How To Become Your Own Small Business Advertising Agency
Small businesses are always faced with the problem of how to compete with larger ones. This is even more so the case when it comes to advertising.
After all, large companies invest millions of dollars annually on marketing departments and hiring external agencies.
On the other hand, almost half of small businesses underinvest in marketing. This is may be due in part to the fees advertising agencies charge.
However, you don’t necessarily need to pay mega bucks to hire a marketing agency. Instead, you can become your own small business advertising agency.
Keep reading to find out more about how you can become your own small business advertising agency.
How To Be Your Own Advertising Agency
Marketers often think of what they do as though it’s as complicated as brain surgery. The truth is – it’s not.
You don’t need to hire an agency to do your advertising because there’s plenty you can do to run your own advertising agency within your business. This doesn’t mean there’s a one-size-fits-all solution to every marketing problem.
After all, it depends on your business model. If you’re a microbrewery, you have different problems and require different solutions to marketing than if you’re a bookshop. No marketing strategy is exactly the same.
And yet, there are some things that everyone who’s looking to market their own business should do.
1. Advertising Know-How?
If you’re going to be your own advertising agency, you need to have some know-how before you get started.
This means you need to make sure you do thorough research on the key principles of marketing and advertising in your industry.
Although marketing isn’t a magic formula to increase sales, there are certain things you need to learn before jumping into driving your own advertising campaigns.
An example of a must-know aspect of marketing is the 4-Ps of marketing. These include product, pricing, placement, and promotion.
Get all of these working together, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming your own effective marketing agency.
2. Who Are Your Customers?
One of the central questions of any marketing plan is to establish who your target customers are. Some small businesses make the mistake of trying to appeal to anyone and everyone all at the same time. But this simply isn’t possible and should be avoided.
Think carefully and carry out in-depth research to discover who your target customer is. Determine what they want and need, so that you can make sure you provide them with it.
It’s also essential that your relationship with your customers doesn’t stop at the transaction. Instead, you need to keep in touch to make sure you get feedback. This allows you to stay ahead of the competition by knowing what your customer base cares about.
3. What Are Your Business Goals?
One of the most important steps of an effective advertising campaign is establishing what you want to achieve. In other words, what are your business goals?
This is usually understood in terms of sales, profit or revenue. Once you know what your goals are, you can make sure your marketing efforts are concentrated on achieving them. Anything that doesn’t advance these goals is a waste of time and money.
The Small Business Advertising Agency Toolkit
If you’re going to be your own small business advertising agency, then you’re going to need the essential toolkit to get started. Without every one of these tools, you won’t be able to last long in the competitive world of marketing.
1. A Marketing Plan
You have to make sure you have a comprehensive marketing plan in place. While it doesn’t have to be pages and pages long, there’s a lot to be said for having everything written down. This includes everything from your marketing budget to your social media advertising strategy.
This way everyone in your company knows exactly what the marketing strategy is. This will be your guide and will help you along the bumpy path of marketing your business.
2. Products or Services People Actually Want To Buy
Believe it or not, some small businesses are started with products and services that make sense on paper, but when it comes to it, nobody is interested in paying for it.
Providing your customers with products and services that they’re actually interested in buying means fulfilling a want or need, and adding value to the customer.
This involves 50 percent creativity and invention, and 50 percent listening to what your customers want.
3. Effective Branding
Many small businesses start out with a product or service, without thinking much about the brand. After all, branding is surely for large companies like Nike and Apple, not for a small business. Right? This couldn’t be more wrong.
Every small business requires a brand. This is much more than just a logo. It’s an experience, a feel, a thought. It’s everything that your customers associate with your business.
While this can take a lot of time and effort to get right. You’ll thank yourself in the long-run by creating a professional and effective brand.
4. Marketing Materials
Your marketing materials are not just business cards, and brochures, as important as these are. Marketing materials, include a great website and an effective elevator pitch.
A great website is no longer a luxury for small businesses, but an essential part of your business. Make sure your website is easy-to-use and mobile friendly.
Another vital resource for the current marketing world is an effective social media advertising campaign. This should span across different platforms from Youtube and Facebook to Twitter and Snapchat.
Finally, your elevator pitch is your answer to the question, “what does your business do?”. You have to perfect this answer because most of the time it can result in important business leads. Keep it brief and fun, don’t bore the listener about the details.
Final Thoughts On Being Your Own Ad Agency
With these guidelines, you can start marketing your own small business. But remember, there’s always more to learn about marketing, advertising, and growing your business.
You can learn from others by attending networking meetings or checking out more articles on our blog.