Here at The Web Marketeers we work with many businesses during their initial ‘creation’ stage, that is when maybe all they know is that they’ll be offering a particular product or service or set of products and services; they quite often dont have a brand, a logo or a website, most of the time they don’t have a coherent marketing strategy, sometimes they don’t even have a name yet!  The owners sometimes have been working for themselves for some time, others have only just left permanent employment and are their own boss for the first time, all are invariably very excited about the  potential for the business and the opportunity that it presents.

At The Web Marketeers we LOVE these types of business!  Now it’s true, they may not have the same marketing budget as a large established business and certainly no where near the size of budget as some of our multinational corporate clients, however their raw enthusiasm is infectious, and we love helping them realise their dream of building a successful company and enjoying all the perks that go with it.

Having worked with a number of startups (and having been one ourselves two years ago) we know how much work is involved.  Startup owners have so much to think about: their finances, the company formation, their premises,their products or services, staffing, operations, their sales process, their legal processes and of course, their Marketing, the list goes on, it’s a huge amount of work!

What’s obvious is that there never are enough hours in the day and whilst the business owners tend to be great at what they actually do, they won’t necessarily have the expertise required to suceed in every area.  This is exactly why they bring in accountants, solicitors, financial advisors, HR consultants etc in order to help them build a business, however one key area that so many try and do themselves is their marketing.

Ok, I completely accept that most business owners can do a reasonable job, however how many business owners really have the skills and knowledge needed to market themselves effectively and help their businesses fulfil their potential?  Even if they do they’re quite often be working 100+ hour weeks and I can virtually guarantee that the first area that they let slip is in their marketing: when you have potential customers to sell to, existing customers to service, suppliers to liaise with, and have to deal with all the other admin and management that HAS to get done, it’s very easy to forget about the website updates that need doing, or sending out that print campaign, or speaking to a lead generation provider.  The result of which is a business which will never hit the heights that it should do, growth will be slow and unspectacular.

So of course it’s our recommendation that you bring in an expert, someone who will spend the time and effort to help you market yourself effectively and therefore bring your potential customers to your door, whether it be a web agency creating a fantastic website for you that actually works (unlike the horrendous websites advertised on TV at the moment- my top tip, a £3.99 a month website WILL NOT help your business grow, it’ll make you look cheap and tacky!) or a graphic designer creating an attractive brand that resonates with your target market, or even someone to look at your marketing function to give an impartial viewpoint and see all the little details that a business owner may miss.

However, I am fully aware that many business owners will still want to do it all themselves, so over the next few weeks, I’m going to be producing a startups guide to effective marketing in this blog.  I’m not going to be focusing on very complicated techniques or ones you really do have to get a professional involved if it’s to be done properly (creating a website or running a Google Adwords campaign for instance), instead I’ll be focusing on easy wins and techniques that really will work for startup business owners who are looking to grow their business.  So without further ado:

1. Networking groups and meetings

A fantastic way to generate new business is to get out there and meet others in the business community and it’s not hard to do!  There are hundreds of different groups and events on throughout the country every week for business owners, and it can be incredibly beneficial as they not only give you the opportunity to sell to those you meet, but also to ask for and be given referrals of potential business from their contact book.  As well as this the contacts you build up can lead to joint ventures or partnerships, and can also act as a support network giving you help and advice when needed.

As I said there are many great networking groups out there and I’d recommend any new business owner to attend as many as possible as a visitor.  One that The Web Marketeers is a member of BNI, which meets every week and has been a fantastic source of good quality referrals and also provided opportunities for collaboration with other members that we have built up a strong relationship with.  It has a very structured approach to networking which isn’t for everyone, but it does follow a tried and tested formula. (If you want to come along as my guest one week please email me!)  Other groups offer a less structured approach but can still be equally effective at generating business and I’d encourage everyone business owner to experiment and see what type of networking group works for you.  Just make sure that when you visit the meeting and talk to other businessmen you don’t make the conversation all about you, if you try and take without giving anything back in return you’ll get nowhere, and look to build long term relationships for maximum gain!

Coming up in the next post:

2. Using Social Media to Engage Your Audience
3. Using a Lead Generating Magnet to create great leads
4. Using blogging to demonstrate expertise in your area and start dialogue with your target market.