Small business marketing

There is a reason why smaller companies find it extraordinarily difficult to survive in business.

Certainly, owners of small business have passion. People in small business work hard. Small business people believe in the product completely. And cry tears of blood if anything ever goes wrong.

But there is a major stumbling block that small businesses, competing along side big businesses, rarely ever leap over... A factor that is easily managed by larger companies, that ensure large companies continue in business indefinitely, while small businesses come, go, and perish... It’s the stumbling block called “cost”.

A large company identifies cost as a form of investment, looks at return on money spent and contribution to brand equity, embraces is and treats it as mandatory.

A smaller business often tries to spend as little as possible, to do everything themselves where they can, even though they don’t have specialist knowledge in key areas, relying of doing ‘their best’.

Small Business Marketing Skills MUST match or Exceed Competitors

The problem is, particularly in consumer marketing, in particular, FMCG, refined and sophisticated skills are mandatory, not an option.

They have to embrace professional business skills... Exactly the same as their larger competitors, so the market will respond, their brands will grow, perpetuating their businesses.

How Small Business Can Prosper

Don’t fly blind - Before beginning business it’s important to have a goal for what you want to achieve. If don’t have a goal when starting a small business then you have no framework to work within, no clear strategy for marketing. Sit down with your marketing 'brains-trust', addressing topics such as your vision, reason for being and what you expect to achieve.

Small Business Marketing Mistakes

According to an eventual small business marketing survivor. Mike Roberts, the small business marketing mistakes he made (and are common to many small businesses) are:

• No marketing experience
• No money
• Afraid to take risk
• Working outside your skill set (trying to be a "jack of all trades")
• Not understanding how to name a brand from a marketing perspective
• Working in the business, not on the business
• Lack of launch tactics
• No scalability strategy
• No testing methods
• No prioritising of success factors
• Unimpressive "elevator pitch"