So, on a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about marketing your business?
Some mom entrepreneurs love to spend time strategizing and marketing, they never stop thinking about it and talking to others about it, and if they have their druthers, they’d leave the nitty gritty operating details to other people because the marketing is so much fun!
Maybe you are at a 9 or 10 on the scale of “loves marketing!” Or, are you hanging out more at a 1, 2, or 3? You don’t have excess time to strategize – you’re too busy running your business and taking care of your family and your hubby, and you aren’t really so good at it either, so your marketing has to work fast and be easy for you, even though you aren’t a marketing aficionado!
5 Must-do Marketing Strategies for Every Mompreneur
#1: Develop systematic, measurable marketing methods. Since every type of marketing requires a certain investment, you want to track any marketing method you employ to know whether it’s worth your financial investment.
For example, if you’re using Google “pay per click” to drive people to your web site, pay careful attention to how many people click on the ad that comes up with a certain combination of keywords. Is it producing at least the number of web site visits you desired?
If you’re using Twitter or Facebook to drive people to your site, keep track of how many of your followers or friends go directly from your tweets and status updates to your site. These numbers indicate whether your efforts (financially and time-wise) are paying off.
#2: Determine exactly whom the marketing will target, and which benefits this population seeks. In doing so, whatever resources you invest will produce a greater return.
To easily and quickly determine your target market, survey existing customers to find out why they chose your business and what they enjoy about working with your company. Gather testimonials from customers – this is a great tool for word of mouth marketing, and doesn’t require large investments of either time or money.
#3: Get clear on your business concept and business model. Boil it down. Define exactly what the company offers and how it benefits clients.
For example, an executive coach may say, “I coach professionals to help them earn a better profit and find a satisfactory work-life balance,” even if what she does is actually much more complicated or is completed in many more steps. Also, examine the business model to make sure it’s realistic to expect the business to make money.
#4: Get clear on the marketing message. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of projects or clients, become very selective about to whom you are marketing your products or services so that you attract only the clients with whom you really want to work.
#5: Pair up with other entrepreneurs who offer similar or complementary services. Check out networking and affiliate marketing programs, which are inexpensive in terms of time and money, and provide opportunities for gaining new clients without much effort.
By leveraging relationships with entrepreneurs who offer similar or complementary services, you can successfully gain new clients with minimal additional investment. Similarly, by attending networking events with like-minded business owners, you can get the word out about your own products and services, and get advice from others in similar situations.
Marketing is one sure-fire way to grow a business. Depending on whether you want fast growth, slow growth or maintenance, various marketing methods exist to meet your various needs and desires.
Michele DeKinder-Smith is the founder of Jane out of the Box, an online resource dedicated to the women entrepreneur community. Discover more incredibly useful information for running a small business by taking the FREE Jane Types Assessment at Jane out of the Box. Offering networking and marketing opportunities, key resources and mentorship from successful women in business, Jane Out of the Box is online at www.janeoutofthebox.com
