I bet my bottom dollar that every person reading this knows a ‘Jack’. Jack’s workshop has been in business for twenty years. The business has never needed to do any marketing as it had a loyal customer base consisting of repeat customers gained through word of mouth…then times changed…
Jack’s clients started needing to watch their expenses so they have gotten Jack to lower his price to bottom line and then searched for better prices as R 20 today is R 20 and who can afford to pay R 20 more than they have to? The result…Jack’s profit margins has taken a bit of shot…as has most businesses today. Furthermore he has also lost some clients to other businesses that could afford to price beat Jack. Jack now needs to do more business to achieve the same revenue as before and he has to find new clients to replace those he has lost. Clients do not simply contact him and he is not sure how to find new ones. Jack is good at fixing things, Jack is not so good with computers so Jack does not have a website nor any social media profiles. Clients that search for workshops do so online and Jack is nowhere to be found there so they go to Joe’s Workshop as he can be found on google and bookings can be made online.
Times have changed in terms of profit margins and consumer behavior. Consumers are more informed, connected and price sensitive today than they have ever been-it is a fact and anyone that runs a business will tell you that from first hand experience. Small and medium sized businesses needs to do marketing more aggressively than ever before. Good news is it can be done, it just needs to be done…
2.4 Billion people are on the internet daily. 97% of consumers search online for information on a business or service. 75% of consumers say they determine a companies credibility based on whether they have a website or not and it takes them 10 seconds on a company’s website to decide whether they want to do business with them or not. 30% of consumers will not even consider doing business with an organisation that has no website. So, the easy solution for any Jack is to start off by getting a user friendly website that displays their business information, products and or services in an aesthetic and user friendly manner. It does not have to cost an arm or a leg and there are plenty of ‘do it yourself’ platforms available for free. Secondly Jack needs to ensure that search engine is optimized to ensure that his new website is found easily by new clients needing his services. He can even list his business with Google for free in a few seconds. Thirdly he can advertise on Search Engines and on Social Media Platforms for a fraction of the cost of advertising on traditional platforms with a far wider and more targeted reach. Jack can also create a Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page for his workshop, a easy and cheap way to grow awareness of his workshop and gain a few extra clients.
The digital tools for gaining extra business is more user friendly, affordable and easier to obtain than ever before, they simply need to be utilized, consistently. Understandably not everyone has the time, staff or experience to get a whole new marketing strategy in place effectively, but it is critical for all small businesses to do so…one way or another…
On a daily basis I see small business employees and owners concerned about current economical conditions and it breaks my heart when the business is out there they simply need to change their approach to be aligned with the changed consumer behavior. There are a great many opportunities to be obtained through digital marketing…just reach out and take the first step.
We specialize in supporting small and medium businesses getting more business without changing their business. We even offer a free month trial to give businesses the opportunity to earn extra before they need to pay extra. Reach out and let us support you https://alchemymarketing.co.za/
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