Last month, I had the pleasure of participating in a marketing panel for NAWBO (the National Association of Women in Business). It was great to connect with so many business owners who are working hard to propel their brand to success, now and in the future. However, marketing a small business on a limited budget can be a challenging task. It’s time for you to stop making excuses and spread the word about your business. If you’re a small business owner looking for marketing advice, you’ve come to the right place. This is what you need to know.

Define your purpose

If you want to achieve your marketing goals, you’ll need to define your purpose. Spend time and effort on meaningful tasks that will get results and build awareness for your brand. When you know which direction to head your business in, marketing it effectively will never be daunting again. For example, if your company offers technology services, clearly state its purpose as solving a particular problem for a specific audience.

Define and qualify your goal in strict terms

It doesn’t matter WHAT you sell if you don’t know WHO to sell it to. Once you can clearly define your target audience, it will be easier for you to sell valuable goods and services that will prove to be meaningful to them. Since small businesses often have limited resources, use limited terms to define your target audience. This will allow you to target more people at the same time. Many CEOs answer the question “who is your customer?” ace all the world. Everyone is a bad answer unless your company has the financial resources to reach everyone. Until you have a budget like a large corporation, you need to be much more selective to achieve a decent marketing ROI.

Appropriate and effective message development

It is crucial that you develop effective key messages for your target audience; this allows you to control your communications and get your message across more effectively and efficiently. Your message must be compelling enough to grab the attention of the reader, website visitor, or observer. Compelling messages create curiosity. The goal of marketing is to stop the reader and create enough curiosity to take action.

Focus on questions like “what does your brand stand for?” and “what does your company stand for?” Use powerful terms when describing your services, such as: top quality, great selection, ConvenientY without rivalry. These terms will help communicate your brand values ​​to people in powerful ways. If you make a claim of superior service, be prepared to say why your service or product is better or second to none.

Plan your budget

A true marketing plan depends on the defined budget. A detailed plan and budget are two of the most foolproof ways to ensure that your money is spent effectively in developing comprehensive marketing strategies. Sticking to a well-defined budget will ensure that you don’t waste your resources and spend your marketing funds properly and wisely. Even as a small business owner, you should think of your marketing budget as an investment and not a cost. If spent wisely, your efforts can generate a measurable return on your investment.

Distribution

Once you’ve come up with an effective strategy and a well-defined budget and timeline, it’s time to focus on distribution. Use channels that help you get your message into the hearts and minds of your target audience. While using social media is among the most cost-effective ways to reach people, be careful and consider whether social media is only reaching people who have absolutely no interest in what you’re selling. By continually working to build a large social media following, you can consistently deliver your message to thousands of people using YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+ and Twitter at a fraction of the cost of traditional media. . These are some basic concepts that any small business should carefully consider.