Taking on a New Business Role: Becoming Your Own Marketing Department

Whether you're a solopreneur or have a team of employees, as a business owner, you likely wear many hats. When it comes to marketing, you may be the only one responsible for driving awareness and generating leads. While this can seem daunting, there are some simple steps you can take to make sure your marketing efforts are effective. The Baxley-Appling County Chamber of Commerce details them below.

Assessing Your Current Marketing Strategy

The first step is to assess your current marketing strategy. What's working and what's not? Take some time to review your website, social media platforms, and any other marketing collateral you have. Are you happy with what you see? Is your brand being represented in the way you want it to be?

If not, don't worry. This is an opportunity to make some changes that will better reflect your brand and help you achieve your desired results. You may find that you can use some of your old marketing materials if you modify them some. PDFs can be hard to edit, so if you need to convert PDF to doc use a free online conversion tool. It’s as simple as adding your file, choosing the new file type, and saving the changed version. Then, you don’t have to start from scratch as you revise your marketing strategies.

Developing a Timeline

Once you've taken stock of your current situation, it's time to start planning for the future. Begin by developing a timeline of when you want to achieve certain milestones. For example, if you're launching a new product, you'll want to start thinking about when you want to roll it out and begin promotion.

Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a successful marketing campaign. By having a timeline, you can break down your goals into smaller, more manageable pieces which will make them seem less daunting and increase the likelihood of achieving them.

Channels

Now that you know what needs to be done and when you plan on doing it, it's time to choose the right channels through which to promote your brand. There are many options available, so it's important to take some time to research which ones will work best for your business. Some factors to consider include:

• Your target audience: Where do they spend their time online? 

• Your budget: How much are you willing or able to spend on paid promotion?

• Your objectives: What do you hope to achieve with your marketing efforts?

Once you've answered these questions, you should have a good idea of which channels will work best for promoting your business.

Creating a Clear Message

Now that you know where you'll be promoting your brand, it's time to start crafting your message. What do you want people to know about your business? What are the unique selling points of your products or services? Answering these questions will help you develop a clear and concise message that resonates with your target audience.

Tracking Effectiveness and Making Adjustments

No matter how well-thought-out your plan is, there's always room for improvement. As such, Volume PR says that it's important to track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and make adjustments as needed. Keep an eye on things like website traffic, conversion rates, social media engagement, and sales numbers. If something isn't working as well as expected, don't be afraid to go back to the drawing board and make changes. The most important thing is that you're constantly working towards improving the results of your marketing campaigns. 

Plan and Conquer

By following these steps, you can develop an effective marketing strategy that works for both you and your business. Slow down and think about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and if it’s working. Then, implement some free and inexpensive tools to simplify the process as much as possible. It may seem like a lot of work at first, but by taking things one step at a time, you'll be able to create a cohesive plan that gets results.  And isn't that what we all want?

Join the Baxley-Appling County Chamber of Commerce to connect with local entrepreneurs and resources that can help your business grow.