Why Marketing Consistency Leads to Success
Originally published at coupleofcreatives.com on March 24, 2017.
Marketing is similar to practicing and with that consistency comes more success.
Practice means being consistent with growth in any new challenge. It goes without saying that the more you practice something the better you get at it.
Put Up or Shut Up
If you’re starting a new job, workout program, diet, or relationship you need to realize that the key to success is always consistency. From a business perspective, the same is true for marketing.
Consistently promoting your business and it’s services/products is a way to drive growth quickly and effeciently.
Ways to market consistently
There are numerous ways to market your business today. Communication has never been easier and with that, we are at an all time high of being able to put our businesses and their brand messaging in front of consumers.
Free ways to market yourself or business
Social media
is without a doubt something you should be investing time on as a business owner. Being free, it’s a collection of networks that puts your content forward for people interested in whatever it is you have to offer.
Consistently sharing, broadcasting and interacting with your followers is going to mean big business in the future. We use five main social media networks to spread the word about Couple of Creatives. You can pick whatever networks you like on your own but it’s not necessary to cover them all. In the end, pick the networks you know you will use. If you neglect any, it will come off as unprofessional.
On these social media accounts, we post a number of times a week (3–5). To help with this we use an application called Buffer which allows us to schedule and post on our behave. I highly recommend spending a day or so a week scheduling content. It will seem like a lot of work at first but you will save more time in the long run.
Networking
Attending meetups, talks, and general network meetings are free outlets to learn more about other business and explain the benefits of your own to members of your local community.
Consistently making an effort to network keeps your name in the back of like-minded business owners. The time may arise where they need a good or service you provide and they think of you first.
Focus on making good impressions. Come up with an elevator pitch about what it is you provide and how you can benefit consumers.
Interact more online
Forums, blogs, comment boards, and more are free places to show your appreciation, opinion, and expertise in a given area. You’ll likely want to hone in on topics surrounding your own business. For example, I visit a website called designernews.co quite often. It is an open forum for designers to talk about news, inspiration, ask questions, and more. I like to comment on some topics as well as post my own thoughts on the forum.
Doing this means a few things:
- My name gets spread a bit if the topic gains in popularity.
- I can offer advise and appear as a professional thus increasing my public perception.
- The more I reply and offer my own thoughts the more my name spreads
All of these things combined can come from a simple interaction on a website. It’s pretty amazing to think that many people got to where they are by simply stating what’s on their mind.
Blogging/YouTube
Subscribe to our channel for more videos!
We are avid bloggers and now YouTubers. I myself dedicate time to Couple of Creative’s YouTube channel and my own creation called Web-Crunch’s YouTube channel and blog. (I recommend you go subscribe if you’re interested in design, development, and entrepreneurship).
Premium ways to market yourself or business
Ads
Ads are the obvious route when it comes to promoting your business by spending money. Depending on your business you may need to take out ads in specific areas. We are an online business primarily so we take out ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google Display ads from time to time.
If your business is a storefront you can utilize the best of both worlds by doing a bit of both direct marketing and digital. Stumped about what those are? Read this for help.
Sponsorships
Radio spots, events, and printed collateral are great ways to spread the message about your business. These cost money but help accelerate your brand’s presence to many people of all types of backgrounds.
Radio sponsorships, for example, are run for a set amount of time. Business owners can pay for more spots as they please and in return, a radio station creates a radio reel about your business. Think of it as a dynamic testimonial and promotion in one that people hear quite often.
Signage
Billboards, flyers, storefront signs and much more are great ways to increase awareness of your business. These might not mean instant business but it creates an impression with people who see them. If they happen to need or want something you offer in the future, chances are they will think of your business first if they saw your sign.
So, Where to start?
If you’re new to marketing your own business you can do a lot these days on your own using the free and premium methods I mentioned prior. The main question to ask yourself is:
Do I have the time to market my own business?
We all want to be successful as well as have a personal life. Balancing those are forever a challenge but many find ways to make it work. Marketing takes a lot of work and again if not done consistently it can actually hinder business.
We actually talked very recently in a new video about how marketing incorrectly can also hinder business. Check it out
Let’s Rock n’ Roll
We recommend starting off by doing an audit of your business’s brand first and foremost.
Never rush into trying to advertise your business without first appearing professional, knowing what it is that you do and why. People need to be able to trust you and find the value in what you have to offer. Don’t give them any reason to feel uncomfortable.
If you’re not sure how to go about making your brand appear cohesive and professional you might consider hiring a professional. It just so happens this very challenge is something we are experts at. Let us give you a hand. 💡👫
If you’re not quite ready for help. Start with social media. Pick a couple of networks that you find yourself already on quite often. Facebook and Twitter are great places to create branded pages and promote your business for free. Start showing your followers you mean business by posting quality content often. Soon enough you’ll gain some attention and from there you can compound that attention into even more.
Have questions? We are here to help. Contact us today.
Originally published at coupleofcreatives.com on March 24, 2017.
