Marketing your small business

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You’ve developed a product, set up your business including a website – now how do you raise awareness and draw in customers?

You may have originally had a few inquiries and purchases, but to sustain business growth  you need to keep generating interest and turning that to orders, while maintaining the customer base you have.

In talking to local, developing small businesses, most don’t have a large marketing budget and are reliant on social media.

Creating appropriate, regular and relevant content on social media is a skill and it takes time and familiarity with the medium.

To make effective use of social medial platforms you also need to understand how social media works and target the right platform for your audience, understanding the demographics of each.  For instance, fifty percent of Tik Tok users are under 30 years of age while in New Zealand Facebook attracts an older demographic with over fifty percent of users being female.  Women also account for the majority of Instagram users as they do on Pinterest.

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Therefore your chosen platform should reflect your product’s target market and may require you to post content across several platforms.  To gain maximum reach you also need to consider time of day and even day of the week that you post new content as these impact on a post uptake.

This recent analysis from Sprout Social gives an indication of how best to optimise your posts across different types of media.

A newly published article from NZBusiness offers A comprehensive social media marketing guide

Is it beginning to feel like this?

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Social media, whilst very important in today’s world, is but one of the low cost ways you raise awareness of your brand name.

For instance, do you have a regular email newsletter set up whereby you can keep customers up to date with new product developments, reminders about order cut offs or any deals you may be offering?

If you deliver product by car – have you considered having magnetic door panels printed with your logo, name and contact details?  These are relatively inexpensive to have done.

If you are visiting clients do you wear a ‘uniform’ with your business colours and logo featured?  It could be as simple as having t-shirts in your main brand colour printed with your logo.

Have you tapped in to your community networks – depending on your product providing a prize for the school fair or kindy fundraiser expands your exposure to new markets.

Are you capitalising on celebration days and life events?  For instance if you run a cleaning or gardening service do you promote gift vouchers for busy households or those with a new baby?  If your business is making and decorating special occasion cakes do how about promoting International Cake Day with a competition/giveaway?  (Yes, International Cake Day is a thing – 26 November).

For a light-hearted listing of all the days that could be celebrated check out the Days of the Year site (Please note this is an American site and it is unlikely National Grape Popsicle Day will ever take off in NZ).  However if you run a petshop why not celebrate and promote World Turtle Day (23 May) or Clean Your Aquarium day (18 June)?   Funny, Random and Weird Holidays and the more serious United Nations International Observances provide additional days.  All you need to do is pick one or two and leverage it to promote your business or product with your own twist.

Do you have fliers up at the local supermarket or on the community noticeboard?  If so, do they provide a QR code for potential customers to scan that takes them immediately to your website?

Do you network with other businesses that share your values?  Networking is a good way to collaborate on a project and share a customer base.  For instance, two fledgling businesses could combine to share a space at a community market or street fair, thereby halving costs.

Never underestimate the power of word of mouth advertising – do you acknowledge and share positive reviews on your website or social media?

Don’t forget the more traditional media.  Have you considered radio advertising?  A promotional piece and a competition in the local community newspaper?

If all this sounds like it adds to your workload consider investing in a Virtual Assistant with appropriate marketing and content creation skills.  You may well find the returns outweigh the investment.

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Instagram power : build your brand and reach more customers with the power of pictures / Miles, Jason
“If you’re not using Instagram to your advantage, you have to start now. Instagram is the hottest social media site today: Two years after its launch, the number of its daily mobile users surpassed that of Twitter. Then Facebook purchased it for a billion dollars–and it took the world by storm. Instagram Power provides everything you need to grab customers on the world’s most popular photo-sharing site. This guide covers it all–from setting up an account to promoting a brand to integrating the photo-sharing app into an existing marketing strategy.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

85 inspiring ways to market your small business : inspiring, self-help marketing strategies that you can apply to your own business immediately / Jarvis, Jackie
“A handy, pocket marketing consultant for small businesses, this title not only delivers great new ideas, but also shows how to apply them.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Big business marketing for small business budgets / McMurtry, Jeanette Maw
“Does advertising have a direct impact on sales? Is your business targeting the right group of potential customers for maximum profitability? Big Business Marketing for Small Business Budgets answers these and other questions and gives entrepreneurs and small business owners the tools to develop their own marketing campaign. The key to success for the small business owner is lifetime marketing. Lifetime marketing means that businesses need to continually track their customers’ purchase readiness to identify their best customers and develop a marketing plan that incorporates the ever-changing needs of a customer throughout that customer’s lifetime. Lifetime marketing is especially well suited to small businesses because of their limited resources, smaller budgets, and ability to provide individualized attention. Big Business Marketing for Small Business Budgets is a fully integrated workbook/web site package filled with worksheets to develop a step-by-step marketing plan; sample press releases, surveys, and direct mail pieces that appeal to the customer’s needs; and a program to aid in collecting data on the best customers. This hands-on, how-to book provides the understanding an” (Catalogue)

101 ways to market your business / Griffiths, Andrew
“A collection of simple tried and tested marketing ideas that business owners can implement easily and cheaply.” (Catalogue)

 

 

 

Marketing with no money / Squire, Leah
“Why are some businesses more successful than others? Most business owners make the mistake of thinking they are in the business of sales, service or production but reality is that whether you like it or not, you’re in the business of marketing.  In business, there is often little or nothing left in the marketing piggy bank. Marketing with No Money will provide you with strategies to get your business ‘out there’ – not only surviving, but thriving no matter what the economic climate” (Catalogue)

How to market, advertise, and promote your business or service in your own backyard / Egelhoff, Tom
“Create a successful and affordable marketing campaign for your local small business using the tips and detailed 10-point, step-by-step method in How to Market, Advertise and Promote Your Business or Service in Your Own Backyard.” (Catalogue)

 

The very good marketing guide : how to grow your business on a budget / Miocevich, Amy
“The Very Good Marketing Guide unpacks a 5-step framework that helps small businesses make essential, effective and business-altering decisions about marketing that help them reach their goals. It takes readers through the steps of creating, monitoring and supercharging their marketing strategy. The goal? To stop wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work, and eliminate the factors that are holding back growth.The Very Good Marketing Guide will help entrepreneurs to assess what is and isn’t working for their business right now. It will reveal problem areas that busy business owners might not even know are there-and it gives targeted solutions to overcoming those challenges”–Publisher’s description.” (Catalogue)

If you would like more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.

Promoting your community group

We were recently asked for ideas to help raise the profile (and subsequently increase membership of), a small community organisation.

Because, like business, a community group is no good without members (customers).
But how do you reach potential members, particularly when you have limited, or no, budget?
This is also a problem that faces fledgling small business and there will be suggestions below of interest to them as well.

Not all the items listed here will be appropriate to all organisations but the purpose of this is to act as a starting point.

 So let’s start with the old school method of advertising :

Fliers/brochures/posters

Fliers in two sizes – a display one in A4 and a handout size one in A5 will help.
Call upon membership to distribute around their networks and regularly visited places.

Places to put up a flyer or to display handouts (ask permission first):

Libraries;
Community centres;
Supermarkets/shopping centres where there are noticeboards;
Cafes;
Medical centres / GP practices (if it’s relevant to a particular health condition such as a support group);
Retail space where there is an alignment between product and service (eg: an arts supply company may be happy to display information about community arts classes).

Your fliers should be attractive and have contact details, purpose and any other relevant info.
(There are resources in the library collections that can help with this).

Print media

If you are having a celebration or other event or promotion send through some copy to the local community newspaper or newsletter.  Invite them along to photograph the event or you could provide good quality photos with your copy.

Depending on your skill set (and type of community group you are) offer to write a monthly/quarterly column on a related topic.
Make it entertaining and informative – part education and part reality.

There are two free community newspapers within Wellington  :
The Independent Herald covers the western suburbs.
Regional news – Wellington

There are also community bulletins printed and distributed in Kilbirnie and Brooklyn.  Copies are usually located in libraries and other community spaces.

Social media/online 

For community groups and non-profits Wellington community centres have a facebook page and/or a newsletter.  Ask them to profile your group.  You can assist by providing them with copy.

Use Neighbourly to advertise upcoming meetings or new business offerings.

Community facebook pages (aka Find your tribe online)

Most suburban communities have a facebook page although you need to join a group to gain access.  Community groups and local businesses are often welcome to post on these pages (although remember your manners and don’t overdo it).

Search Facebook by relevant suburb.  For instance the Western suburbs have these groups and you can readily see how active they are and how many members participate in these pages :

Ngaio, Crofton Downs, Khandallah, Broadmeadows Community Group
Private group · 3K members · 4 posts a day
Community notices and events for the Northern Suburbs of Wellington

Johnsonville/Surrounding Suburbs, community and local business
Public group · 1.4K members · 3 posts a day
Working alone side the Johnsonville buy and sell page run by the same admins. We see the need for a community page for our local and small business …

Wadestown/Thorndon/Wilton Community Notice Board
Private group · 1.2K members · 2 posts a day
We welcome people living in the wider Wadestown, Thorndon and Wilton area to post any public community notices, events, lost pets, situations vacant etc

Other

Depending on what your group or business does, offer to speak to groups like Rotary, Probus, U3A.   They regularly seek speakers.  Make it interesting and informative, not an infomercial.

If you can tie it in with some relevant national event.  A community group with an interest in sustainability could offer to speak around Earth Day.  A health support group could tie it in with a national education week/day eg : Heart health week.

Utilise local street fairs and festivals particularly in the summer months.

Often run by community service groups there is often only a small charge for a community group distributing information.

Some in the Wellington region include :
Tawa spring festival (October)
Khandallah (Nov-Dec)
Thorndon (December)
Island Bay (Feb)
Karori festival (Feb)
Newtown (March

These events can be quite physically demanding though but it’s a way of communicating with the local community and raising your profile.

Library resources

Below are some books we have in our collection.  As all are a little older most will be held in storage at Te Pataka, Johnsonville.
If you go to the catalogue record, then the “copy locations’ at the left of the record, you can see where the item is held.
If it’s not at your local library you can click “reserve” then select the library you would like it delivered to and, at no charge, the item should be available for pick up within 24-48 hours.

Although these say ‘business’ the marketing of a community group is the same as promoting a business.

How to market, advertise, and promote your business or service in your own backyard / Egelhoff, Tom
“Create a successful and affordable marketing campaign for your local small business using the tips and detailed 10-point, step-by-step method in How to Market, Advertise and Promote Your Business or Service in Your Own Backyard.” (Catalogue)

 

Promote your business : how to write effective marketing material for your small business / Morel, Mary
“A practical book that brings together all the writing tools a small business needs. Learn how to write effective marketing brochures, newsletters, press releases and advertisements for your business.” (Catalogue)

 

 

101 ways to market your business / Griffiths, Andrew
“A collection of simple tried and tested marketing ideas that business owners can implement easily and cheaply.” (Catalogue)

 

 

 

Marketing for success : a practical, down-to-earth approach to marketing your small business in New Zealand on a limited budget / Senior, Glen
“Fire up your marketing using practical tips and the latest in marketing thinking. Find out how much you can achieve on a limited budget. Follow this simple step-by step guide that shows you what to do first to save you wasting money on expensive marketing and promotions that don’t work:?” (Adapted from Catalogue)

If you want to take it up a notch with social media, try this :

How to say it : marketing with new media : a guide to promoting your small business using websites, E-zines, blogs, and podcasts / Claxton, Lena
“Read Lena Claxton and Alison Woo’s posts on the Penguin Blog. The essential resource for building a global community of customers. How to Say It(R) Marketing with New Media provides business owners with the tools they need to effectively market their company to today’s ever-evolving online community. Packed with power words, content templates, practical steps for getting the word out, and the essentials of speaking to the right audience, this book is the key to building a community of loyal customers online. It also offers quick tips for generating website copy, articles, podcast scripts, and blog posts months in advance, so any small business owner can start an online marketing campaign regardless of limited schedules and budgets.” (Catalogue)

There are sections within these books about designing fliers and brochures, writing copy for the press etc but we can assist further with these things if you wish to pursue them.

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.

Podcasting for business

The number of people who listen to podcasts is increasing annually.  Podcasts are an easy way to take in information, particularly when commuting or working out.

For a business this means a different/alternative way of delivering content to an audience.

This article, The power of podcasting gives an explanation as to why podcasts are an important component of marketing your business.

NZ’s National Association of Media Educators offers some resources on making podcasts at this link.

A great example of a business podcast series is Wellington NZ’s Imagine This. Fronted by journalist Jehan Casinader, Imagine This is a podcast about creative people who have started from their garages and kitchen tables, and built businesses that are making an impact. Right here in Wellington, in Aotearoa, and way beyond. Hear how they brought their wildest dreams to life, and what it’s like to do business in Wellington

If you find that inspiring and want to have a go at making your own podcast then consider using  Wellington City Libraries recording studio at the Hive, Johnsonville.

Tūhura HIVE Studio

Here at Tūhura HIVE, we have contructed a studio for you to come in and record and edit your musical and video creations. We used the philosophy of ‘Your best home setup’, so everything you do in the studio you can conceivably do at home. The studio is free for the first two hours of usage, then is $19p/hr after that.  Bookings are essential.

Bookings can be made by emailing the address provided in the link above or by calling 04 801 3004. Please provide your name, and preferred date and time.

If you want further information Wellington City Libraries has a number of resources in book, e-book or audiobook format.  You can link to the catalogue entries below and find out their locations and availability.

Profitable podcasting : grow your business, expand your platform, and build a nation of true fans / Woessner, Stephen
“Podcasting offers rich opportunities, especially if you do it right. Lays out a precise formula for creating, launching, marketing and monetizing podcasts in any industry.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Podcasting marketing strategy : a complete guide to creating, publishing and monetizing a successful podcast / Rowles, Daniel
“Podcasting is a hugely persuasive yet under-utilized channel accessed by an affluent and influential demographic. In a crowded and noisy digital environment, it gives organizations, brand builders and marketers the unique opportunity to stand out and drive engagement with target audiences. It offers accurate and measurable levels of allegiance that can only be dreamed of on other digital channels. Podcasting Marketing Strategy is a complete guide to the podcast environment. It describes the importance of podcasting for businesses and explains why, uniquely, it has the highest level of consumer commitment than any other social media. Written by an award-winning author and his co-host of the global top ten iTunes podcast, The Digital Marketing Podcast, this book explains how podcasting can drive business results, advises on how to record, edit and advertise your content and provides a unique digital marketing toolkit. Supported by case studies from influential organizations around the globe, Podcasting Marketing Strategy is the definitive authority to making and publishing podcasts that deliver quantifiable results.” — Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

So you want to start a podcast : finding your voice, telling your story, and building a community that will listen : 7 steps to take you from idea to hit show / Meinzer, Kristen
“A comprehensive step-by-step guide to creating a hit show, So You Want to Start a Podcast covers everything from hosting and guest booking to editing and marketing – while offering plenty of encouragement and insider stories along the way. Though they are the fastest-growing form of media, podcasts are actually difficult to create—and even harder to sustain. Few know the secrets of successfully creating a knockout podcast better than Kristen Meinzer. An award-winning commentator, producer, and former director of nonfiction programming for Slate’s sister company, Panoply, Meinzer has also hosted three successful podcasts, reaching more than ten million listeners. Now she shares her expertise, providing aspiring podcasters with crucial information and guidance to start their own audio forum. Meinzer believes that we each have a unique voice that deserves to be heard. But many of us may need some help transforming our ideas into reality. So You Want to Start a Podcast asks the tough questions to help budding podcasters define and achieve their goals, including: Why do you want to start a podcast? Think about specifically why you want to start a podcast versus a blog, zine, YouTube channel, Instagram feed, or other media outlet. Find out if a podcast is really the best way to tell your story. What is your show about? For any advertiser, corporate partner, or press outlet, you need a snappy pitch. How would you describe what you want to do in two to three sentences? Who is your podcast for? Who are you trying to reach? How will your content and tone appeal to those listeners? How is your show going to be structured? Create a step-by-step map planning the show out. Think about length, segments, interviews, advice, news reads, and other aspects of successful podcasts you can adapt for your own. With this motivational how-to guide—the only one on the subject available—you’ll find the direction you need to produce an entertaining and informative podcast and promote it to the right audience. So You Want to Start a Podcast gives you the tools you need to start a podcast—and the insight to keep it thriving.” (Catalogue)

How to Start and Grow a Successful Podcast : Tips, Techniques and True Stories from Podcasting Pioneers / Smith, Gilly
“The only guide you need to build a podcast from scratch with tips, techniques and stories from the pioneers of podcasting, by expert and early adopter Gilly Smith. From This American Life’s Ira Glass and George the Poet to the teams behind My Dad Wrote a Porno and Table Manners with Jessie Ware, this practical book is packed full of exclusive, behind-the-scenes advice and informative, inspiring stories that will teach you how to tell the greatest stories in the world. This is a comprehensive yet accessible and warmly written book for creatives who are striving to understand how their content could be successfully turned into a podcast, from conception through to execution, distribution, marketing and monetising. It covers: – Recognising who your show is for, deciding what it is about and where to find inspiration. – Deciding on the format and working on structure and script. – Hosting, casting and interview techniques. – Production expertise – from equipment you’ll need to editorial tips and determining the ideal length of your show. – Distribution – deciding on a release schedule, show art, metadata and how to distribute. – Growing your podcast – promotion and building community among fans. With original material throughout, case studies from podcasters across genres and a companion podcast featuring interviews with the pioneers, this is a first in guides to podcasting.” (Catalogue)

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.

Business branding on promotional items

It’s no secret librarians love freebies. If library conferences are anything to go by, vendor branded stationery items and tote bags are always in demand. Library distributor Baker and Taylor’s Cat bags have gained the status of collectors’ items in the library world.

For a small to medium business is it worth investing in such giveaways and promotional items?

While it may seem a large outlay for a small business this article in Forbes says yes :

Giving away free product benefits businesses more than any accountant would likely care to admit. It’s a strategy that will generate social media engagement, give your brand the microphone to sing their song and most importantly, get your name and product out where it can shine.

The Overlooked Value of Promotional Items supports this, quoting a report that found that branded mugs were more effective than radio and television when it came to advertising.

There are numerous companies in New Zealand who specialise in producing branded products.

Google “promotional items”, “promotional products” or “corporate gifts” and you will find a wide range of items on offer.

The companies will work with you to select appropriate products and assist with the artwork needed for the branding.

Like everything there are trends to promotional giveaways with branded facemasks being popular at present and reusable, eco-friendly products also rating highly.

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library. We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources. All enquiries are treated in confidence.

Online marketing for artists and craftspeople

Attending a craft market in the leadup to Christmas made me realise :

A – how many extremely talented, crafty people are out there and
B – how Covid has impacted on their product marketing with various fairs and markets being cancelled in 2021.


Many craftspeople spend the winter months ‘crafting’ their products and their summer weekends travelling a route around the lower North Island to sell at street fairs and markets, big and small.

Many are having to find alternative outlets to market their products.

This includes selling online either via their own website or a marketplace site. Regardless of the platform, online commerce is a skill that requires understanding.

WCL’s collection has a number of resources that can assist those in the craft market to understand marketing and selling their work in the online environment.  (Of course, if you are seeking ideas and inspiration, we can help with that too).

How to show & sell your crafts : how to build your craft business at home, online, and in the marketplace / Jayne, Torie
“For crafters who want to take their craft to a new entrepreneurial level, this book is the perfect guide. Using highly-visual, step-by-step tutorials, How to Show & Sell Your Crafts is packed with helpful branding, selling, and merchandising tips that no serious crafter should be without. Using the workspaces, shops, salons, and “through-the-keyhole” profiles of some of the world’s most successful crafters, readers will learn the best ways to merchandise and sell their items online, at craft fairs, markets, pop-up events, exhibitions, and in shops. Plus, you’ll learn how to build a personality-driven brand, create a memorable blog or website, improve your photography skills, and analyze your results to help move your business forward into the future. You start by learning how to optimize your workspace to improve creativity and profitability, then how to build a strong brand name and online presence across multiple social media platforms. Lastly, learn how to get your work out into the marketplace, engage customers, and use the insider secrets offered in this book to set yourself up for success and grow your sales!”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)


Selling your crafts online : with Etsy, ebay, and Pinterest / Miller, Michael
“Step-by-step guide to the world’s online craft marketplaces and how to attract new customers where millions of them already hang out.” (Catalogue)

 

 

From passion to profit : start your business in 6 weeks or less! : a step-by-step guide to making money from your hobby by selling online / Hughes, Claire
“Thanks to the internet, it’s never been easier to make money by sharing your passion with the world. This practical, step-by-step guide will get you from IDEA to ACTION… in rapid time. By the time you finish this book, you will have an online shop up and running, and be ready to take orders from customers around the world.” (Catalogue)

How to sell your art online : live a successful creative life on your own terms / Huff, Cory
“An essential guide for every kind of artist that teaches you how to find your niche, connect directly with collectors, and sell what you make. With the explosion of the Internet, a new generation of savvy, independent artists is connecting with collectors and making a substantial living doing what they love in any medium-fine art, photography, mixed media, crafts, design, and more. Now with the help of this book, you can too. How to Sell Your Art Online shows you how to: Make a successful living from your work Use effective business strategies necessary to make artistic creations pay Find your niche Build an effective website Market yourself using e-mail, blogging, social media, and paid advertising-and how to tie all these online activities into offline success Most important, Huff shares the secret to overcoming the biggest challenge that artists face when self-marketing: learning how to tell your unique story. Every artist has a reason for making art but can’t always find the right way to express it. Huff provides exercises you can use to clarify the intellectual and emotional process behind your art, and teaches you how to turn that knowledge into stories you can tell online and in person-and how to expand your reach through blogs and social media to build your art business. Take control of your creative career-and sell your work without selling out.” (Catalogue)

Sewing to sell : the beginner’s guide to starting a craft business / Lindsay, Virginia Keleher
“You love to sew. Don’t you wish you could make a living from your sewing? You can, with the help of this practical guide for turning your passion for sewing into a successful home business. Everything you need to know is here, from finding your personal sewing style to creating a product line, identifying customers, equipping your studio, pricing and selling your work, marketing yourself, designing your own patterns, and handling the business and legal side of sewing. And that’s not all! You also get 16 projects (all customer-tested) to start sewing and selling right now.” (Catalogue).  Also available as an ebook


Online marketing for your craft business : how to get your handmade products discovered, shared and sold on the internet / Pullen, Hilary
“Witten by an experienced marketing professional working in the crafts market, this book is full of practical tips to improve your online networking skills and save you precious time. It will teach you everything you need to know about online marketing, and how to set measurable goals which will have a positive impact on sales and brand awareness.” (Catalogue)

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.