Recent surveys have found that bringing in new leads and customers (customer acquisition) is one of the toughest parts of owning and operating a business.
It does not matter if your business is ran completely online or if you own a brick and mortar business such as a health club or plumbing service.
Getting new customers / clients is what makes your business successful! You must be marketing and coming up with different ways to get eyes in front of your products and services.
If you've tried your hand a few times you will realize that this is NOT easy. Having a marketing plan template is like having a map that leads to hidden treasure (more business).
I'm not talking about posting an ad in the Yellow Pages or hammering the phone, doing cold calls. All of those methods are so outdated because there is no way of tracking how effective your advertising is.
You need to have an Online Marketing Plan Template! Many smart business owners are taking advantage of the internet to find their target customers / clients.
The cool thing about marketing online is that in most cases you do not have to pay a dime to acquire new customers.
Just so you get the idea, here is a list of benefits to marketing your business online:
Set and Forget Marketing
Your efforts can go viral, meaning once you submit a piece of content related to your business, it is syndicated all over the web automatically. This leads in leads over time, so you do the work once and get paid for life!
Cheaper than Traditional Advertising
It's a lot cheaper than buying billboard ads, yellow page ads or even magazine ads. This type of advertising can cost anywhere from $ 1,000 to $ 10,000 per month. I work with small business owners just about every day and you would not believe the money they spend to get new customers.
Increase Brand Awareness
The highest asset in any business should be their brand. A lot of big companies brand name is worth several Billion dollars.
People buy whatever brand they recognize, this is a known fact. It does not matter what industry you are in, when people see your website and content all over the internet they will resonate with you and you will be the go to person / business in your particular industry.
Using sites such as Facebook and Twitter is really easy when you have a good online marketing plan template.
Better Credibility
Building credibility, creating social proof and building trust is what wins over customers. When you have a branded YouTube channel and your constantly giving your potential customers what they want you are doing just that. People buy from who they like and trust and in the online world there is NO exception!
I'm sure by now you notice that there are a TON of benefits related to marketing your business online, I could go on and on but I'm sure you catch my drift! 🙂
At this point, your probably asking the question, "How Do I Get Started?" You could begin searching Google for more information to see if you can put your own marketing plan together.
You could also seek out different marketing experts online, but expect to pay good money for these types of services.
WARNING: When looking for a company or expert to implement your online marketing for you, be sure to check their credentials first! Nothings worse than spending your hard earned money on something that does not put money back into your business.
I think it's important to educate yourself or train your staff to carry a good Online Marketing Plan. Once you or the people on your staff know what to do and finally master online marketing, you have an asset that will bring in an unlimited supply of new customers.
I called this "Do-It-Yourself" Marketing! I hope you enjoyed this article and kept away a few good pieces of information.
