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6 Marketing Tips For Small Businesses

Lynne Saarte

August 29, 2008

1. Learn great customer service skills.

Advertising guru Clyde Bedell said “good selling is serving”. You cannot sell anything without great customer service skills. Service and sales go together. They are linked – if one goes up, the other goes up and vice versa. Your customers need your expertise, so do not be afraid to make suggestions. Learn what questions to ask so you can get the right information from customers to help them make a purchase.

2. Leave out the hype.

Do not include hype like “this cream will take away all your wrinkles” in your brochure printing or any other kind of marketing material. All of your marketing materials should be free from hype, a.k.a. lies. No one likes to be lied to and when you make outrageous claims, you just seem like someone to distrust from the beginning. Consumers are smart and they will see through your hype. Most customers do not want whatever you are hyping anyway. They just want something that works. On the other hand, if you can support an outrageous claim, by all means use the claim. Just make sure you show clear supporting evidence to back up your claim.

3. Identify your unique selling point (USP). Your USP is what differentiates you from the competitors. Do you have the fastest delivery time in town? Do you only use organic ingredients? Give consumers a reason to do business with you over your competitors.

4. Create a database of customer information.

Keep your customers’ names and addresses or phone numbers in a database so you can follow up at a later date. It will also help you to remember their names the next time they come into your store. By taking the time to learn your customers’ names you will not only foster goodwill with that customer, but you’ll develop a deeper relationship which will keep the customer from going to a competitor.

5. Create a referral program.

Do not be afraid to ask for referrals – many people who are happy with your service and product will be happy to refer you to their friends and family. If you think “there is nothing in it for them” then create a referral program. You can give people an incentive for sending referrals your way, like a discount on a future purchase or a free item. Some businesses use cash to reward customers. Whatever your reward, make sure it is something appealing that will motivate people to tell others about you.

6. Find a marketing partner.

Try to find a business about the same size as yours that you can partner with to cut down on marketing costs. You can each display the other business’s brochures in your respective stores or you can run a joint ad in the newspaper and split the ad costs in half. If you can find a business with products or services that complement yours, you can share mailing lists and marketing costs to reach both target markets.

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