For most small businesses, marketing is done on an ad hoc basis—you or your staff have an idea, and you run with it. Unfortunately, inspiration does not occur frequently enough to qualify as a “marketing plan.” And a plan is exactly what your business needs.
What are the typical leverage points in a marketing plan for your company? Well, do you plan to attend a fair, exhibition, or other conference? Those are no-brainers—you can not only set up displays but also set up events, client meetings, or giveaways that are specific to the other meeting attendees.
Social media is another basic component of the simplest marketing plans. And I do mean simple: Use Facebook or Instagram posts to attract attention to something you do or specialize in. Hold a contest for best answer to a client’s question that you posted. Send coffee house gift cards for people who have answered a five-question survey.
More intensively, you can try using Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or other automated “customer relationship management” programs to send out periodic E-mails detailing promotions or simply to provide needed education to existing and prospective customers.
Another interesting option is to host your own webinar, where people register on a site (either free or paying a nominal price) to gain valuable information from an expert in your organization.
The options for marketing your business are seemingly unlimited. The key here is not really what type of marketing you do but to ensure that you do it! Small businesses have a common problem—becoming distracted with day-to-day operations, and spending too few precious hours marketing (and as importantly, planning for marketing). That is why sitting down to discuss a marketing plan, complete with scheduling, decisions about type of tactics, and what you hope to achieve is so important.
Some might argue that individual types of marketing can be an expensive proposition, and that could be true (think television advertising). However, many marketing initiatives cost very little; planning for this year’s marketing activities can cost almost nothing but your time. Once you establish that schedule of activities, it will be a lot easier to keep the ball rolling. And if you don’t try it, do you really expect great results on one-time only efforts?
Revisions Communications & Editorial Services can help you begin the process of beginning to address your company’s strategy for growth. Click on our contact page to start constructing your marketing plan today.
Writing and Editing for Small Businesses 
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