore. This digital age is wildly different than the age before it. However, you can easily beef up your knowledge and skills by taking online workshops or courses. Identify where you may be struggling and get to it. Every expert started at square one, and you can, too.

Seek Out New Customers

We know you love all of your current clientele, and that’s great. But now it’s time to find their clones. Engage with your audience, figure out what makes them tick, and then hunt for fresh meat. Or, you know, new customers. Also consider using referral programs and turn some of those amazing clients into brand ambassadors. Word of mouth is still king!

Experiment and Adapt

You can’t discover new information without being willing to experiment. And you can’t experiment if you’re unwilling to pivot and adapt based on new intel. So, give yourself the freedom to try new things, then double down on everything that works well.

What About When You Need Big Guns?

Consider a Fractional CMO

We get it; some of you don’t have enough time but need help. And when your budget is tight, a fractional CMO can be a strong strategic move. You get a marketing whiz without the full-time cost. These part-time senior leaders can help your business get back to smooth sailing without draining your budget.

Pony Up with a Marketing Agency

If you’d rather hop off the DIY train and get some extra manpower, consider going the agency route. An agency intervention can help your business thrive, providing a paraphernalia of additional resources coupled with creativity, while still respecting your time and budget.

Remember, marketing doesn’t have to be such a challenge. Start small, scale as you go, and seek help when needed. Sometimes, all you have to do is take the first step. Contact us for a no-pressure consult to discuss your and your small business’s needs. We’re here to help!

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