{"id":9731,"date":"2016-05-18T11:12:39","date_gmt":"2016-05-18T18:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nationalfunding.com\/?p=9731"},"modified":"2023-10-24T12:33:52","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T19:33:52","slug":"grow-small-business-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nationalfunding.com\/blog\/grow-small-business-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"How to grow a small business with marketing and promotions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Using\u00a0working capital<\/a>\u00a0or obtaining a\u00a0small business loan<\/a>\u00a0to finance a marketing campaign can be a wise route to leverage additional capital into a strong return on investment. As a part of this strategy, promotions are a great way to really move the needle and step up your marketing game.<\/p>\n

While great services or goods are\u00a0truly the foundation of a successful business, even the best possible product can get buried in the white noise of advertising generated by thousands of other companies cluttering the commercial landscape. Because of the crowded playing field, small and mid-sized business owners need to promote their companies and products at every turn if they really want to up their game.<\/p>\n

Self-promotion efforts<\/strong>
\nPromotions remain a tried-and-true method to get the word out about your business and truly spread the word to boost brand awareness and ultimately capture a larger market share. Carol Roth, a CNBC on-air contributor and a judge on “America’s Greatest Makers,” a show about people pitching product ideas, told USA Today that every entrepreneur\u00a0has to be a promoter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“It’s no longer enough to have just a great product or service and expect that customers and clients will find you,” Roth explained. “If you are unwilling to ‘toot your own horn,’ how can you expect that anyone else will? That means that you should always be marketing and promoting.”<\/p>\n

But what kind of promotions work\u00a0the best and who should these promotions focus on without turning the campaign into just a waste of resources? As Roth noted, sometimes small business owners spend too much time promoting their products to potential customers, when in fact, they should focus more of their efforts retaining current customers by meeting and exceeding expectations, guarantee satisfaction and ensuring these individuals turn into repeats.<\/p>\n

With existing customers, you can get them to spend more money at your business, either by selling to them more frequently or up-selling. Further, other than you, the business owner, these customers are your best advocates, as they can tell their friends, family and business peers about your offerings.<\/p>\n

Do what I say, not what I do<\/strong>
\nSince small business owners need to be their own spokesperson, it falls on these individuals to make the\u00a0crucial decisions on what game plan to implement. Unfortunately, there’s inconsistency between what techniques owners employ the most frequently, and which they say are the most effective.<\/p>\n

According to a survey conducted by Sage Software, Inc., the most popular ways small and mid-sized business owners use to advertise, promote or publicize their company is\u00a0via direct mail or email<\/a>, with 31 percent of respondents citing this technique as their top choice. Following this method,<\/p>\n