Industry Comment
impulsive nature, you should take a sip from that bottle with caution! Getting bigger seems like an attractive idea but it might not quite work out as you thought.
Marketing on a minuscule budget... Yes, I do mean miniscule We use a wide variety of media and channels to promote our business, and we do this quite successfully on a very small budget, probably stretching our resources to the max in terms of time rather than cash. We do have a website (which is essential) and we do drive prospects to it, but like many small businesses we struggle to keep it updated. In fact, this is my number one item on my 2020 ‘must do a lot better or I’ll end up on the naughty step’ list. Facebook and, in particular, Instagram, has proved to be a great way of giving our small business unbelievably positive exposure both locally and nationally.
I did not grow up with social media so it has been an unfamiliar and awkward ride, but it’s worth the effort even if I’ve sometimes ended up trying to navigate through what appears to be a sea of constant change. However, one great thing about digital marketing is that it rewards authenticity. By this I mean that people respond better to first person accounts – it’s like your customers getting a recommendation about a product from a friend. So, if you do something great then shout about it, and ask your customers to do the same. Google Business and Facebook reviews have really helped our business achieve greater reach and, importantly, attract new business.
Having said all that about digital marketing, knocking on doors and leaving printed literature is still something we do and with
great return on effort. As a business, I feel it is important that we service our local business community; we support local charity events and we use our local suppliers: for example, using our local printers for all our printed literature.
Give it the heads up... Looking up and ahead
Inevitably when you are busy running your business you tend to focus internally and deal with what is in front of you today and what is coming up next week. But one of the benefits of having a business plan is that it actively encourages you to look beyond the here and now: to not only look up but to look ahead. By going back to the plan you can check whether the business trends you identified last year are still having the impact you thought or whether new ideas are coming into the market.
One new influence that we have identified as being important to our business and that will affect the way we do things in 2020 is the impact of our business on the environment. Our customers are becoming much more mindful of the environmental impact of their consumer choices and we need to respond to that ethical demand. So, not only are we offering more eco- friendly products, we are also trying to reduce our use of single-use plastic and waste in our production processes. As a business we have made good ground on much of what we set out to achieve in 2019: and 2020 is already beginning to look very exciting, even with some tough decisions ahead. Why not join us next year in the Knowledge Centre at P&P LIVE! for the next instalment of our small rural business journey.
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