A brand is comprised of three things:
- How you look
- How you speak (tone)
- How you behave
Building brand uniformity is easier in a small business than a large one. Use this to your advantage and have the confidence to embrace your personality and your values.
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Don’t be afraid to niche
In all our time running our business we have never met a business that has focussed too tightly on their target customers. Business owners are reticent to niche for hear of alienating potential new clients. The fact is the more focussed you can be, the more relevant you become to those that you want to help. You can afford to be ultra-forensic and thereby you become ultra appealing.
Think about how many clients you can service at one time to the best of your ability. Unless you are following a volume business model, most people can support between 10 and 20 clients themselves at any one time.
Be patient and be consistent
Effective marketing comes by playing the long game. If you walk into a networking room and you gain a client from that event, good fortune rather than good marketing likely played a major part. Data capture should be integral to the marketing strategy of a small business. The trick is to repeat messages in different ways, at different times using various channels. One interaction is not enough to sell. Nearer seven interactions is required. So consider in your networking planning how you will get, nurture and create these seven opportunities when you come across a prospect who you get on with and you know you can help.
