Marketing Methods

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1. Choosing the marketing methods that fit your business is the first step in creating an effective marketing plan that you can stick to.

Key Marketing Methods

1. There are many different marketing methods, tools and techniques for you to choose from. Here are some of the key ones for your consideration along with the advantages and disadvantages of each:

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Before you select the methods you wish to use, remember to consider the conclusions you came to in the previous activity which determined:

1. 1. 1. Where you find your clients
      2. How much time you have to devote to marketing
      3. What your marketing budget is
   The selections you make from the list of marketing methods above should comply with those decisions.

What did our Case Studies do?

1. We asked our Case Study participants to select the methods they felt best met their business requirements bearing in mind the restrictions they had to their client location, time and budget.

Here’s what they decided (and why):

Geoff: “I have a small budget so am restricting my marketing to purchasing some business cards to give out at classic car events I attend and taking out a small advertisement in the program of events for the two biggest car shows in the region where I find most of my clients. I don’t think many of my clients will be seeking online information about my business but just in case I am also going to join the local Chamber of Commerce in order to take advantage on their online directory. I’m hoping these choices will also be low impact in terms of my time.” Jennifer: “The majority of my marketing dollars will be given to the creation of a website. My demographic group use the internet all the time to research their services. My competition also has significant online presence so feel I have to do the same. Most of my marketing time will be spent setting up and maintaining my social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram – this is something existing clients have been asking for.” Mike: “There is a lot of competition in the area in the commercial cleaning arena so I believe that my best strategy will be to create a significant online presence so that I show up when searches are made. I also wish to run a local radio advertisement if budget allows. I am also going to continue an existing strategy of attending in-person networking events in the Edmonton area and speaking in a public capacity.” Cindi and Wayne: “We have a small marketing budget. We will be getting some new business cards made up and then use existing connections in the construction industry to introduce us to new home builders in the Sherwood Park area who we will visit in person. Most of our customers will already have an established relationship with the builder who built their home so this makes most sense to us. We will also take out a small classified advertisement in the local Sherwood Park free paper and run it for a year.”

Activity

It’s time for you to decide on what marketing methods you will be using. Please list them in your notes or on the worksheet, explaining why you are choosing the methods you are.