[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ _builder_version=”4.23″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ module_class=”table-contents” _builder_version=”4.23″ background_color=”#f3f2f6″ custom_padding=”25px||25px||true|false” sticky_position=”top” sticky_limit_bottom=”section” sticky_position_tablet=”top” sticky_position_phone=”none” sticky_position_last_edited=”on|desktop” border_radii=”on|24px|24px|24px|24px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ text_font=”||||||||” global_colors_info=”{}” background__hover_enabled=”on|desktop”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ header_2_font_size=”32px” custom_margin=”||0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ header_2_font_size_tablet=”30px” header_2_font_size_phone=”26px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Marketing strategies are intimidating and overwhelming the first time you approach them. For small business owners, marketing can fall into the too-hard basket, leading to responsibility being handed over to a staff member or outsourced to an agency. But if you’re a new business or have limited resources, you\u2019ve got no choice but to tackle a strategy yourself. This is where the basics, foundational knowledge of marketing, can help pay off and help small businesses create an effective marketing strategy.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at creating a basic SME marketing strategy to build off of.<\/p>\n
No matter what stage a business is in<\/a>, the basics of marketing are crucial to understand when developing a plan or campaign.<\/p>\n Running ads on Facebook or advertising on billboards is not a marketing strategy. Those are part of executing your marketing strategy. A marketing strategy is your overall plan for:<\/p>\n To those ends, you look at your products (what you sell), prices<\/a> (how much), people<\/a> (customers and staff involved), promotion (visibility), placement (where to buy), and process (how to sell).<\/p>\n Very important to distinguish who you’re selling to. B2B is selling to businesses; you are offering services they need to operate (infrastructure) or operate more effectively (productivity). B2C is for everyday people, and there is a wide range of businesses offering different goods and services. Whoever you’re selling to has very different motivations and needs when buying.<\/p>\n Consider a supermarket selling food to a customer, and a wholesaler selling food to a restaurant. Both businesses sell food, yet have wildly different marketing strategies to reach their customers.<\/p>\n What your customers see when interacting with your brand. How you want to be perceived or how you are seen. For instance:<\/p>\n Marty\u2019s cafe is your morning one-stop shop for breakfast and coffee. A crowd favourite serving breakfast and lunch to locals, and slinging B & E\u2019s for tradies on the run.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n For Marty\u2019s Cafe, locals see it as the place to grab coffee or have breakfast, either sit down or on the run, reliable. Positioning is what your customer recognises you as in the market.<\/p>\n Your unique selling point or proposition (USP) is how you distinguish yourself from others. That\u2019s it. Businesses separate themselves from competitors either by hitting on price, quality, convenience, reputation, or niche. It can be a combination of these. For instance, if we look at Marty\u2019s Cafe, reputation and convenience are the business\u2019s USP.<\/p>\n Marty’s cafe is your morning one-stop shop for breakfast and coffee<\/span>. A crowd favourite serving breakfast and lunch to locals<\/span>, and slinging B&E’s for tradies on the run<\/span>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Facebook, Google Ads, Instagram, and so forth are outreach channels you can use for your marketing campaign. For instance, Instagram is a social media channel you can market on, as people interact through short videos. For your campaign, you may promote a product with a reel (short video) and boost it on the platform by paying a fee for more visibility. Your campaign is an ongoing process; boosting a reel on Instagram is part of it. Channel = platform, campaign = process.<\/p>\n With the basics covered, you can begin to formulate your marketing strategy. However, it can be difficult to know where to start. To that end, try using our marketing strategy action card to create a basic marketing strategy:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\nWhat is a marketing strategy?<\/h3>\n
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B2B vs B2C<\/h3>\n
What is positioning?<\/h3>\n
Unique selling point<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Channels vs campaign<\/h3>\n
Your small business strategy handbook<\/h2>\n