The Single Best Way to Kickstart Your Marketing!

Are your marketing efforts stagnating or non-existent? You’re not alone. Thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses have no marketing plan. The opportunities can be endless and puzzling, especially if you’re concerned about getting an immediate return on investment. And if you’re running the business, you likely have almost no time to devote to execution.

When I meet new clients who have been doing without marketing for a while, and they’re looking for a way back in, the question I hear without fail is:

Where do I start?

Where do you start? What steps can you take to get your marketing efforts going again? A good deal of marketing is momentum, and if you try to do everything at once, there’s the potential you’ll be facing overwhelming time or budgetary commitments. So with so much to think about:

The single best way to start is to find a simple way to be relevant and valuable.

Simple, because it’s the best way to start and ensure you’ll keep with it. Keeping it simple and easy for you to do means you can plant the seed with this effort and grow it from there. It should be a task that will take you no more than five minutes to perform, but make sure those five minutes are set aside at a regular time, specifically for that task.

Relevant and valuable, because your audience won’t care about what you’re doing if it’s useless or meaningless to them. What basic functions of your business or industry do you take for granted that new clients are always asking you about?

You can start today – right now, in fact, if you take a simple, relevant, and valuable approach. You’ll build momentum into subsequent marketing efforts in no time!

Use Social Media

Make the most of your five minute effort and go to your social media channels. Post a picture, or a link – something you read and share your thoughts about it, or a sentence or two of good advice. Share something that makes your audience go “Huh!” or “Neat!” or “I didn’t know that!” Ask for them to share it for you. Ask them to invite friends to like the page. Build value and expertise for your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, Twitter feed or other favorite platform by giving out little gems that show you to be the expert that you are, and get your audience interested and engaged in your process.

Are you a mechanic? Start writing a #MechanicMonday post about common problems you see and how to fix them, or what people need serviced this time of year. A remodeler? Post once a week about what’s trendy, or what you did with a space that someone else could try too. Give your followers a peek behind the curtain and some free advice, and they will see the value in what you’re doing.

Momentum Counts

It will take time, but with enough regular postings, you will eventually develop a core group of followers, some of whom will likely talk back and provide you with valuable insights into what makes them love your brand. But for now, start somewhere – anywhere – using social media and providing regular content that’s simple, relevant, and valuable.

SEE ALSO: Marketing Monday: Halloween Edition