According to a recent survey, two-thirds of Americans dream of owning and running their own business someday.
Among these, some will actualize their dream and build stable enterprises; some never start at all while others start, but fail a few years into operation.
For the last group, a lot is to blame. From the economic climate to cash flow problems to even ineffective marketing strategies.
With the advances in technology, IT services are among the most in-demand services today. However, this does not guarantee success to every budding IT outfit.
If you are just starting out, here are some marketing strategies to ensure your business flourishes.
1. Know Your Audience
Any effective marketing strategy is dependent on how well you know your customers.
This clues you in on the IT solutions they might be looking for, the strategies they would respond best to, and which platforms to use to target them.
2. Run a Blog
If there is anything that can build your brand awareness, it is blogging. Statistics show that 70% of customers learn about a business through blog posts. What this means is that having a regularly updated blog is better than running ads.
Blogs focus more on providing information, rather than making a hard sell. This is probably the reason why customers are more likely to trust the information given out in a blog than in an advertisement.
But you must publish the right content.
Your articles must be well researched and articulated. If you constantly provide high quality and informative content, prospective customers will start seeing you as an authority and will be more inclined to trust your products.
3. Show and Tell
IT is largely practical. Therefore, telling customers what you could do for them might not be as powerful as showing them what you could do for them.
It's understandable that you might not be all that eager to spend valuable time giving demos; however, these actions might pay back handsomely.
Something as simple as having a "schedule a demo" call to action on your website can communicate positively to customers and differentiate you from the dozens of IT firms without this benefit.
4. Use Social Media
While the world of social media is continuously evolving, it has undoubted value in business marketing.
Social media gives you a large audience at a fraction of what it would cost to carry out traditional media campaigns.
Another key value of social media is its interactivity.
A website, even one with a chatbox can be limiting. Social media encourages two-way interactions and helps humanize a company.
Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram are great platforms for you to communicate who you are, your company culture, and values.
This can draw more clients to your business because clients love aligning themselves with businesses that embrace positive values.
5. Word of Mouth
Referrals never go out of style.
Clients want to know they are giving their money to a credible business that will deliver as promised. Referrals affirm this.
This is especially useful when you are starting out, as most people are apprehensive about going for an 'unknown' brand. At this stage, you can use existing customers to put in a good word for you and help you gain traction.
In time, when your budget allows, look at designing an incentive-based referral system where existing clients get something back for each referral.
One Last Thing
These are great ideas to start with; however, look at what the competition is doing as well as other profitable businesses in different industries.
Similarly, measure results, reevaluate, and add more ideas to your marketing mix as you move along.
