By Shirley Hermiston
Attracting customers to your new business is like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube – you have to be creative.
It may be quite simple to solve one face of the cube, but to solve the whole puzzle you have to not only implement creativity, but plan in advance and learn from trial and error.
The same rules apply to marketing your business. If you don’t have a set plan and ways to target customers, then it’s unlikely you’ll attract them and you’ll be unable to learn from any experiences.
So make sure your marketing is done properly. And by properly I mean planning all methods of communication well so you’re targeting the right people.
Don’t think that because you are constantly communicating and advertising your business that someone will be listening and the sales will flood in. This is a common misconception.
It’s so easy in today’s digital world to opt for the easy option and send out posts on social media, or advertise in magazines or distribute thousands of leaflets. All of which we believe will generate enquiries.
The problem is that when doing this marketing activity, you haven’t stopped to think about who you are targeting and why, meaning you could be wasting time and money.
When targeting customers on social media – for example – you can analyse how your posts are performing with the platform’s built-in analysis tools.
And if your posts are performing well on Facebook but not on Twitter, you should either spend more time on Facebook to maximise opportunity, or change the kind of material you’re sending out on Twitter.
Here at the BIC we understand it can sometimes be difficult to attract customers, especially if you have no experience of running a business.
Our experienced group of business advisers provide free one-to-one support to anyone thinking of launching a business and all advice is confidential.
We also host a range of free workshops, including a ‘Getting Customers’ workshop led by marketing expert Paul Finch, which aims to get start-ups thinking about how to target customers.
So if you’re thinking about starting a business and would like free support, please call us on 0191 516 6111 or book an appointment to speak to an adviser by clicking here.