Setting up a business is a stressful time; you need to consider many different tasks and situations before launching your business. You will need to consider the location, service area, and distribution options (if selling items).
Additionally, you will need to order stock or materials, arrange an order or booking service, set up communication methods, and create a website. With so much to do, marketing can often become an afterthought that you only begin to consider closer to the launch of your business.
However, marketing should form part of your main business plan for several reasons; we have details of the three main reasons below.
Marketing Cost
Marketing will not be free; although you can market a business relatively inexpensively, you will often get what you pay for. If you choose to launch via social media, for example, and market your business that way, you could have friends and family share your business page.
For local services, you could also share the details of your business with local community groups, although some groups will have a rule against advertising. However, depending on your social media presence, this may not generate a lot of business.
When you are making a business plan, it is best to include ideas for marketing and a proposed budget. If applying for a small business loan, this will be something that is expected, as without marketing your business, you are unlikely to generate business by accident.
Marketing Service
Often, the easiest way to get started with marketing a new business is to use a company that specializes in this area. A marketing company will know the best EEAT marketing strategies for local service providers and businesses.
Ensuring that your marketing highlights your Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust is important to both your customers and search engines. Ensuring your business website demonstrates all four characteristics in this marketing strategy will help to improve the ranking on search engine results pages.
Improving the ranking on SERPs will ensure that your website, and therefore your business, will be highlighted to potential customers when they search for the service you provide. The higher your website ranks, the more chance there is for customers to engage with your business.
Marketing Start Date
Judging your marketing start date is important, too. Even with a marketing plan in place, it is important you do not begin marketing your business too early. If customers see the details of your business and cannot make a purchase or book a service for several months, this may dissuade them from returning to you.
However, it is also important that you do not leave it too late to begin your marketing process. Leaving it too close to your business start date could mean a prolonged period of time without any business while your marketing strategy begins to work.
It can be helpful to do a soft launch of a business with exclusive previews, offers, or discounts ahead of the full launch. This will also allow you to test out your website either with people you know or in a beta stage with feedback from customers, helping to shape the full launch.
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