Marketing SMEs: why direct and digital marketing needs a firm foundation
The digital marketing revolution has brought bigger markets affordably within reach of smaller businesses. This is great news, but in the rush to get that website done and dusted or the e-newsletter out, it is important not to overlook marketing basics. A website worth the money is built on sound web development and SEO skills. SEO worth the money is built on sound marketing.
With every marketing and advertising client, big or small, Two Lizards takes the time to discuss a detailed marketing brief. Before we talk about media we ask our clients about their products and their target markets, their sales cycle and pricing, competitors and ambitions.
This means when we get down to detail we know exactly who we need to address and how. Everything from brand development and graphic design to navigation flows out of this initial fact-finding exercise and our proposal usually covers not only web development and SEO and direct and digital marketing but social media strategy and (unusually as few if any other agencies offer it) specialist local area marketing.
There are further good reasons for starting with basics. As SME specialists, we know from experience that clients who don’t have a marketing background will tend to express marketing challenges as more general problems: for example:
“Our sales are inconsistent – we seem to have slow months for no reason”
“We’re strong in our local area but we need to widen our scope.”
The discussion means we can go into more detail with them and build a marketing strategy that answers points like these in language they can relate to.
Another factor: our clients are pressed for time, often running the business while also having to address marketing whenever they can fit it in. They rarely have a dedicated marketing manager or even specialist marketing skills on board. Our experience in working with this situation sets us apart from many other agencies. While having those initial conversations with new clients, we evaluate their strengths and work out how we can best complement them and where we need to manage an entire process.
For example it makes sense to involve a social-media confident client in beefing up their Twitter or Pinterest activity and making it more focused. Conversely, where a client is constantly pressed for time, there is no point in asking them to make selections of photography or make a detailed check of draft copy.
In this way, our proposals not only reflect the client’s current situation and ambitions, but also play to their strengths, whatever they may be.
If your current agency just wanted to sell you a website with as little discussion as possible, or take all your social media off your hands starting from tomorrow, why not talk to us? With Two Lizards you can be sure of the experience and expertise your business needs and an attention to detail you deserve.
We are based in West Sussex and Surrey and work for clients all over the South of England and Greater London.
Call us now on 01403 731028 or contact us and we will get back to you.