Marketing is not something that you do as an afterthought. Nor is it something that you do half-heartedly. In a world where the internet and modern technology is moving so fast, competition is always on the increase and showing no signs of diminishing any time soon. Marketing and web design in Marbella is an industry in itself and that means that there is an awful lot to get your head around if you’re to effectively market your business. It means keeping your finger on the pulse; always knowing what is trending, what new technology is doing and what is capturing public attention, especially in your niche market.

Got a headache yet? Well, you’re probably not alone. The good news is, we all need to start somewhere and there’s always help at hand if you find yourself overwhelmed and floundering like a fish out of water.

The majority of entrepreneurs will have invested a princely sum in getting their business off the ground, so it seems counter-intuitive to let those financial investments slide down the pan due to not having the time or inclination to learn the key marketing factors that could earn your business a valuable reputation.

The good news is it needn’t be overcomplicated. Here are a few simple, but often overlooked pointers that you can turn into daily habits:

Break your marketing tasks down into daily, weekly and monthly tasks

Looking at your marketing goals and what needs to be done to achieve them can seem like a mind-bogglingly lengthy and gritty task. It helps minimize the stress levels if you consider that it doesn’t all need to happen at once; your time would be better spent by first creating a structured outline of what you want to achieve and a strategy for achieving it. Next, the tasks that you decide on can be broken down into a priority list and subsequently plotted (realistically) into an organizer, over a time-frame that works well with your other business obligations.  

Make an organised list of your creative ideas

This is a very inspiring habit and cultivates healthy attitude and excitement about your goals, rather than making them seem daunting. It is an arena in which you allow yourself to dream; cast doubt to the side and allow the creativity to flow. Any new ideas – even those that only fall into the ‘might work’ category should be put onto this list and worked through point by point. It can even be part of your weekly tasks to review one item on the list each week and see if anything new springs to mind. This way, you keep the ideas fresh in your mind and the answers and inspiration you’re looking for are likely to spring up when you’re least expecting them. Make a rule only to cross something off the list once all avenues have been exhausted.

Keep an inspiring business book handy

Another way to keep marketing fresh in your mind is to invest in a decent marketing or business book. For example, you could pick a success story that appeals to you or is related to your particular area of business and allocate a certain amount of time each week to reading it. It can be a productive way to take time out of your working day while still keeping your mind open to ideas. It’s a positive step in that you are allowing yourself to be inspired by others’ techniques and results, at the same time as keeping your mind on your own business and its goals.

Offer an affiliate program

Nothing grabs people’s attention like the idea of making money without having to make too much effort. Affiliate programs are an excellent way to increase both your reach and your sales quickly. By offering a small percentage of your profits to those who are interested in your products and services, you are getting others to do some of the marketing for you for free. It acts a little like ‘word of mouth’ because it isn’t always obvious that your promoters are signed up to an affiliate program anyway. Even if it is, the bottom line is that for whatever reason your business has willing advocates; this can only be an attractive thing to potential customers and it will surely draw much more attention to your site.

Sponsor a cause or local event

Everybody loves a bit of altruism. Sponsoring causes makes you seem caring and adds a human element to things, which makes customers relate to you more easily. What do you get out of it? Free marketing, of course. Most causes or events will happily repay your generosity with a mention on their literature, website etc. You might even be able to get a banner on their site. It’s all publicity for your business and you get to do a good deed in the process.

Use videos to market your business

Again, this approach adds a personal touch. Viewing is easier than reading and Youtube is massively popular these days for this reason, among others. Blogging has led to ‘vlogging’ (making video blogs) and although you may not wish to participate in such a thing, even simple videos marketing your products gives you and your business a face. People will feel more confident seeing who it is at the steering wheel, and demonstrating products and services this way gets their attention in a way that a bunch of words on a screen may not. They’re more likely to trust you and you in turn will come across as confident and willing to engage your customers.

Ask customers for testimonials

If they’ve bought from you (or used your services) and they haven’t sent it back or complained then there is a good chance they’ll be willing to give their opinions. It can be as quick and simple as setting up an automated ‘how did we do?’ follow up email. This is positive because not only does it get you honest feedback, it keeps you in your customers’ minds, makes them feel that you care what they think and that you are open to making improvements. If you want to get them to write a little extra, ask for their comments and offer them a freebie or discount on their next purchase for returning the email. It shouldn’t be too difficult to collect some positive feedback, which you can publish on your site straight away.

If you’d rather put your trust in the hands of professionals, that is also understandable. Marketing isn’t something you can afford to approach with a blase attitude, because customers remember the errors all too often. Optimasit are happy to offer a professional hand when it comes to all things marketing and technology, so that you can focus on other important areas of business safe in the knowledge that your reputation is in good hands.