What methods do you use to promote your business and just as importantly why do you use them? Of course, marketing has a number of communication tools and outlined below are a list of the main ones but which is best for your business?
ADVERTS – Advertising is one of the oldest marketing tools and even in today’s world is still relevant with adverts available both paper format and on-line. The key is to make sure that your advert is well designed, can be clearly read and gets noticed.
DIRECT MAIL – Not as popular as it once was but still worth consideration if you have a good customer database or access to a good list of potential new customers. The key again is to be innovative and make sure that when that piece hits the respective customer’s hands that it stands out as something they want to read.
E-NEWSLETTERS– One of the most cost effective and effective way of keeping your customers up to date with your business which is why Bright Light Marketing has it as a key marketing tool for our business.
EXHIBITIONS – Not relevant to all industries but still relevant for many. Make sure that you work it. So send an E-newsletter in advance to potential contacts who will be there. Have an attractive stand that showcases your business. Be welcome and friendly and follow up all enquiries and add the contacts to your database. 
FACE TO FACE – Yes face to face is marketing in fact it is the most important form of marketing so make sure that you get as much as you can each and every time you talk to a current or a future client. People buy people so make the most of every opportunity each and every day.
PRESS & PR – Like advertising one of the oldest forms of marketing but still relevant today. Simply people are more likely to read editorials whether in a newspaper or online. Again the key is to be innovative and relevant to the target media.
SOCIAL MEDIA – Yes we keep promoting this simply as it works and is free to use just takes time. Facebook is great for communicating with your existing customers, Twitter for raising awareness of your business to existing and new customers and LinkedIn for business to business.
WEBSITE – Most businesses have a website, key for promoting to consumers particularly if you are selling products. But also relevant for business to business to showcase your company. Make sure that your website is attractive, easy to navigate and most importantly up to date.
These are just a few key communication or marketing tools that you can use. But which ones should you use for your business?
1. Allocate resource
We would all like to be able to see our businesses everywhere and for everyone to know about them. Sadly unless you are one of the big brands with huge resource that is not possible. So work out how much you can allocate to marketing and then from them you can allocate resource from there. That way you know how much you are spending.
2. Use the communications that will be seen by your customers
So which tools should you use? That will be different for every business. The key here is to know what communication tools that your customers are likely to use and subject to budget use as many of these tools as possible. The rule of thumb is that it takes people between 5 – 10 times to see a communication before they act. Marketing works best why you use a range of tools. But make sure that there are going to be seen by your existing and potential customers.
3. Give time to communication
You need to make time to market your business. We would argue that you should take time each and every day to market your business. Diary in time to market your business and it will reward you with existing customers buying more from you and staying with your business and new customers finding out about you and buying from you as they keep hearing about you and you are giving them reasons to buy.
4. Evaluate
Marketing and your business will change over time and what is relevant today might not be tomorrow. Perhaps you dismiss social media as you don’t think your customers use it. Perhaps you are right and they didn’t yesterday but perhaps they now do today. The growth in age 50 plus using social media is phenomenal. So evaluate each of the marketing communications tools at least once a month and make sure that they are working for you and sit down once a quarter and decide your plans for the next quarter.
We hope this guide to marketing helps you move your business forward. Bright Light Marketing can assist you in getting your communications noticed. From creating a Marketing Plan so you can see the way ahead and also carrying out the marketing in tandem with your business.
For more information on Bright Light Marketing can get your business noticed contact Fiona Drane 01750 505053 or fiona.drane@brightlightmarketing.co.uk