A Flexible, Interconnected System for Branding, Marketing, and Sales
There are days that my brain looks like a bulletin board filled with pushpins and red yarn, trying to connect all the pieces together in our small marketing firm. But, that’s also the part of running the business that I truly love.
I’m sure you feel the same way. Growing a small business is hard. Making a connected, meaningful sense of your brand, marketing, and sales is even harder.
Tie marketing to sales you generate and (hopefully) close more leads.
Tie sales to your brand delivery, and you can even out your bandwidth, operational, and financial challenges.
Tie your brand experience to marketing, and the stuff practically sells itself!
It seems simple, but when you try to connect the dots and tie everything together, it can sometimes lead to a tangled ball of red yarn – leaving small business owners dispassionate and frustrated.
Two of our favorite clients, a brother and sister owned small business, let’s call them “Bryan” and “Leanne”, simply “get it”. Here’s how they’ve created a flexible, interconnected system for driving growth in their business.
Setup Good Sales Systems & Processes
Have a good CRM and sales management system. Track your leads. Every single one of them. Ask how people heard about you. Ask why they didn’t do business with you. Run sales reports, regularly. Know your closing ratios. Know your most effective and least expensive lead sources.
“Bryan” and “Leanne” put painless hours into setting up a small business CRM, customizing their sales funnels, creating tracking reports and tying the information back to the financials in their business. Was it difficult? Yes! But, can they use it as a dashboard for their sales and business growth? Absolutely!
Start With the Essentials, Then Drive Traffic to Them
We rebuilt “Bryan” and “Leanne’s” website about a year ago, cleaned up their branding and built a great “first impression” for their visitors. They waited on heavy advertising efforts until those basics were in place. If you advertise, but your brand isn’t ready to sell itself, your conversion rate is lower. Get the fundamentals like your website or retail storefront right first, then drive traffic to them.
Be Prepared With “In the Can” Marketing Campaigns
You may be busy now, but know that the lead funnel can dry up overnight. By the time the phone stops ringing, it’s too late to take action. Plan, prepare and have your marketing and advertising initiatives so they are ready to “turn on” at a moments notice – whether it’s a Direct Mail piece that is ready to go to print or a Facebook Campaign you have built out but “paused” until you are ready to run.
What’s more, smart small business owners like our friends “Bryan” and “Leanne” have the peace of mind that they can pause a campaign when they go on vacation to Hawaii or immediately start lead generation and the flow of prospects back into the funnel when needed.
Use Marketing and Advertising Platforms That Are Flexible
Do you have bandwidth challenges? Seasonality? On-demand messaging related to the weather, economy, or some other unpredictable variable? Locking yourself into traditional media like billboards, radio or TV usually comes with a commitment. Today’s small businesses have the ability to choose platforms like Social Media Advertising, SEO, and Google Pay Per Click Ads that can flex with your needs.
“Bryan” and “Leanne” have a business that is impacted by the weather – and in Southeast Wisconsin, you never know what is going to hit! From weather-dependent Landing Pages on the Website to on-demand Pay Per Click Ad Groups, they are prepared for whatever mother nature brings us.
Showcase Your Brand in the Marketplace, Two-fold
Like “Bryan” and “Leanne”, any good small business owner realizes that both marketing and sales are responsible for lead generation. It’s a two-fold strategy, with both functions representing your brand in the marketplace.
Build relationships. Get involved in the community and industry associations. Join the local chamber of commerce, be an advocate sharing your “30 Second Elevator Pitch” at an After 5. The brand awareness you’ve driven with your marketing and advertising efforts will marry perfectly with your face-to-face sales presence. This marriage gives you an advantage over those who haven’t gotten the memo that sales and marketing need to work together to drive results.
Having trouble connecting the dots or feeling like you are tangled in a ball of red yarn? Let us help build a brand, marketing, and sales system that you truly love, helping you grow your small business.
If you’d like to learn more about “Bryan” and “Leanne,” you can find them here.
