“Think small.” Now there’s a phrase you don’t hear very often. Think back through your life and ask yourself, “how many times have I been told to think small?” I’m guessing never. Parents, teachers, coaches always taught you to think big right? They told you to go for it, reach for the stars, and build your empire.
But when it comes to marketing for your small business, what is most personal is most universal. That is a potent thought. If you can identify a particular problem or issue that your business can solve for one specific customer, then it is highly likely other businesses have that same problem. A quick market survey can confirm the fact.
Now you can spin that into a marketing strategy that will have a universal impact. To define your market, don’t think about the marketplace. Think about one small business customer with one small business problem to solve. Think about the one person in that small business who is struggling with this issue and how it is affecting them. Then think about how your service or product solves that problem. Put forth content that continually educates and informs your audience on how to solve that problem. You will be surprised how quickly your content marketing campaign will solidify you as a valuable resource to your targeted market.
For this part of your strategy, you don’t need to worry about selling yourself. The act of educating and informing your audience does the selling for you. All you should care about is helping people. If you do that on a continuous basis, over time, you will build your reputation and credibility in the eyes of your prospects.
Eventually, you do need to sell something. Content marketing earns you the right to offer your products and services to the marketplace. People will take the time to consume your content because you took the time to share valuable stuff. You only garner the right to sell after you’ve invested the time and energy to help people by educating and informing them first.
Jim Anthony | So-Mark Founder