There are many ups and downs when running a business, but the best times you can have is when your business is in the spotlight for all of the right reasons. Of course, small businesses can’t expect to see their brand grow to the size of something like Coca-Cola, but you can expect to see enough customers to cause your business to thrive. All you need is the right marketing techniques and the funds to do so – which can be expensive, but you’ve got to work with what you have.
Being transparent
Being in the spotlight can be great, and once you’re there your business is going to have a much easier time growing – however, some businesses end up in the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons. If your business is being spoken about due to public outrage, then there’s a real issue at hand. To keep this from happening, it helps to make sure you’re always open about the values of your company and are transparent about how you do things in the workplace.
Being inconsistent with your message may have your customers look elsewhere for the products or services you’re offering, so open communication is a necessity for both getting in the spotlight, and gaining from it.
You need to make sure you’re practising what you preach because that’s what’s going to get your business spoken about. From the way you treat your customers, to the way you treat your employees. It’s not just the customer service that matters, but the value that your employees are getting from their jobs. If they’re speaking to their friends and family about how much they dislike their job, that’s bad for your reputation – so you’ve got to make sure that everyone that comes into contact with your brand is leaving satisfied.
Be in plain sight
A lot of marketing and advertising can start to get annoying if you’re not keeping it in moderation. You need to be seen, but you don’t want to come across as a pest to your customers. Instead, a great way to get yourself noticed is to make sure you’re located in the right spot, to begin with. The location of your business can make all of the difference, which is why it’s important to hold off on property investment until you know you’ve got a spot that’s going to bring in your audience.
When it comes down to your marketing, try to make it more about being seen and keep it subtle if you haven’t got a creative message to put out. Marketing can be expensive, but if you’re subtle with how you do things, it can give you a good middle ground for you and your audience. You’re not risking your reputation by putting out an advertisement that the audience hates to see or hear, but you’re still being visible. Unless you’ve got a creative and innovative message to spread, it’s better to not risk what marketing opportunities you’ve currently got.