If you own a small business, it is likely that you spend a lot of time wondering where to find new customers. Attracting new customers is done through marketing, which can be either stressful or a lot of fun. You make It fun by understanding the different types of marketing and which one is best for your business. This is something people like John Barksdale specializes in.
4 John Barksdale Methods of Marketing a Small Business
- First of all there is blanket marketing. This is usually appropriate for larger businesses because a lot of money is spent in making sure the advertisement is seen by everybody. Common examples of blanket advertising include newspaper or magazine ads. Using this method means you have no control over the people who see your ad, but there is a potential to get it in front of a lot of different people. Unfortunately, it is very expensive and many small businesses will not see if sufficient return on investment.
- Then, there is targeted marketing. This means you know which demographic you want to reach and you’ll only target them. This could be a geographical area, an age range, a gender, or an ethnicity for instance. The benefit is that you are more likely to make sure the right people actually see your advertisement. However, determining your target and finding out how they are most likely to see your ad can take a lot of time.
- The third method is social media marketing. This is the newest form of marketing and one that is taking the world by storm. It essentially means you use any or all social media platforms through which you can advertise your business. Blogging is also classed as a form of social media marketing. The biggest advantage is that social media marketing can be completely free. However, you will reach a lot of people who will not have any interest in your message and it will take a lot of time to do this properly, as there is a chance that people aren’t interested in what you are saying.
- Last but not least, you have the choice of not engaging in marketing at all. There is one and only one advantage to this, which is that it will not cost you any money. However, while it may look like a way to save money overall, the reality is that it is unlikely that your business will be a success unless you market it. This means that you will eventually go under, which costs a lot of money. As such, it can be said that not engaging in marketing does cost.
These are the four key marketing methods available to you. Most small business owners will Focus quite heavily on social media marketing, as this has a very wide reach and is reasonably straightforward to use for little to no money at all. However, do make sure that you do not see this as easy, because even if social media marketing campaign has to be properly managed.
