Posted on March 11, 2013 ยท Posted in General

Small to medium-sized enterprises represent the future of business. In these fast-paced times, there are more companies struggling to make an impact in their respective markets than ever before. With such a highly competitive playing field, some of these businesses are having difficulty implementing the correct marketing techniques to promote their product or service. Inefficient or incorrectly targeted marketing campaigns can have a direct impact on ROI and may even cause some companies to fail. So, let us have a quick look at some sure-fire ways to help a budding enterprise get the exposure it needs to thrive.

Online Advertising

This may very well be the most powerful means by which a business can establish a long-lasting client base. Although scoffed at a mere decade ago, the power of the internet cannot be ignored. This has been further illustrated by the profound impact that social media has had upon on-going business operations. Successful companies now employ much more than a standalone website. Instead, they utilise such platforms as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and a host of others. If we then combine these with Google Adwords and higher search engine rankings, it becomes apparent why every SME needs to take full advantage of their online presence.

Unique Offline Advertising Strategies

The word “traditional” has been done away with in physical advertising. Companies need to find ways to think outside of the box, and some of the most successful offline campaigns have employed a number of unique methods. For example, offline advertising needs to be more interactive and eye-catching than in the past. Black-and-white billboards draw little attention, and instead any public relations campaign to centre on catching an onlooker’s attention and actively engaging with any potential clientele. Humour needs to be employed more than ever before and the more innovative an advert is, the more attention it will draw to what it is the company is providing.

Actively Employing CRM

It is essential to understand the efficacy of a current sales or marketing campaign. By proactively engaging with new and return customers, their needs can be addressed with greater clarity and should any changes in a certain strategy need to be made, they can be enacted in real-time, thus saving time and money while maintaining a client loyalty that is so exceedingly important in today’s marketplace.

Monitoring Sales Pipelines

While these aforementioned strategies are essential for any company, such actions need to be constantly monitored to gauge their effectiveness. Therefore, a company needs to employ software and internal systems that constantly monitor sales figures, inbound leads, budgetary concerns and web traffic. By measuring these metrics in real time, this platform gives the company the flexibility to adapt to a constantly changing environment.

There tips are some of the most effective ways that a company can ensure that their marketing strategies are correctly implemented. Simply stated, such tools can give an enterprise the ability to ask “How are we doing?” as opposed to “How did we do?”. If utilised correctly, these ingredients represent the recipe for success.