, let’s think about small business marketing.

In this use case scenario … ACME Corporation owns a small business retail store located in a high traffic area in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

Obviously, small business marketing is different from marketing a larger business. But is it? Or do the same principles apply?

No matter the size, all businesses need to become more customer-centric in 2020 and beyond.

In the digital economy, your customers are in control. They have a plethora of buying options. And they have high expectations. They demand great customer experiences. If not, you’re likely to hear about it on review websites like Yelp.

But here’s the good news .

Most small business owners are not good at marketing.

But you can be.

You can have a competitive advantage. All you have to do is apply some basic marketing principles.

Principle #1:

Marketing a small business means attracting and retaining customers. It’s the process by which a small business promotes, sells and distributes its product or service.

Principle #2:

Small businesses that use marketing to generate customer interest, and then use that interest to generate sales, are most successful.

Principle #3:

To make the biggest marketing impact, do things that scale, and do things that don’t scale. Think like a big brand, not like a small business.

Let’s discuss these small business marketing principles further.

Principle #1

Let’s talk about the first principle. The first sentence in the principle is:

Marketing a small business means attracting and retaining customers.

What does this sentence mean to you, ?

Here’s what it means to me:

“It means small business owners must advertise to attract customers.

And, it means small business owners must use marketing to retain customers“.

Sounds like we agree, . Let’s keep going…

The second sentence in the principle is:

It’s the process by which a small business promotes, sells and distributes its product or service.

What does this mean to you?

To me, it means:

“It means small business owners must be equipped to promote, sell, and distribute their product or service on every marketing channel.

I know what you’re probably thinking … “that a lot of work”.

And you’re right.

But remember … use marketing automation tools … don’t do this manually.

Principle #2

, here’s the second principle:

Small businesses that use marketing to generate customer interest, and then use that interest to generate sales, are most successful..

This is a great principle. Do you know why ?

Because it’s the good ole, time-tested, and proven customer buying cycle.

You’ve seen the funnel. It looks something like this:

The stages of the buying cycle are:

• Awareness
• Consideration (Interest)
• Intent
• Purchase
• Repurchase/Renewal

So here’s what this means, .

Small business marketing should be focused on generating interest, and then use that interest to generate sales.

To me, in 2020 … interest means persuading your target customer to give you their email address or phone number.

For example, a small business could advertise the following headline in a local marketing campaign …

Let’s face it … a free gift and chance to win marketing campaign generates interest. And you can use it to create a pipeline of sales opportunities.

When you persuade your target customer to give you their email address or phone number … you position your business to use their interest to generate sales.

As a result, you have successfully applied the second small business marketing principle.

Let’s move on to principle #3.

Principle #3

Principle number 3 is my personal favorite. Because I like thinking big.

The bigger you think as a marketer, the better your chances of achieving breakthrough … or, what Malcolm Gladwell famously coined as, “The Tipping Point”.

Here’s principle number 3:

To make the biggest marketing impact, do creative things that scale, and do things that don’t scale. Think like a big brand, not like a small business.

What are you thinking ?

Take a few seconds and think about that principle. There’s a lot to unpack.

Here’s what principle number 3 means.

“Make a big marketing impact. Be creative. Think about viral marketing ideas. Look for less crowded marketing channels. Think like a brand.”

I’m not going to get lost in the weeds, but I’ll give you two ideas to consider.

Both ideas could make a big marketing impact for any samll business.

The first idea is to run a contest for 6 to 9 promoting a shopping spree at your retail store around Christmas time. You could promote an advertisement like the following:

Remember. Think big!

This will not be a one-time contest. It will be an annual register to win contest.

Each year, it will compound and get bigger and better.

Rember. Be creative!

You can hire a local videographer to shoot video footage and produce marketing videos of the winner having a shopping spree at your store.

Show the experience. Show your store. Show your products. Create happy emotions. Tell a great story.

Use the videos to create social media followers and drive traffic to your retail store website.

The second idea is to look for less-crowded marketing channels to advetise your business.

If everyone is doing Google Ads and Facebook Advertising, then look for another channel. This is what experienced marketers do.

For example … have you ever thought about advertising on the music streaming service, Pandora?

Pandora allows you to target listeners by location and music station. You have an option to do banner, audio commercial, and video advertisings on Pandora.

Advertising on streaming music channels is worth exploring and testing since it’s not as competitive. The cost to advertise on Pandora is also reasonable at this time.