Marketing 101

MARKETING 101: THE ABSOLUTE BASICS

Marketing needn’t be complicated or expensive. It’s just a matter of making sure people get to hear about your business…

LET’S forget about fancy definitions about what marketing is and how it differs from promotions, advertising or business development. When it comes to small businesses, marketing is anything you do that makes people do what you want them to do. Companies that fail do so because they fail to connect with their customer base. We now have more ways of doing so than ever before, so there’s little excuse for not spending some time and effort on marketing.

Referrals and testimonials

This is a zero cost marketing activity. It should be done constantly as word of mouth builds businesses. People trust the recommendations of those they know. Simply pass a card or leaflet on to your clients and ask them to pass them on to anyone who might benefit from your services, or ask them to put it on the noticeboard at work.

You can also ask them to provide a testimonial you can use on your website and social media. Feel free just to use first names or initials rather than full names. The best time to ask is when a client has just commented on how much better they feel!

Your practice room windows

If you have a practice room where people walk past, make sure they know what you offer by using a poster or window vinyl graphics that also include your contact phone number and website. If you work from home, consider a sign or plaque that gives your business name, speciality and website that can be attached to a wall or gate at the front of the house.

Posters and leaflets

Sometimes, old school marketing methods can be pretty effective. Print some posters you can ask for permission to put up in places with a lot of people, such as supermarkets, shops, workplaces and colleges. Similarly, professionally printed leaflets are cheap to buy and you could deliver some in areas where your target customers live.

Social media and community magazine advertising

Advertising in community magazines can be a great way of reaching a lot of people for relatively little cash. Your local community council should be able to point you in the right direction. Similarly, advertising on Facebook – if your target audience is thirty plus and female – or Google can be cost effective. You can find guides to both in previous issues of HTM or online. Look out for vouchers that offer £50 or £75 in free advertising.

PR – advertising for free

Rather than pay for an ad campaign, contact your local radio stations, magazines and newspapers and ask if you can write them some topical articles on health and wellbeing in exchange for a mention and link to your website. You can use the list of awareness ideas that we publish in each issue as a starting point. Newspapers often have older readers, so think about issues like mobility, arthritis and chronic pain as well as mental wellbeing and stress. Radio stations have a good proportion of listeners who are working from home on in their vehicles, so features about the benefits of your treatments for ailments that come about from sitting too much, like postural issues, aging and sedentary lifestyles. Whatever marketing mix you choose, keep your intended customer at the heart of all your marketing messages. n