Checklist: Is Your Small Business Marketing Working?

Don’t like to read? Listen to the audio version instead:

If you listened to the audio, you may want to Click Here.

Otherwise, read on:

Many owners of small businesses spend plenty of money and time towards marketing, but most of them aren’t sure if it is really working – or if they do see results, they often don’t know what it is that is working.

Many just keep throwing money at marketing, without seeing any real results.

Some have given up on paying for marketing services, simply relying on word of mouth to reach potential customers.

If your small business marketing seems like a murky pool, you may want to work through the following checklist – it might just mean the difference between throwing money at things, or systematically ensuring consistent revenue.

Small business marketing checklist:

1. Are you reaching the right people?

Do you know what your ideal customer looks like, and who your target audience is? Do you know what matters to them, and who will benefit most from buying your products or services?

Are your existing marketing efforts reaching, and bringing in potential customers from that specific group of people?

If you see loads of views and engagement on your social media posts and blog posts, but no sales, you may be focusing on the wrong people.

Identify who you can serve best, and create content – or advertisements – that will resonate with them.

2. Can people find you easily, or not?

How visible are you online? Are you visible in Google search? Are you visible on social media? Is your business listed in any relevant directories?

Do you show up in Google business listings for local searches?

Do you ever get walk-ins or people calling who say, “I found you online”?

If not, you may want to take a long hard look at your current online presence. Is your website good enough for Google to show it in their search results? Can people find your profiles and content on social media for relevant search terms? Is your Google business listing just a few lines thrown together, or did you spend some time on it to make it stand out?

3. Is your brand message clear and consistent?

Does your logo, signage, and website clearly communicate what you do?

Do potential customers instantly understand the value you offer through products, customer service and client services?

Is your message consistent across all mediums, including print, social, your website and word-of-mouth?

If there is any disconnect between the branding across different mediums or channels, it can lead not only to confusion about your brand and brand message, but it can lead to some people thinking they are looking at materials from a different business.

When you consider the value of compounding exposure in branding, the alarming cost of inconsistent messaging and graphics become apparent.

4. Are you actually getting new customers?

Are new people coming in off the street, or contacting you with inquiries on a regular basis?

Do you have systems in place to trace how they heard about you (ad, referral, search, etc.)? If not, you don’t know which part of your marketing budget is doing most of the work.

If your growth curve is flat, your marketing may need tweaking – unless your small business operates in a small town, and you already have all possible customers coming your way. However, even in such a case, it is usually possible to increase revenue by adding additional product lines or services, or services relating to existing product lines.

Of course, it goes without saying that, regardless of your location and competition, any innovation to get new buyers will only be effective if people know about it.

5. Are you able to retain your existing customers?

Do your existing customers return for repeat purchases? Fair enough, this depends on what you offer. For instance, most people don’t buy a new house every year. In most cases, however, aiming for maximum customer retention times is critical not only to maintain your perceived brand value in the public eye, but also to offset marketing costs.

Do you have a system in place to stay in touch (email, WhatsApp, social media, push notifications)?

Do you have a core of happy customers who refer new potential customers to you on a regular basis?

Marketing doesn’t stop when the customer buys from you. It stops when the customer stops buying from you. Until then, every single interaction with your business is part of the marketing process. And if you do it well, some of your customers will refer others.

6. Are you seeing a positive return on your marketing spend?

Are you spending less on marketing than you’re earning in sales from it? Fair enough, in the case of more expensive products, the real profit often lies in repeat business – especially where ongoing services or ongoing product use is concerned.

Ideally, however, you should at least break even in such cases, and in the case of lower ticket items or infrequently purchased products, show some return on your marketing spend.

If you keep on spending with no way to measure your results, you may as well be driving in the dark without headlights. It doesn’t always end well.

7. Do you track your marketing results, and adjust accordingly?

Do you have checks in place to see what’s working and what isn’t?

If something fails, or becomes less effective, do you try something new?

Do you track the results of specific promotions? If not, how do you know whether running the promotion was worth your while?

Marketing isn’t a “set and forget” system. It requires ongoing attention and adjustments – which you cannot make if you don’t know what is working and what isn’t.

In conclusion

If you answered “yes” to most of the questions on the checklist, your marketing is on track.

If not, now would be a good time to adjust strategies – and reassess your target market – before wasting more time or money.

===============