Like Any Good Mechanic, Use Your Tools!

We network with a lot of people and when we start talking about how business is with people we can’t help but to analyze them from a marketing perspective. Normally business owners or managers always say “business is good”! But what does that really mean? Good is not great, good is not fantastic, good is not extraordinary. Why are none of these the answers we hear? Mainly, unless you are an exception, is because they are just getting by. 9 times out of 10 it is because of lack of business or lack of efficiency. Usually lack of efficiency leads to not being able to accept new business. That is a different issue. So let’s talk about lack of business.

Lack of Business

If you are experiencing lack of business then you are probably doing little to no marketing. If this is true don’t stop reading this article. There are some straight forward steps you can take to get your market aligned with your target audience.

1. Social Media

If you do not have any social media setup or if you do and are not actively pumping out relevant content you are missing the boat! Today, this is the quickest and easiest way to get your products and services circling around the internet. Even at that, it has never been more cost effective to sponsor or boost information on facebook or the like. For pennies on the dollar you can put what you sell out in front of your ideal client for cheap. Yes, someone or something has to create and manage all of this but this is the exact opposite of purchasing some billboard space along the highway. Think of it the opposite, your billboard is only placed in front of people that are looking for your products or services, not the other way around. A billboard is permanent and depending on your audience a good portion who see your advertisement will not be interested. On the flip side, social media can target age, sex, demographic, interests, search history and more so that your content will be front and center when the time is right.

2. Videos

Videos have been slow to gain traction over the last 10 years but those who have embraced the power of them for business are reaping the benefits. They are simple to make and don’t take a lot of planning as long as you know what you are talking about. To put out a decent 1 to 5 minute video explaining your products or services or talking about what kind of clients are ideal for you these topics should be second nature. As you are pumping out these videos you can use social media to get them off the ground and over time they will attract the right type of clients to your business. The ones that are profitable if you are true to yourself and true to your potential clients.

3. Marketing Automation

One undervalued service is one that automates and cultivates business that already has an interest. These clients need to be nurtured and pulled through your sales funnel. In order to do that you have to create content that is used for drip marketing. The idea is that while your potential clients are scouring for solutions to their problems you will be constantly in their sites. By implementing a solid marketing campaign based on the things you probably do already when responding to inquiries you can bottle up the responses and turn them into sales tools. This will help automate the process and give you more time to focus on efficiency or cultivating new clients.

Focus on the Target

Here are a few examples of a tool you can use from Google called Trends. If your have a veterinary business and only focus on talking about cats because you like them you may want to shift focus on dogs. If you are focused on well being you may want to talk a bit more on yoga and exercise versus stress. The search volume of yoga is over the top compared to the other two. If you are in the engineering field you may want to talk more about mechanical than industrial or electronic. If it is around the Holidays and you sell gifts you may want to talk about kisses more than hugs. This data has been collected over time and can be very helpful in determining what your audience may be wanting. Rather than guessing just use the tool!

Notice the Spikes in February!

Typical Way People Greet One Another

Veterinary Data