Marketing 101
How do small businesses remain competitive in the shadow of today’s corporations?
Persistence and value.
Small businesses must aggressively market themselves and stay persistent despite the difficulty of competing against the country’s large corporations; and, they must have value. Value is not defined merely in terms of cost, but in terms of what a business can offer its customers.
Home Depot may be cheap, but they can’t offer the personal rapport and attention that the XYZ Home Repair Shop does. The value in XYZ is the friendship, camaraderie and attention that each customer receives when they walk in the door.
Marketing is the key to getting new customers as well as keeping old customers coming back again and again. The general rule is that a company needs to keep in touch with its past, current and potential customers at least four times a year. That could be accomplished with newsletters, press releases, brochures and various other mailings throughout the year. Some businesses will find online blogs and e-newsletters the most effective way to stay in touch.
In the end, it is not the method, but the commitment to staying in touch that will pay off.
Reference: Entrepreneur Magazine
Reference: Small Business Newsletter
This entry was contributed by Amy Leigh.
May 18th, 2007 at 9:55 am
Great article, and one that I’m sure is very valuable as the number of small businesses seems to be increasing all the time. I particularly enjoyed the suggestions about ways to stay in touch with customers in the digital age. This is so important in modern society - I know the e-mails I receive from businesses ensure I remember them and use them time and time again.