Marketing creates sales opportunities by attracting customers. Successful marketing requires understanding your business, customers, and their problems. There are four steps to effective marketing: 1) Know your own business and solutions, 2) Understand customer needs and problems, 3) Develop marketing messages and tools, 4) Implement tactics like social media, referrals, and advertising to reach customers. Tracking results allows improving the marketing plan over time.

1. Small Business
Marketing Toolkit
Susan Prince
January 8, 2014

2. The Big Picture

3. Marketing creates the sales
opportunity


Marketing is the act of attracting customers to
your business.
Without customers, you have no business
and without marketing you have no
customers.

4. Sales Opportunity
Your Company


What do you do?
What problem do you
solve?
You’ve got
solutions
The Customer


What do they need?
Who has these
problems?
Customers
have
problems

5. Successful marketing requires
a strong foundation
4 Simple Steps:
1. Know thyself - what problems do you solve
2. Understand your customers – who has these
problems
3. Combine steps 1 and 2 to develop strong marketing
tools
4.Choose the right tactics to create the sales
opportunity

6. Four Steps to Marketing like a
Pro
Know Thyself
Understand
who your
Customers are
Build your
marketing
toolkit
Get the word
out

7. What do you really do?
Not as straightforward as you think
More than what line
of business you’re in
Not just a list of your
products/services

8. Focus on What Your
Customers are Thinking About


People are self-centered and
mostly want to know “What’s
in it for ME?”
Stop talking about what you
do and instead show them
how you’ll solve their
problems

9. What Problem or Need does
your Business Solve?
Examples:
You aren’t a
financial advisor
You help people gain
control over their
finances
You aren’t a
graphic designer
You help people
communicate what
their business does
Especially important for service businesses

10. Focus on What Sets You Apart



Highlight what
makes your
solution special
Why are you
better/different
from your
competition?
Why would
someone choose
you?

11. Four Steps to Marketing like a
Pro
Know Thyself
Understand
who your
Customers are
Figure out
what you want
to say
Get the word
out

12. Who is Your Target Market?



The people who have the problems you solve
Can be more than one group, but saying
“everyone” is not an acceptable answer.
You must have at least one specific target
market

13. Define your Target Market
Be specific – each target market needs to be:
Measurable
Sizeable
Reachable

14. Understand each Segment





What are their problems?
Do they know they have a problem?
How do they make their decisions?
What’s important to them? What’s the
primary motivation for buying this
product/service?
Where do they go for information?

15. Four Steps to Marketing like a
Pro
Know Thyself
Understand
who your
Customers are
Build your
marketing
toolkit
Get the word
out

16. Building Blocks to a Better
Toolkit

Branding and Messaging Essentials Checklist









Mission/Vision Statement – where you’re going as a company
Strategy – how you’re going to get there (who you are going to
go after and why)
Positioning Statement – what makes you unique
Brand Personality – Logo/Look and Feel/Tone
Tagline
Elevator Pitch
Key Messages tailored by audience
About Us Boilerplate
Services/Product Description and Benefits Statements

17. Marketing Tools

Must have:




Properly Optimized Website
Business Cards
Customer Database
As needed and as budget allows:
Email Template
Product Catalog/Folder
Case Studies/Portfolio
Brochure
Media Kit
Video
PowerPoint Presentation
White Papers
Blog
Online Advertising
Print Advertising
Tradeshow Booth
Promotional Items
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
LinkedIn

18. Four Steps to Marketing like a
Pro
Know Thyself
Understand
who your
Customers are
Figure out
what you want
to say
Get the word
out

19. Before you start

Set some goals




Concrete and measurable (either in dollars or number of
units sold)
Will it be a stretch to reach? It should be.
You need a timeframe to reach these goals
Create a Budget


Plan to spend a percentage of sales on marketing
Don’t be afraid to invest in marketing,
but continually evaluate and adjust

20. How to reach your customers
– Use your tools



There is no magic formula – you
have to know your customers
and where they go for
information
Try different things to see what
works best
Track response rates









Referrals/Loyalty programs
Internet
Social Media
Publicity (PR)
Promotional Events
Tradeshows
Database marketing
 Direct Mail
 Email
Other options:
 Networking opportunities
 Public speaking
 Writing/publishing
Advertising

21. Time vs. Money
Think about where you want to spend your time and money
Cost/Contact
Time
Social Media
Free
High
Referrals
Low
Low
Web Presence
Medium
Medium
Database Marketing
Medium
Medium
Tradeshows
High
High
PR
Low
Medium
Promotional Events
Medium
Medium
Advertising
High
Low

22. Develop a Plan and Measure
the Results



Decide which tactics you’re going to use
Make a commitment to market your business
Everyone should be doing the following:

Social media




Don’t have to do every platform, just what makes
sense for your business
Touching their customers on at least a quarterly
basis (email, postcards, visits/phone calls)
Continue to build your network
Review results every 6 months

23. Congratulations!
You just now know everything to market like a
Pro!
These are all the components of a thorough
marketing plan…

24. Follow-up
Feel free to contact me if you have more questions.
Susan Prince
President
Cadence Marketing
22 W. Jefferson St. #405
Rockville, MD 20850
www.cadencemarketing.com
301.340.2520
Follow me on Twitter @CadenceMarket
Like me on Facebook @Cadence Marketing