Marketing Consultant Contributions To Small Businesses
Small business owners often believe that by being good at what they do, their businesses will naturally expand, because word-of-mouth is the most effective type of marketing. They are not wrong. What they might be missing in this assumption, is that everyone else knows the power of word-of-mouth, and is doing a better job of mobilizing it to their own benefit.
This is the role of the marketing consultant. Because advertising is especially expensive for small businesses and can be ineffective, smaller businesses need the help of professional consultants. One tip your marketing consultant may provide is that while word of mouth is good, it needs to be carefully calibrated in order to be of use to you.
In small business marketing, the core introductory message is the most important. Business owners are notorious for having eyes bigger than their appetites, and a bad case of verbal diarrhea when it comes to their work. A concise message often has to be written by a neutral third party who can trim the owner's first draft into something easily repeatable.
Another obstacle? Clarifying, simplifying and diversifying are things that little companies are rarely successful in. Take a professional speaker, for example. The speaker can offer motivational speaking seminars and have mild success, but a marketing consultant can take that seminar and refine it so it can be given to salespeople, managers and business owners. The message has more focus in smaller groups, which makes it spread by word of mouth much more easily.
How does a company get buyers to be interested in their business? When the buyer shows interest, what do they do after the initial contact? Who do they talk to? How do they research the company? The Internet or a phone call? A marketing consultant can assist the company by researching competitive companies - what they are involved in, what type of customers they are attracting. A consultant can inform the customer about the company's website, name and get a phone number.
Finally, the small business is usually better served by smart, inexpensive marketing techniques than by advertising. Most business owners are not professional marketers, however, so it is important to recognize when the business should enlist the aid of a marketing consultant. This move can prevent them from wasting money on advertising. After a marketing message has been written, the advertising can wait a while, and will be fare more successful once it's used.
Those who own small businesses sometimes believe that, if they are good at what they do, their businesses will naturally expand through word-of-mouth marketing. They are correct. However, they may be overlooking the fact that all businesses owners know the power of word-of-mouth advertising. In small business marketing, the basic introductory message is the most important. For instance, a professional speaker might propose an inspirational speaking lecture. Therefore, you need a good marketing consultant. Small businesses need the help of marketing professionals most of all because advertising is so expensive and ineffective for most small businesses.
Published November 24th, 2007
Filed in Business, Home Business, Internet, Marketing