So, you’ve decided to start your own business and have the necessary products or services you want to sell, but now what?

Advertising your business in South Africa may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t need to be, all you need is a clear starting point and a plan.

With so many ways to market your business, we cover the top 10 ways in which you can advertise your business

Top 10 ways to advertise your small business in South Africa

1. Create a Business Website

1. Online Presence: In today’s digital age, having a website is essential for establishing an online presence and reaching potential customers who search for products or services online. A website serves as a virtual storefront where customers can learn about your business, browse your offerings, and make purchases or inquiries at their convenience.
2. Credibility and Trust: A professional-looking website instills trust and credibility in your brand. It gives potential customers confidence that your business is legitimate and reputable. Without a website, some customers may question the legitimacy of your business or choose to do business with competitors who have an online presence.
3. 24/7 Accessibility: Unlike a physical storefront with limited operating hours, a website is accessible 24/7, allowing customers to interact with your business at any time of day or night. This accessibility increases convenience for customers and enables you to capture leads, make sales, and provide support around the clock, even when your physical location is closed.
4. Marketing and Branding: A website serves as a central hub for your marketing efforts, allowing you to showcase your brand, products, and services to a wider audience. You can use your website to share valuable content, run promotions and campaigns, collect customer feedback, and build relationships with your target market through email marketing and social media integration.
5. Reach and Expansion: With a website, you can reach customers beyond your local geographic area and tap into new markets. Whether you’re targeting customers in different cities, states, or countries, a website provides a platform for expanding your reach and growing your customer base without the limitations of physical location.
6. Competitive Advantage: Many small businesses already have a website, and those that don’t risk falling behind competitors who do. A well-designed and optimized website gives you a competitive advantage by making it easier for potential customers to find and engage with your business online.
7. Customer Support and Service: A website can serve as a valuable resource for providing customer support and service. You can include FAQs, knowledge bases, troubleshooting guides, and contact forms to help customers find answers to their questions and resolve issues efficiently, reducing the burden on your customer service team.

2. Marketing through Google Ads

Advertising through Google Ads is important for small businesses for several reasons:

1. Targeted Reach: Google Ads allows small businesses to target their advertising to specific geographic locations, demographics, interests, and search keywords. This targeting capability ensures that ads are shown to relevant audiences who are more likely to be interested in the products or services being offered.
2. Cost-Effective: Google Ads offers flexible budgeting options, allowing small businesses to set their own budget and only pay when users click on their ads (pay-per-click or PPC). This pay-as-you-go model makes it cost-effective for small businesses to advertise online, as they can control their spending and track the return on investment (ROI) of their advertising campaigns.
3. Immediate Visibility: Unlike traditional advertising methods that may take time to generate results, Google Ads offers immediate visibility for small businesses. Ads can appear at the top of Google search results pages (SERPs) and on relevant websites within the Google Display Network, putting small businesses in front of potential customers right when they are searching for products or services.
4. Measurable Results: Google Ads provides robust analytics and reporting tools that allow small businesses to track the performance of their advertising campaigns in real-time. Business owners can monitor metrics such as clicks, impressions, conversions, and ROI, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and optimize their campaigns for better results.
5. Brand Awareness: Google Ads can help small businesses increase brand awareness and visibility online. Even if users don’t click on the ads, they still see the business’s name, logo, and messaging, which can help build brand recognition and familiarity over time.
6. Competitive Advantage: Advertising through Google Ads allows small businesses to compete with larger competitors in their industry. With the right targeting, ad messaging, and optimization strategies, small businesses can effectively reach their target audience and attract customers away from competitors who may have larger marketing budgets.
7. Flexibility and Control: Google Ads offers small businesses flexibility and control over their advertising campaigns. Business owners can easily adjust ad settings, targeting criteria, ad copy, and bidding strategies to optimize performance and achieve their advertising goals.

3. Email Marketing

Email marketing is important for promoting a small business for several reasons:

1. Direct Communication: Email marketing provides a direct and personalized way to communicate with your audience. By sending targeted messages directly to subscribers’ inboxes, you can engage with them on a one-to-one basis, building relationships and fostering customer loyalty.
2. Cost-Effective: Compared to traditional marketing channels like print or TV advertising, email marketing is highly cost-effective. With minimal expenses for email marketing software and list management, small businesses can reach a large audience at a fraction of the cost of other marketing methods.
3. High ROI: Email marketing consistently delivers a high return on investment (ROI) for businesses. According to industry reports, email marketing has one of the highest ROI among digital marketing channels, with an average return of $42 for every $1 spent. This makes it a valuable marketing tool for small businesses looking to maximize their marketing budget.
4. Targeted Messaging: Email marketing allows you to segment your audience based on demographics, interests, purchasing behavior, and other criteria. This segmentation enables you to send personalized and targeted messages that resonate with specific segments of your audience, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversions.
5. Automation and Scalability: Email marketing platforms offer automation features that allow you to set up automated email campaigns based on triggers such as sign-ups, purchases, or specific actions taken by subscribers. This automation saves time and resources, allowing small businesses to scale their email marketing efforts effectively.
6. Measurable Results: Email marketing provides detailed analytics and reporting tools that allow you to track the performance of your campaigns in real-time. You can monitor metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and revenue generated, enabling you to measure the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions to optimize future campaigns.
7. Promotion and Sales: Email marketing is an effective channel for promoting products, services, promotions, discounts, and special offers to your audience. By sending targeted promotional emails, you can drive traffic to your website, increase sales, and generate revenue for your small business.
8. Brand Awareness and Engagement: Regularly sending valuable and relevant content to your email subscribers helps build brand awareness and keep your business top-of-mind. By providing value through educational content, industry news, and exclusive offers, you can keep subscribers engaged and interested in your brand.

4. Post Valuable Content

Content marketing is important for sales for small businesses for several reasons:

1. Establishing Expertise: Content marketing allows small businesses to showcase their expertise and knowledge in their industry. By creating high-quality and informative content, such as blog posts, articles, guides, and videos, small businesses can position themselves as thought leaders and trusted authorities, earning the trust and confidence of potential customers.
2. Building Trust and Credibility: Content marketing helps build trust and credibility with potential customers by providing valuable information and insights. When businesses consistently deliver helpful and relevant content to their audience, it demonstrates their commitment to providing value and solving their customers’ problems, which builds trust and fosters long-term relationships.
3. Educating Customers: Content marketing educates potential customers about the products or services offered by a small business. By creating educational content that addresses common questions, concerns, and pain points of their target audience, businesses can help potential customers make informed purchasing decisions and overcome objections, ultimately leading to increased sales.
4. Generating Leads: Content marketing is an effective way to attract and generate leads for small businesses. By creating compelling and engaging content that addresses the needs and interests of their target audience, businesses can attract qualified leads who are interested in their products or services. Content marketing strategies such as gated content, lead magnets, and email opt-ins can help businesses capture contact information from leads and nurture them through the sales funnel.
5. Increasing Visibility and Brand Awareness: Content marketing helps increase the visibility and brand awareness of small businesses by providing valuable content that attracts and engages their target audience. When businesses consistently publish content that resonates with their audience and is shared across various channels, such as social media, email, and search engines, they can reach a wider audience and increase awareness of their brand, products, and services.
6. Driving Traffic to Website: Content marketing is an effective way to drive traffic to a small business’s website. By creating content optimized for search engines and sharing it on social media and other channels, businesses can attract organic traffic from search engines and referral traffic from social networks, leading to increased exposure and opportunities for sales.
7. Supporting Sales Process: Content marketing supports the sales process by providing valuable resources and information to potential customers at each stage of their buyer’s journey. From awareness and consideration to decision-making and post-purchase support, businesses can create content that addresses the needs and concerns of customers at every stage, helping to move them closer to making a purchase.

5. Register for a Google Business Profile

Having a Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is important for small businesses for several reasons:

1. Increased Visibility in Google Search and Maps: A Google Business Profile appears prominently in Google search results and Google Maps when users search for businesses or services related to your industry or location. By having a verified business profile, small businesses can increase their visibility and make it easier for potential customers to find them online.
2. Enhanced Online Presence: A Google Business Profile provides a dedicated space where small businesses can showcase important information about their business, including their name, address, phone number, website, business hours, and photos. This helps potential customers learn more about the business and makes it easier for them to contact or visit the business.
3. Improved Local SEO: Having a Google Business Profile is essential for improving local search engine optimization (SEO) and increasing visibility in local search results. Google prioritizes businesses with verified profiles when displaying local search results, making it easier for small businesses to rank higher and attract local customers.
4. Customer Reviews and Ratings: A Google Business Profile allows customers to leave reviews and ratings, providing valuable social proof and feedback for potential customers. Positive reviews and high ratings can improve the credibility and reputation of a small business, while negative reviews present an opportunity for businesses to address customer concerns and improve their services.
5. Insights and Analytics: Google Business Profiles provide valuable insights and analytics that allow small businesses to track how customers find and interact with their business online. Business owners can monitor metrics such as search queries, views, clicks, and requests for directions or calls, enabling them to understand their audience better and optimize their online presence accordingly.
6. Free Marketing Tool: Google Business Profiles are free to create and manage, making them an accessible marketing tool for small businesses with limited budgets. By taking advantage of this free resource, small businesses can increase their online visibility, attract more customers, and compete effectively with larger competitors in their industry.
7. Integration with Google Services: A Google Business Profile integrates seamlessly with other Google services, such as Google Maps, Google Search, and Google Reviews. This integration ensures consistent and accurate information across multiple platforms, providing a cohesive online presence for small businesses and making it easier for customers to find and engage with them.

6. Distribution of printed advertising

Handing out printed marketing materials can improve sales for small businesses in several ways:

1. Tangible Presence: Printed marketing materials such as brochures, flyers, and business cards provide a tangible presence for the small business. Unlike digital marketing channels that can easily be ignored or forgotten, printed materials physically occupy space and can leave a lasting impression on potential customers.
2. Brand Visibility: Printed materials increase brand visibility by putting the small business’s name, logo, and messaging directly into the hands of potential customers. Whether it’s a brochure handed out at a trade show or a flyer distributed in a local neighborhood, printed materials help raise awareness of the business and its offerings.
3. Targeted Distribution: Printed materials can be strategically distributed to target specific audiences or locations where potential customers are likely to be found. For example, a small business might distribute flyers in local neighborhoods or hand out brochures at industry events to reach their target demographic effectively.
4. Informational Content: Printed marketing materials provide an opportunity to convey detailed information about the small business, its products or services, and its value proposition. Brochures, for example, can showcase product features, benefits, pricing, and customer testimonials in a visually appealing format that engages and informs potential customers.
5. Personalized Interaction: Handing out printed materials allows for personalized interaction between the small business and potential customers. Whether it’s a face-to-face interaction at a networking event or a flyer handed out by a street team, the act of physically handing someone a marketing piece creates an opportunity for engagement and conversation.
6. Call to Action: Printed marketing materials can include clear calls to action that encourage potential customers to take the next step, whether it’s visiting the business’s website, making a purchase, or contacting the business for more information. Including a compelling call to action increases the likelihood of converting leads into sales.
7. Brand Recall: Printed materials can help reinforce brand recall by providing a physical reminder of the small business and its offerings. Even if potential customers don’t immediately take action after receiving a flyer or brochure, the presence of the printed material can keep the business top-of-mind and influence their purchasing decisions in the future.

7. Consider Renting Digital Billboard Space

Billboard advertising can be a good option for small businesses for several reasons:

1. High Visibility: Billboards are large, eye-catching displays that can be placed in high-traffic areas, such as highways, urban centers, and commercial districts. Their size and prominent placement ensure that they capture the attention of a large audience, making them an effective way to increase brand visibility and awareness.
2. Targeted Reach: While billboards have a broad reach, they can also be strategically placed to target specific geographic areas or demographics relevant to the small business’s target audience. For example, a small business may choose to place billboards near its location or in areas where its target customers are likely to frequent.
3. Brand Recognition: Billboards provide a continuous presence for the small business’s brand, helping to build brand recognition and familiarity over time. As potential customers see the billboard repeatedly, they become more familiar with the brand and are more likely to remember it when making purchasing decisions.
4. Impactful Messaging: With limited space and time to capture viewers’ attention, billboard advertising requires concise and impactful messaging. Small businesses can use billboards to communicate key messages, promotions, or unique selling points in a memorable and compelling way, driving interest and generating leads.
5. Complement to Digital Marketing: While digital marketing channels offer precise targeting and measurable results, billboard advertising offers a complementary offline strategy that can enhance overall marketing efforts. By combining both digital and traditional marketing channels, small businesses can reach a broader audience and reinforce their messaging across multiple touchpoints.
6. Long-Term Exposure: Unlike other forms of advertising that may have a limited lifespan, billboards offer long-term exposure for the small business’s brand. Once installed, billboards remain in place for an extended period, providing continuous visibility and reinforcement of the brand’s message to passersby.
7. Cost-Effective: Despite their large size and prominent placement, billboard advertising can be cost-effective compared to other forms of advertising, such as television or radio commercials. Small businesses can choose from various billboard sizes, locations, and durations to fit their budget and marketing goals.
8. Local Impact: For small businesses serving a local market, billboard advertising can have a significant impact on driving foot traffic and increasing sales. By targeting billboards in specific neighborhoods or communities, small businesses can reach local customers effectively and generate awareness within their immediate vicinity.

8. Add Your Business to Local Listing Websites

Listing their websites on free online directory services can provide several benefits for small businesses:

1. Increased Online Visibility: By listing their websites on online directories, small businesses can increase their online visibility and make it easier for potential customers to find them when searching for products or services in their area.
2. Improved Local SEO: Many online directories are location-based and allow users to search for businesses by location. By listing their website on these directories, small businesses can improve their local search engine optimization (SEO) and increase their chances of appearing in local search results.
3. Backlink Opportunities: Online directories often provide backlinks to listed websites, which can improve the website’s search engine rankings. Backlinks from reputable directories can increase the website’s authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines like Google.
4. Enhanced Online Reputation: Being listed on reputable online directories can enhance a small business’s online reputation and credibility. Potential customers may view businesses listed on directories as more trustworthy and legitimate, leading to increased trust and confidence in the business.
5. Access to Targeted Audiences: Many online directories cater to specific industries or niches, allowing small businesses to target their listings to relevant audiences. By listing their website on directories relevant to their industry or target market, small businesses can attract highly qualified leads and potential customers.
6. Cost-Effectiveness: Free online directory services provide small businesses with a cost-effective way to promote their websites and reach a wider audience. Unlike paid advertising or marketing campaigns, listing on online directories requires minimal time and resources, making it an affordable option for small businesses with limited budgets.
7. Networking Opportunities: Online directories often include features that allow businesses to connect and network with other businesses and professionals in their industry. Small businesses can leverage these networking opportunities to build relationships, exchange referrals, and collaborate on projects.
8. Local Community Engagement: Listing their website on local online directories allows small businesses to engage with their local community and connect with potential customers in their area. This can lead to increased foot traffic, word-of-mouth referrals, and support from the local community.

9. Promotional gifts

Small companies can benefit from using promotional gifts in several ways:

1. Brand Awareness: Promotional gifts, such as branded merchandise or corporate gifts, serve as tangible reminders of a company’s brand. When recipients use or display these gifts, they help increase brand visibility and awareness, exposing the company to a wider audience.
2. Customer Engagement: Offering promotional gifts can help small companies engage with their customers and foster positive relationships. By providing valuable and thoughtful gifts, companies can show appreciation for their customers’ loyalty and support, leading to increased customer satisfaction and retention.
3. Lead Generation: Promotional gifts can be used as incentives to attract new customers or generate leads. Offering a free gift with a purchase, for example, can incentivize potential customers to make a purchase or sign up for a newsletter, helping small companies expand their customer base and grow their business.
4. Marketing Campaigns: Promotional gifts can be integrated into marketing campaigns to increase their effectiveness and reach. Companies can use gifts as part of giveaways, contests, or promotions to drive engagement, encourage participation, and generate buzz around their brand or products.
5. Brand Loyalty: Providing promotional gifts can help small companies build brand loyalty and affinity among their customers. When customers receive a gift that they find useful or valuable, they are more likely to develop a positive perception of the company and become repeat customers.
6. Employee Morale: Promotional gifts can also be used to recognize and reward employees for their hard work and dedication. Offering branded merchandise or corporate gifts as employee incentives or rewards can boost morale, improve job satisfaction, and foster a positive work culture within the company.
7. Trade Shows and Events: Promotional gifts are popular giveaways at trade shows, conferences, and other events. Small companies can use gifts to attract attendees to their booth, initiate conversations, and leave a lasting impression on potential customers or business partners.
8. Differentiation: Promotional gifts can help small companies differentiate themselves from competitors and stand out in a crowded marketplace. By offering unique or creative gifts that reflect the company’s brand and values, companies can distinguish themselves and leave a memorable impression on recipients.

10. Run a competition

Running a competition can help with small business sales in several ways:

1. Generate Buzz and Excitement: Competitions create anticipation and excitement among customers, driving interest in the small business and its products or services. By promoting the competition through various channels, such as social media, email marketing, and advertising, small businesses can generate buzz and attract attention to their offerings.
2. Increase Engagement: Competitions encourage customer engagement and participation, providing opportunities for interaction and involvement with the brand. Customers may be required to perform certain actions, such as sharing content, tagging friends, or submitting entries, which increases engagement with the small business and its marketing efforts.
3. Grow Email List and Followers: Competitions can be used to grow the small business’s email list and social media followers. Participants may be required to provide their email address or follow the business on social media to enter the competition, allowing the business to expand its audience and reach more potential customers for future marketing efforts.
4. Showcase Products or Services: Competitions provide a platform for small businesses to showcase their products or services and highlight their unique selling points. By featuring prizes that align with the business’s offerings, competitions allow businesses to demonstrate the value and benefits of their products or services to participants.
5. Drive Traffic to Website or Store: Competitions can drive traffic to the small business’s website, store, or physical location. Participants may visit the website to learn more about the competition or browse the business’s products or services, increasing the likelihood of making a purchase or engaging with the business further.
6. Boost Sales and Conversions: Competitions can lead to increased sales and conversions for the small business. Participants who are interested in the competition prizes may be more likely to make a purchase or take advantage of special offers or discounts offered by the business, especially if they receive incentives or discounts for participating.
7. Create User-Generated Content: Competitions can generate user-generated content (UGC) that can be used for marketing purposes. Participants may create content, such as photos, videos, or testimonials, related to the competition or the business, which can be shared on social media or used in future marketing campaigns to showcase customer experiences and satisfaction.
8. Build Brand Loyalty: Competitions can help build brand loyalty and affinity among customers. By offering opportunities to win prizes and rewards, small businesses can show appreciation for their customers’ support and loyalty, fostering positive relationships and encouraging repeat business in the future.

Conclusion

Marketing your business can help you take your brand to the next level, improve sales, brand awareness, ROI, organic rankings and so much more. Cognite uses their own proven marketing strategies to form personal relationships with SME decision-makers; guiding and helping them to feel empathy for the pain of their prospective clients.

Contact us today on info@cognite.co.za or 0861 001 975 and begin your marketing journey

The post What is the best way to advertise your small business? appeared first on Cognite Marketing.

However, the lack of effective communication between these two departments can lead to lost sales opportunities, decreased productivity, and missed revenue targets. In this article, we explore the dangers of miscommunication between sales and marketing departments in South African SMEs and discuss how bridging this gap can unlock untapped potential for business success.

Misaligned Goals and Objectives

One of the primary dangers of miscommunication between sales and marketing departments is the misalignment of goals and objectives. When sales and marketing teams operate in silos and do not share a common understanding of the company’s objectives, their efforts may lack synergy and cohesion. This misalignment can result in disjointed marketing strategies that fail to generate qualified leads for the sales team or sales strategies that do not resonate with the target audience.

The Danger: Misaligned goals lead to a lack of cooperation and collaboration, with both departments working towards different objectives. This misalignment hampers the overall sales and marketing efforts and undermines the company’s growth potential.

Inaccurate Buyer Personas and Targeting

The marketing department is responsible for creating buyer personas and defining the target audience, while the sales team interacts directly with potential customers. Without clear and ongoing communication between the two departments, there is a risk of inaccurate buyer personas being created, leading to ineffective marketing strategies. Furthermore, the sales team may not have the necessary insights to understand the ideal target audience fully, leading to misdirected sales efforts.

The Danger: Inaccurate buyer personas and targeting lead to wasted marketing spend and missed sales opportunities. The marketing department may invest resources in campaigns that do not resonate with the actual target audience, while the sales team may struggle to connect with qualified leads.

Poor Lead Quality and Follow-Up

When marketing generates leads, passing them onto the sales team becomes a critical step in the conversion process. Without effective communication, the marketing department may not fully understand the needs and preferences of the leads they generate. As a result, they may pass on unqualified or insufficiently nurtured leads to the sales team. Additionally, the sales team may not have the insights needed to follow up effectively, leading to missed sales opportunities.

The Danger: Poor lead quality and follow-up result in lost sales opportunities and a decline in the conversion rate. The sales team may become frustrated with the quality of leads received, while potential customers may feel neglected, damaging the company’s reputation.

Lack of Timely and Relevant Content

Content marketing plays a significant role in attracting and engaging potential customers. Marketing creates content to build brand awareness and nurture leads, while sales relies on relevant content to support their sales efforts. Without proper communication, marketing may produce content that does not align with the needs of the sales team or target audience.

The Danger: Lack of timely and relevant content impedes the sales process, as the sales team may struggle to provide the necessary information to potential customers. This delays decision-making and can lead to lost sales opportunities.

Inconsistent Brand Messaging

The marketing department is responsible for crafting the company’s brand messaging and positioning. When there is a disconnect between sales and marketing, there is a risk of inconsistent brand messaging across different touchpoints. This lack of consistency can confuse potential customers and dilute the brand’s image.

The Danger: Inconsistent brand messaging erodes trust and credibility, making it difficult for potential customers to identify the value and unique selling points of the company’s offerings. As a result, the company may lose sales to competitors with more coherent messaging.

Limited Customer Feedback and Insights

Sales teams have direct interactions with customers, gaining valuable insights into their pain points, preferences, and feedback. Without effective communication with the marketing department, these insights may not be utilized to refine marketing strategies and content.

The Danger: Limited customer feedback and insights hinder the marketing department’s ability to tailor campaigns to meet customer needs effectively. The company may miss opportunities to address customer pain points and provide solutions that resonate with the target audience.

Decreased Productivity and Employee Morale

When sales and marketing teams are not on the same page, internal conflicts and misunderstandings can arise. Employees may feel demotivated, and productivity may suffer as a result of a lack of clear communication and shared objectives.

The Danger: Decreased productivity and employee morale can lead to high staff turnover and the loss of valuable talent. This turnover can further exacerbate the communication gap between departments, perpetuating a cycle of miscommunication and lost opportunities.

To summarise it all.

Effective communication between sales and marketing departments is paramount for the success of South African SMEs. Miscommunication between these two critical functions can lead to lost sales opportunities, decreased revenue, and a weakened competitive position. To address these dangers, SMEs must foster a culture of collaboration and open communication between sales and marketing teams.

By aligning goals and objectives, sharing customer insights, and nurturing a cohesive brand messaging strategy, SMEs can unlock untapped potential, drive business growth, and succeed even in challenging economic conditions. By prioritizing effective communication and bridging the gap between sales and marketing, South African SMEs can pave the way for long-term success and sustainable growth in a competitive marketplace.

Let Cognite work with your Sales Department to realise your sales goals.

The post The Silent Revenue Killer: The Perils of Miscommunication Between Sales and Marketing Departments in South African SMEs appeared first on Cognite Marketing.

Marketing your business on a tight budget does not mean you are restricted to using outdated or cheap marketing tools and techniques. In fact, many businesses, whether a start-up or an established business, have been able to market their products or services using various cost-effective and trackable online marketing tools.

Before you consider cutting down on your marketing efforts to make more “wiggle” room in your budget, take a look at these inexpensive, yet effective ways you can market your business.

Top 6 ways to market your small business with a tight budget:

1. The ‘Elevator Pitch’

According to Supportive Care, the average attention span of a human is only 8.25 seconds. This is less than the estimated attention span of a goldfish!

This is where the “Elevator Pitch” comes into play. Once you have successfully engaged with your desired target market, you have less than a minute to sell them on your products or services. Therefore, having a succinct and persuasive sales pitch can definitely give you a leg up!

2. Engaging with the Community

It is tempting to think nationally or even globally when it comes to your business opportunities. You want your business to grow, we understand, but it’s important to take a step back and think smaller.

Take a look at your local community, there are plenty of missed marketing opportunities that your business can take full advantage of. For example, your company could sponsor a local sports team, take part in a charity run, hand out free merchandise, or run a special on select products that your community needs.

Get to know your community and your ideal customer within it, and search for marketing opportunities that will allow you to get your brand in front of your customer with the least amount of effort.

3. Collaborating with Local Businesses

In some instances, forming collaborative teams with non-competitive businesses can prove extremely beneficial. For example, you own a pet store that sells animal feed, toys, beds etc. you could easily have marketing material for a local animal groomer, or dog walker in your store, on your social media, or on your website. These businesses can in turn also refer their customers to you based on your range of products.

This synergistic relationship can open your business up to new clientèle that may have otherwise been out of reach.

4. Networking and Building Relationships

Networking may initially seem like a waste of time, but this cannot be farther from the truth. Companies that have taken the necessary steps to secure strong relationships with clients, suppliers, local businesses etc. can see the difference compared to companies that don’t.

For example, by having strong relationships with clients, means they are more likely to refer you to their friends or family over other competitors. When it comes to suppliers, they may be willing to offer payment plans and discounts, and local businesses may also be willing to offer word of mouth referrals.

5. Create a Buzz

With so much media noise out in the world, your business needs to work smarter and not harder to ensure your marketing message is heard. A way to do this is to firstly establish what platforms your target market uses, how often they use it, and what their interests are.

Knowing this will give you an advantage over your competitors, as this will allow you to tailor your marketing message and market directly to your audience where they are.

6. Embrace WOM and Ask for Referrals

Word of Mouth (WOM) is still one of the most powerful marketing tools available to businesses world-wide. It’s easy for businesses to say how amazing they are, or how they are better than everyone else, but the fact is, people trust people.

This is why building strong relationships can be vital for many small businesses, as these clients can help spread the word. Another thing to consider is asking your clients for referrals. As a start-up or small business, there’s no point in being shy, as this could end up costing you future business, so the next time a client comes in, ask them for a referral.

Marketing methods your business should consider using:

1. Conduct Market Research

Conducting market research can help you to better understand your target audience, which in turn will help you improve your marketing strategy.

By doing market research, you can determine the following:

• Target audience demographics (age, gender, income bracket, race, employment status, position type etc.)
• Target audience location
• Target audience interests and lifestyle
• Target audience purchasing patterns etc.

2. Identify Your Business “Unique Selling Proposition”

Knowing why customers choose your product or services over other competitors can help you establish your company’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP). You can find out what your company’s USP by asking yourself the following questions:

• What do you love most about the services & Product you offer?
• What special skills or knowledge do you have?
• What makes your customers come to you instead of your competitor?
• How does one benefit from your product or service?
• What part of your business do you highlight when you describe your services/products to potential client?

3. Choose How to Market Your Brand

When it comes to marketing your brand, your company can choose from a variety of digital platforms and traditional marketing methods. Which you choose will be entirely based on your target market and available budget.

Here are a few ways you can market your business:

• Create a website to showcase your products and services.
• Setup social media profiles on platforms your target audience visits regularly.
• Create blog content to demonstrate your industry knowledge.
• Get brochures, flyers, posters, or billboards printed and distribute them in high-traffic areas.
• Invest in client feedback, testimonials, and referrals.

4. Set Your Goals & Budget

Before any marketing activity begins, it’s important to set realistic marketing goals in place that aligns with your available marketing budget. Your marketing goals should be relevant, attainable, and measurable. Otherwise, you could end up spending a fortune on your marketing without yielding positive results.

Here are a few things you should consider when setting your marketing budget:

• The cost to set up your company’s brand and website.
• The cost to invest in Search Engine Optimization.
• The cost to create and print traditional marketing material.
• The cost of using PPC platforms vs non-PPC platforms.
• General costs of undertaking your marketing activities.

5. Take Care of Your Loyal Customers

Having loyal customers is extremely beneficial for your business, regardless of size. Therefore, it is imperative that you nurture your relationships by providing consistent customer care. This not only helps you to easily build trust and develop strong relationships but can also encourage repeat business.

Here are ways you can take care of your customers:

• Keep communication open and transparent.
• Provide after-sales follow-ups to ensure your customers are happy with their purchase.
• Always deliver on your promises.
• Offer reward programs for your repeat customers.
• Be sure to train staff on the importance of customer service.

Conclusion

Marketing your business doesn’t have to be expensive, with the right marketing partner, you can grow your business in no time. So remember to engage with your customers regularly, build strong relationships, but most importantly- keep your brand in mind.

The post Marketing your business on a budget appeared first on Cognite Marketing.

If you work in sales, you will know that it can take thousands of emails, calls, meetings and in-person conversations to make a few dozen sales. The most fundamental aspect of working in B2B or B2C sales is the ability of a salesperson to help potential customers realise their need for your product or service.

Improving sales performance will depend on the ability to standardise and improve business-wide sales techniques, forecasting, measuring and management. Naturally, there are sales reps that are talented at making sales and every business wants a team full of sellers with this inherent gift.

However, any sales team of any level will benefit from making targeted improvements to these aspects of their sales process. Sales companies could transform their businesses by using more efficient techniques and standardised practices that work in this fast-paced sales environment.

Here are 10 ways to make your sales process more effective:

1. Know your sales team
   An effective sales process requires your team to complete a series of milestones that allow each sale to be completed successfully. Each stage of a successful sale entails a myriad of tasks that a salesperson will follow to turn a prospective sale into a successful one. When it comes to your sales team, it’s important to understand their language, style, strategies, and techniques for closing deals. As each sales team member is unique, a company can utilize this information to create a cohesive sales approach. This approach can combine your sales teams’ existing talent, whilst creating a repeatable and systemized strategy for new sales reps to follow.
2. Focus on what works
   Knowing your target market is vital when coming to your sales strategy. By defining your ideal customer profile, your sales team will be able to better utilize their time, resources, and energy on high potential prospects, as opposed to weak or “zombie” leads. It’s also important to continually evaluate your sales processes as your company develops and grows, as what worked for your team when you were starting up, may not apply now. Your team should also take care with sales leads that come in, like treating each call with a prospective client as a fact-to-face meeting, sending more precise emails, and batching follow ups on potential buyers.
3. Qualify prospects and leads more carefully
   Spending time chasing weak prospects means wasting time that could have been better spent on high potential prospects. By utilizing your ideal customer profile, your sales team can qualify all potential leads that come into your business and allocate the proper resources to converting quality leads to a paying client. If your sales team can better understand the industry type, size, goals, and concerns of any prospective customer, they can nurture solid leads who are a good fit for your company.
4. Utilize all your sales talents
   With an abundance of information at your fingertips, it’s important that your sales team and business make data-backed decisions when coming to your sales strategy. Through this data, you can identify areas of opportunities and growth, as well as areas of weakness that needs to be improved. With these actionable insights, your sales team can utilize their skillset and sales strategy to improve and monitor the areas of weakness, as well as dive into the areas of opportunities and growth.
5. Understand your customer base
   An important distinction exists between a sales process focused on how a business wants to sell and how their customers want to buy. A company must reflect their own goals in the sales process, but that process must be adaptable and considerate of their customer base. Understanding your customer base requires you to explore their industry, expectations, buying patterns, needs and preferred communication. By knowing each customer that you sell to, your sales strategies can adjust to different situations, with similar success.
6. Prioritise building real relationships
   Having sustainable and long-lasting relationships with your customers can ensure continual repeat business. Therefore, a sales team should aim at developing real relationships with prospective and existing customers. Ways to achieve this is through open and solid communication such as active listening, notetaking, trust-building, interpretation, empathy, and persuasiveness. By showing prospective and existing customers that you care about their needs and are able to meet those needs, can inspire them to be repeat clients.
7. Find the reasons for stalled sales leads
   With a cohesive and organized sales process, managers and executives can view their strategies inside and out. By doing so, they can evaluate stalled or unsuccessful sales, identify possible customer retention issues, or business relationship failures. Armed with this information, you can analyze each stage of the sales process to determine where the sale stalled, and what steps need to be taken to streamline and improve the sales process for better turnover.
8. Onboard and train new salespersons more efficiently
   Having a well-defined sales process can make the job of recruiting, onboarding, and training a new sales member simpler and more efficient. How you might ask? Having a clear sales process can highlight the effective behaviours, skills, and techniques that are most important for closing a deal. Not to mention, learning is easier when expectations are defined and steps to success are easy to follow.
9. Improve all aspects of your customer experiences
   Having an aggressive or pushy sales rep can easily turn a good client relationship into one that is irreparable, therefore it’s important to analyse customer experiences before, during, and after each sale to determine areas of weakness. Using your defined sales process and customer-focused research and understanding, you can turn clumsy or aggressive sales tactics into a smooth and enjoyable customer experience. Follow steps that create value, grow trust, and create opportunity for all of your prospective customers.
10. Never miss a follow-up
    A timely follow-up email or phone call can be the difference between a successful deal and a stalled or unsuccessful sale. A well-organised sales process may require time to formally close a sale, therefore it’s imperative that the sales reps keep communication open in order to keep the buyer’s interest in your product or service. Through well timed follow-ups and service reminders, you can help guide the customer during their decision process and turn them into a paying customer. Failure to do so, may result in time, resources and energy lost.

A defined sales process, good CRM practices and an effective marketing and communication strategy could be be all you need to achieve your business’s wildest ambitions. Cognite Marketing offers data-driven insights and technical support to help your brand and business thrive in the current digital age.

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When you know the difference between marketing and sales, you learn how those teams can support each other and work together to help make your business more successful. The truth is that modern companies are doing much of their business online. From websites and social media to online shopping and digital advertisements, you must have a keen sense of what digital marketing and online sales can do for your business.

Many owners and managers have made the mistake of lumping marketing and sales into the same category. At their most basic, marketing is the process of building brand awareness and visibility for your organisation or company. Sales, on the other hand, is taking those new viewers, new eyes and potential customers and turning them into real ones. Although distinct, sales and marketing teams should be cooperative partners that support each other’s efforts for your business.

Here is a more in-depth breakdown of the differences between your sales and marketing business operations:

The Important Differences Between Sales and Marketing:

Process

The primary goal of the marketing process is to familiarise potential customers with your brand, products and services. Digital marketing agencies are coming up with new ways to market your business, by relaying a message that represents your brand and entices purchasing online. Your company’s marketing team should identify your ideal target market and find creative ways to grow your brand exposure and interact with potential consumers.

Sales is a more proactive process that aims to leverage your company’s digital tools, marketing potential, online activity and brand exposure to reach your business’s overall sales goals. The goal of a sales team is to convert the potential customers – engaged by the marketing team – into buying ones. A sales team will use that growing online awareness to draw customers to your site or store, providing them with relevant information about products, services, deals and opportunities and then making sales.

Strategies

Marketing strategies are based on collecting data about your business’s target audience and finding out what advertising tools work and which do not. Once this information has been gathered, marketing teams can test out strategies against different campaigns and online advertising methods. The best digital marketing strategies utilise a multi-tiered approach to create brand exposure through social media, Google Ads, websites, pop-ups and more.

Sales strategies are about interacting with your target audience and figuring out the best ways to invite them into your business. Converting potential customers into paying ones is what a sales strategy focuses on. Sales reps and managers interact with prospective customers, who are enticed by marketing campaigns, to find out what makes them tick. Understanding what your potential customers are looking for and why they make purchases is critical to growing your consumer base going forward.

Goals

The most obvious difference between sales and marketing are their alignment with the business’s goals. A business’s marketing goals are to promote their brand, company, products and services through intentional messaging and clear communication. Marketing teams look at the bigger picture and navigate consumer data to increase brand exposure and generate potential leads. They identify your target audience and make sure they know about what you offer.

Sales teams will have goals that are focused on sales numbers, quotas and volume. How many potential customers are walking in the door or ordering online? What are they buying and how much of it?  These targets are usually based on per month or financial-quarter goals. You need your sales team to generate enough sales and earnings to maintain business operations and increase potential profits, this is done by converting those potential customers in paying ones.

Integrating sales and marketing

The truth is that sales and marketing teams are distinct entities in your business, but their work supports and overlaps with each other. Marketing teams identify the target audience and introduces them to your brand. Sales teams take that target audience, learn about what they want and relay their interests and desires back to the marketing department. Developing cooperation, data sharing, communication and partnership between your marketing and sales teams will pay huge dividends going forward.

Cognite Marketing offers expertise in the field of digital marketing. We have designed a variety of emotional and impactful marketing campaigns that have helped our clients’ businesses thrive online. Contact Cognite Marketing to learn more about what we do.

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Most of today’s biggest and best companies are using online competitions to drive new business and increase brand awareness. The reason is that they work. However, it is important to choose the right marketing strategy that aligns with your larger business goals. Small, medium and big organisations can all benefit from the increased interest in their brand through well-crafted and intentional online competitions.

Here are the top 7 tips for running a successful online competition:

1. Set Your Goals and Identify Your Target Market
   In order to run a successful contest or competition, you will need to understand your goals and your target market. There are endless strategies for how to run an online competition, but finding the right one requires you to define your ideal outcomes. Identify your target market by demographic, location and social media use. Once they are defined, use your competition to drive traffic, generate new leads, create buzz around your brand or whatever your business goals might be.

2. Choose the Right Contest Type
   You have to choose the right kind of competition to run in order for it to achieve your business goals. Video and photo contests, sweepstakes, random draws, voting contests and online giveaways are each useful for different reasons. You will need to decide what the prizes are and key details like when it starts and ends, how to enter and how often it runs. Driving content that talks about your business and starting conversations around your brand are guaranteed to increase site traffic and generate new leads.

3. Build and Deploy Your Competition
   Once you are ready to create your online competition, you will need to establish the logistical, administrative, digital and platform requirements for running your contest. This is the trickiest part of the marketing campaign and you should consider getting experts in the room. By using a digital marketing agency, you will make this job so much easier. They will help you align your competition plans with your desired overall brand image, business goals and organisational message.

4. Promote Your Online Competition
   Creating the perfectly-designed competition is all good and well, but you need to entice online consumers to enter it. From website banners and email blasts to social media posts and Google Ads, there are many ways to promote an online competition and you need to choose which to use based on what will help achieve your business goals. For example, increasing social media interest around your brand offers an opportunity to spread the word about your business’s products and services.

5. Track and Monitor the Results
   Analysing the data and tracking the results of your competition-driven activity will give you actionable insights that can be used to create a more interesting and effective competition in the future. Monitoring your key performance indicators will ensure that you have an appropriate return on investment for the work put in. Whether your goals are more followers, an uptick in sales, brand exposure or site traffic, you will need to follow the performance of your online competition to ensure their future success.

6. Post-Contest Follow-Up
   This is the most exciting part of your business running an online contest. Competitions will give your business an opportunity to pick winners and celebrate their victories. However, they also give you access to a large pool of potential customers. After sharing the prizes and celebrating the winners on social media, you should follow up with all entrants through email blasts or targeted posts. Make sure that all those entrants become future supporters and loyal customers.

7. Learn and Repeat
   Once your contest is complete and you have done the requisite follow-ups with your contestants and social media following, you will need to learn from your online competition and do better next time. Analyse what did and did not work in terms of achieving your desired outcomes. Learn from your failures and repeat your successes. Look at your marketing strategies, competition rules and target audience metrics to create even better competitions to promote your brand and increase sales going forward.

Final Thoughts

It is important to remember not to overdo it. It may seem tempting, once you have run your first successful contest, to keep reverting back to that marketing boom over and over again. However, this can become expensive and tedious for you and uninteresting to your target audience. Keep the cadence of your online competitions to bi-monthly, monthly or longer to keep the public interested. Make the rules, terms and conditions, prizes and details clear and design a competition that aligns with your business interests and gets your followers excited.

Cognite Marketing is leading digital marketing agency in South Africa with extensive expertise in social media, digital and online advertising. If your company is looking to drive site traffic through online competitions and other digital marketing tools, take a look at the incredible services we offer at Cognite Marketing.

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More importantly, companies need to understand the positive impact they could have on the world around them if their energy and resources are directed to worthy efforts. The organisations that are committed to their corporate social responsibilities (CSRs) will always stand out from their competitors.

Successful CSR requires corporations to research, design, implement and commit to socially responsible programmes and activities that benefit those around them or who need it most. The very nature of CSR is evolving all the time and the ideas surround its implementation are expanding. It is no longer, simply, about donating to charities and causes you believe in.

CSR has become an integral part of how businesses are run and how organisations present themselves to the public, as well as a huge determining factor in your consumers’ perception. CSR is not only an opportunity to have a positive impact on society, but on how corporations treat their employees and consider their value in that company and in society.

Companies that drive effective CSR initiatives become known for behaving ethically, operating transparently, conducting business fairly, protecting the environment and other worthy causes. The growing public sentiment around your corporation’s willingness to do good for others drives consumers and other businesses to support you and help you grow even further.

Every financial year, it is becoming clearer why CSR is such an important part of most successful organisations. Commitment to CSR helps corporations enhance their public trust, attract new and better prospects for job opportunities, improve employee engagement and inspire consumers to support your business. Not to mention, it can often have an overwhelmingly positive impact on your corporation’s bottom line.

Here is a closer look at the benefits of implementing CSR initiatives in your organisation:

The Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility for Your Company

Employee satisfaction and wellbeing

How a company decides to treat their employees can have a significant impact on employee satisfaction, retention and productivity, thereby playing a significant role in that company’s overall success.  Employees need to feel appreciated and respected in their roles at your company, while feeling their contributions are meaningful to your business and to the world.

If employees are unhappy in their work environment, it will have a tremendous affect on the quality of work they are able to produce. However, when employees feel like what they do matters, that they are valuable to the company and to their community; it becomes motivation. It motivates workers to do their best and help your brand succeed.

You could offer employees opportunities to work on inhouse CSR initiatives or to do their own community outreach during work hours. Let those in your organisation know that you care about them and the world around you by prioritising things like employee wellbeing and CSR initiatives. Employee satisfaction will help drive productivity and enthusiasm in all areas of your business.

Public image and brand perception

The proliferation of modern technology, social media and IoT devices means that companies and organisations can have their work recognised and lauded online, instantly. This extends to the CSR initiatives that your company runs and your contributions to society. When online communities see your organisation doing CSR work, it builds your online presence and grows positive online sentiment. Improvements in your public image and brand perception will always increase business.

Customer loyalty

A loyal customer base is critical for a company to thrive in the modern day. They offer repeat business, spread the word about your brand and introduce your company to new customers. Studies have shown that brands build stronger and more loyal customer bases when corporate values and beliefs are aligned with their consumers’. Efforts towards authenticity, ethical production, eco-friendliness, customer service, local sourcing and CSR initiatives will inspire customer loyalty.

Inspire creativity and rebuild motivation

One of the most incredible benefits of integrating CSR initiatives into your company is the encouragement it can give your employees. Involvement in CSRs can restore lost motivation in employees and inspire their creativity. This social involvement motivates workers to participate in company initiatives, discussions and plans, sharing their own ideas and opinions. CSRs give employees a greater sense of belonging, while offering them the freedom to innovate and do good.

Why Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives Are Important

Investing in CSR helps companies become more conscious of the social, environmental and cultural impacts of their business practices. This has many benefits for the wider community and – as we have discussed – many benefits for the organisation itself. CSR initiatives can play a significant role in your brand’s marketing and advertising, but they need to be honest and true to your company’s values and overall message.

It has become obvious how important CSR is for attracting customers and inspiring employees, however businesses that disregard CSR will run the risk of reputational damage and a loss of customers. The most popular brands of today have shown their values through ethical business practices, positive employee experiences and CSR initiatives. CSR is not one of the latest business trends to be forgotten, this will be fundamental to the success corporations going forward.

We have helped our clients’ businesses celebrate their corporate social responsibility initiatives and build their brands online. Contact Cognite Marketing to learn more about what we do.

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5 steps on how you can set up your sales tracking process:

Identify your audience

A standard sales and marketing process is important to identify your target audience and understand who your customers are. This step helps you plan the rest of the process more clearly and also helps you identify the influential people, decision-makers and buyers. 

Point out the sources

Understand the online and offline platforms your audience is more likely to see your sales on. You can look into most common social media platforms, in-app adverts, keywords & frequently visited websites. 

Identify what stage each lead will fall into

The next step would be to define potential steps that the audience could take – this could be cold leads, hot leads or customers. These stages can differ by company and industry.  

State how potential customers can interact with you.

You can start by listing all the communications points between you and your audience. This could be through social media chat, emails, web forms, and phone calls. 

Set metrics that require constant measurement

Now that you have built a system, you can see what you need to measure your sales tracking system. Do you have traffic from your website? or several people from other sources. 

10 reasons why you should track your sales:

Stronger sales analysis

You will have a stronger overview of your sales activities from start to finish. You will have much more data to analyse your business transactions and daily activities, helping you make informed business decisions.  

Better understand on products and services

With more understanding of your products and services, you can focus more on improving your value offering instead of wondering why people aren’t interested in your service or product.  

Finding the gaps in your pipeline

With sales tracking, you will be able to identify what the catcher of your product is. You will be able to see how people are deciding on buying your product. By going through this information you can find the major gaps in your sales process and be in the position to rectify them. 

Higher customer satisfaction

Any small business that wants to survive longer than 5 months should be built around customer satisfaction. Having a good sales tracking record can help you identify what customers appreciate most about your product, helping you improve on it.  

Helps you know what you can afford

Knowing your sales statistics and profits per sales will help you make better decisions on marketing. You will need to know your sales rates to know what a sales lead is worth to you.

Shows you where you get the best leads from

Your tracking should show you where you get most of your leads and sales from. So, if you run an advert in a newspaper you know should ultimately know how many sales that ad is bringing in. This allows you to calculate your total profits as well as your cost per lead. 

Helps you see what marketing strategy is not working for you

By tracking your sales, you will be able to see what marketing strategy you could be paying for that is not bringing you any sales leads at all. You could also have a further look into it to see why it is not working which could save you a lot of money.

Increase activities that drive sales

If face-to-face recommendations have been proven to bring up sales, you should encourage your sales reps to do this more frequently with the customers. The best sales tracker would be able to identify the best cross-sale product for each individual client. 

Maximum operational efficiency

How much of your time do you spend on routine administrative tasks? What if you could reduce the time spent by 50%? What would you do in your spare time? In short, tracking your sales and what works best for your company gives you more time to focus on what matters most.  

Greater insight on more informed decision making

Effective Sales rely greatly on maintaining a clear and accurate view of the progress your sales are making. With better insights, you will be able to identify the bottlenecks that are slowing your sales down. Tracking your sales helps you save a lot of time and provides you with more information to make more informed decisions. 

In conclusion, the benefits of tracking sales are extensive. The best question to ask would be “What is best for me?”. When choosing a sales tracking system, it is very important to evaluate your needs and select a system that is powerful enough to bring you more sales leads and fewer expenses.

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The power of testimonials

Making use of testimonials in the right place and moment, you can increase the credibility of your brand and inspire trust from your potential customers. The more someone trusts your brand, the more likely it is that they will buy something or sign up. By making use of testimonials, you are wielding a powerful tool called social proof. Social proof simply put is the influence the actions and attitudes of others around us have on our own behaviors. You are proving to your potential client that you are trust worthy by making use of social permission – the “proof” element is that if others are doing it, it must be trustworthy. It puts people at ease to know that you are not running a scam looking to steal their money (which is becoming increasingly easy in the digital age). They can also be certain that they will be getting their money’s worth.

Most of the time people use emotion when buying something – they look for something that will make them happy. By placing a powerful testimonial in the right spot, you can reassure the people who might have doubts.

How they can be requested

The internet is growing exponentially. As time goes by, there are becoming increasingly more ways for people to share about their experience with your brand. Did you make them feel important? Did they get the quality they were expecting? How was their experience with you after the sale?

Ideally, you want to automate the process of collecting testimonials, but you want it to look as organic and authentic as possible. You also need to make sure to ask at the right moment. Asking for feedback before they have even had a chance to properly test your product would not yield the response you are looking for as it places unnecessary pressure on the client. You need to wait for the moment when they are the happiest with your brand – that would be the ‘success moment’.

There are quite a few ways to collect testimonials, we have a listed a few of them below:

• Follow up call – You can phone your client in the ‘success moment’ and ask for feedback. That phone call can be transcribed, and with your client’s permission, you can put that on your website. This is a very hands-on approach that is personal and shows your client that you care. It is also very time consuming and would only really work if don’t have a lot of clients. This method could work for someone like a real estate agent.
• Follow up email – You can email your client once the transaction is complete. The benefit to this is that you have it in writing and in the client’s own words for future reference. It still has the personal touch and is less time consuming than a phone call. The downside is that you now have to rely on people to take time out of their day to write a testimonial. Some of the time they will put it aside to do later and, more often than not, they will forget about it.
• Online survey – You can add a contact form on your website on a hidden page and direct people to it. This can include easy ‘Please Select’ options where they rate certain aspects of their experience with your brand. At the bottom, you can include an optional space if they want to write something to elaborate further on your product/service. Most of the time, if someone has completed the easy part of the form, they feel committed to it and they will proceed to write in their testimonial.
• Make use of social media – You can request that clients leave a review on your Facebook business page, post a tweet and tag your twitter handle, ask for recommendations on your personal LinkedIn profile, post a review on Google, and that’s just to name a few. You also need to pay attention to people who leave negative reviews on places like Hello Peter. This sort of testimonial is beneficial in giving credibility to your online social media presence, which is increasingly important as consumers are checking social media pages before committing to products.
• Video testimonial – Something that has been used for TV commercials is people giving a video testimonial of their experience. Consumers respond very well to visual content. It has become increasingly popular to use these kinds of testimonials on websites and social media as well. It is a powerful way to instill trust in a potential client based off of real-world experience.

How they can be used to the greatest effect

The most common way people make use of testimonials is on their website. It is typical to bundle up all the good testimonials they have and place them on a single page for people to have complete access to all of them. While it’s a good idea to do that, you can’t stop there. You need to sprinkle them all over your online presence like on your social media, use them as quotes on the about page, put one or two specific testimonials on a product page, add one to your newsletter, etc. A brilliant example would be to add a testimonial to your pricing guide/page that speaks specifically to how affordable you are or how your brand is worth every cent. This will encourage people to look beyond the price and see how they will get great value for their money.

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Advertising the company’s core solution

 Often your brand or corporate identity carries more weight than your particular products or services. Think of it this way – Coca Cola as a brand sells friendship, fun and good times but at a product level they simply sell soda. Disney at a company level advertises magic and wonder all the while selling adventure rides, films and merchandise at a product level. This essence, or the emotional response associated with your brand, is what you will have to focus on and develop when marketing and advertising your business at a company level. This helps to keep the character of your brand strong and is also what sets you apart from your competitors.  If people trust the company then it is easier for them to build trust in the products or services.

Creating brand awareness and a strong brand identity is the top reason to advertise at the company level. By tying your advertising to your entire brand, you ensure that your business is remembered in the future and not solely for a particular product or service that may change or become obsolete.

Consumers are increasingly becoming conscious of the motivations behind their purchases and are considering the brand essence when deciding on that purchase. According to Euromonitor International’s top 10 global consumer trends of 2018, there is a new wave of consumers that are interested in and investigate the full production process, from material or ingredient sourcing to production and distribution, along with information on all parties involved when deciding what products to buy. If you are a local brand, this can be beneficial to your advertising strategy as another the consumer trend is a focus on sustainability and as such “local is lekker” and “proudly South African” products are favourable. Consumers want to buy into the lifestyle and the essence behind the products or services they are purchasing. This is also a beneficial strategy for your business as it creates an incredibly loyal customer base as consumers have bought into the project and processes behind your products. People tend to buy into things that aligns with who they are or strive to be.

Only advertising your company’s core solution might be driven by budget constraints. If you are utilising a display campaign on LinkedIn, AdWords, Facebook or any other social platform then advertising your brand can be an effective way to generate leads. You can do this by advertising what overarching pain-points your business solves and consumers will then explore which particular product or service addresses their specific pain-point. You can even go further than this and offer a free assessment and proposal. These are normally free anyway and is a great way to get your foot in the door.

Another reason to advertise at the company level is to influence your potential customers to choose you over your competitors. This is often done when retargeting potential leads that have visited your website or shown interest in your products before. This is done by reaching out to people who have visited your website but did not complete your call to action (i.e. purchasing a product, downloading your app or completing a registration form). By advertising the company level solution to your retargeted audience, you are able to combine separate services and products into one overall business solution, as well as demonstrate your brand essence to draw people in. A good example of this is the Remarketing campaign type from Google AdWords, which allows you to show image adverts across the internet to individuals that have shown interest in your products or services before.

Advertising specific products and services

When deciding what product or service to advertise, you need to take a hard look at what you offer and how distinct they are from one another. For example, if you offer both VOIP Telephone Systems and Printers, you may want to consider splitting them into separate campaigns. Although they all fall under Office Automation Solutions consumers may only be in the market for one of them. So, if your products and services can be used independently of each other then consumers may only be searching for the one specific solution that caters to their specific pain-point instead of an overarching business solution. Although your potential customer only requires one product or service, this can be used as an entry point into a bigger solution. Through advertising a popular product or service you will be able to cross sell or upsell prospects to a more comprehensive solution.

Another reasons to advertise a specific product or service is when you are launching something new and exciting that you want your customers to know about. This can be done when you are adding a new product or service within the larger solution that your business offers. By advertising the new product or service you will be able to show that you are expanding and growing, thus adding to your innovative brand image.

If your business solves smaller unrelated problems instead of a ‘big problem’ then specific product or service advertising is the avenue to take. Or if your business has a Loss Leader product or service, this is the path to take. This is because this type of advertising might open up the relationship to larger and longer term sales. For example, if you are selling a TV at a 70% discount but you only have 10 available then consumers will end up buying the 10 discounted TVs but will also be drawn in to buying other TVs and associated equipment while visiting your store. Creating a ‘hook’ offering may lead to improved sales.

Just as you can retarget on a company level with your advertising, you can do the same on the product or service level. If a person has visited your site and showed interest in a particular product or service but did not complete the call to action, then you can directly retarget them with the product or service they seemed interested in. Sometimes consumers just need a little nudge in the right direction and if they have already shown interest, you have fought half the battle already.

Get in touch today for a FREE marketing strategy and find out how to grow your company within your marketing budget.

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