POST WRITTEN BY: Elizabeth Pritchett, Sales & Marketing Director at Center Point Business Solutions.

Image Credit: Photo by Matthew Henry from Burst

Get organized. Getting an organized plan is the first step in any marketing effort. Make one. Start with brainstorming, create themes and transfer action items to a calendar or to-do list. Start small, and try to get a good ROI for everything you do.

Leverage social media. Let’s face it, everyone is on social media these days, and the majority of traffic still occurs on Facebook. If you are not using Facebook for your business, create a page today. You are leaving an opportunity on the table if you don’t. 

Create local awareness and establish a network. Join chambers, business associations, community groups, etc. Find ways to get involved. Networking is a great way to capture business leads as long as you don’t come on too strong. 

Advertise. If you build it, they still may not come. You must get out there and tell people who you are, why your product or service is different from the competition and how to find you. Advertising is not a one-size fits all solution. Find what works for you, but whatever you do, you must advertise.

More than anything, focus on consistent, repetitive branding. Many marketing professionals believe in the “rule of seven," which means people need to hear or see your message at least seven times before taking any action. In today’s world of constant connectivity, you must make sure you’re seen and heard. The most common reason that people do not buy your product is that they do not know about it yet.

Why Mobile. 

Mobile continues to get bigger and is poised for rapid expansion in the coming years. Every type of business needs to adjust to this reality if they want to stay relevant. Responsive website design that's accessible for PC, as well as for mobile users, is a good approach. However, as mobile devices are overtaking laptops and desktops in usage, you should start thinking about a mobile-first strategy. If you assume that most of your customers are using mobile to get to you and your products & services first, you can't go wrong!

Marketing Opportunities

PROXIMITY PHM offers small business marketing solutions that help your business achieve its mobile goals. EMAIL: SPONSOR@PROXIMITYPHM.COM to build a marketing package tailored to the audiences you want to reach.