As a former marketing consultant and trainer I love marketing. I know many small business owners who don’t. For me marketing is a creative challenge but needs a mix of logic and emotion, science and creativity, data and understanding
That in itself might be why business owners dislike marketing but other reasons could include…
- it feels like icky self promotion
- it feels like selling and we don’t like that
- it takes too much of our time
- we don’t really understand what we should be doing
- we work hard but the results aren’t great
We’re here to help
In our introduction rounds in November 2025 we’re asking you to tell us one thing we can help you to do with your marketing. I’d like us to go beyond the ‘comment and share my social media posts’. Here are some ideas to prompt your thinking…
ideal clients… do you have one or more than one type of ideal client? Where do they hang out? How do they look for your services? What’s their number one priority right now? What has changed for them in the last year? What’s worrying them/holding them back? Could we help you refine your understanding?
customer journey… how do your ideal clients reach a buying decision? Who do they consult at each step in their journey? Who has to approve the buying decision? What are their selection criteria? How long does the process take? Is the decision seasonal? Can we help you develop your customer journey map?
competition… competition isn’t just about direct competitors though you should understand them. Competition can come from alternative solutions or even your ideal client doing nothing (I’ve put off buying a replacement for my broken microwave for 5+ years!) Can we give you some insights?
your creative… you could use your introduction to test out headlines, messaging, imagery content etc. Seek our opinions.
channels… get ideas for where to place your marketing to reach your ideal client
messaging… what are the core themes that will get your ideal client (or referrer) to sit up, listen and take action? Your fellow networkers are likely to have some ideas.
ideas… you may like us to brainstorm ideas for your videos, podcasts or other marketing
tools… it may be you’re looking for recommendations for tools to support your marketing e.g. CRM software to track your prospects and customers, image libraries, email marketing platforms etc. Ask us to share our experiences.
Asking for help
Please prepare your request for help before the meeting. Keep it tight and specific. Remember this is an introduction round so be prepared that there may be visitors present who will need a brief description of your business. There may not be time for everyone to answer your plea for help at the meeting so do think how people can share their feedback outside the meeting.
