We have learned a few things being in business for 15 years. It is our new years resolution to share business and marketing strategies that have worked well for us and our clients. So to start, two things we noticed that most successful businesses have in common (other than a product or service consumers are willing to pay for) are…..
Systems & Processes and Marketing
Pretty simple right?
Systems & Processes
To grow your business you have to scale, meaning “to grow or expand in a proportional and profitable way”. We see so many small businesses not able to grow because the owner wears to many hats. To scale you need systems and processes in place. Usually that means sitting down and writing step by step instructions for a recurring task. Start simple with thinks like book keeping, invoicing, collections and gradually add more tasks until your business can function mostly without you. Easy right? Let’s just say some businesses and industries are easier to scale than others but you can do it!
Marketing
You don’t want to put the cart before the horse, meaning you need systems and processes in place before doing too much marketing. By “marketing” we mean lead generation, branding and the sales process. Let’s start at the beginning with two of the most successful lead generation strategies in 2018.
1. SEO
Search engine optimization is one of the most cost effective long term lead generation strategies. As long as customers are looking for your service or product online, SEO should be at the core of your marketing plan (you do have a plan right?). Search allows you to get in front of potential customers at the exact time they are searching for your product or service, powerful stuff!
2. Buying Leads
There are 3rd party companies in most industries that spend a good amount of money and time generating leads as a business and you should buy these leads. Many times your acquisition cost when generating your own leads is higher than buying from a 3rd party. Just know that not all leads are going to be good leads, you have to weed through the bad ones to find the diamonds in the rough. This is true for SEO and most lead generation strategies. You will need a good qualifying process so you don’t waste to much time.
The more we understand about your business the better we can align you with effective strategies, for example:
- Are your consumers local, national or global?
- Are you selling a high quantity of products with lower margins or a low quantity of products with higher margins?
- Do you have a small or large marketing budget?
- Do you have a short or long sales cycle?
- Do you sell to other businesses (B2B) or to the end customer (B2C)?
Call today! We offer a free initial consultation.
