Biz Talk - Business Blog Roanoke and Beyond

I was telling some members at RoanokeBiz2Biz about our blogging workshop. Some typical comments - Blogs are not relevant in this market or my business. Everyone has one, but do they work?   I don’t have the time.

Then, they ask me –what do you think about blogs?  My response - They are an essential marketing tool of the future. They need to make the time and gain the expertise to get on board!  I have written a white paper on this topic for small businesses.

I have found that small businesses do not take the time to understand the power and cost- effectiveness of marketing in general and more specifically blogging.

In working with small and mid size business for the past five years, I have noted ten common threads in relation to their marketing efforts.

The 10 small business marketing realities are:

1. Most owners have background in finance or chemistry…. or the arts or inherited business- They do not have a clue about marketing, as distinguished from selling.
2. Most have invested some $ in marketing beyond the yellow pages and have no idea of what, if any, affect it had.  They often think the investment is water down the drain but need to spend something. So they buy some TV advertising or print ads for exposure. Often they are not relevant to their market or too expensive for the results.  
3. They do not what their Brand is—what they are really selling.
4. They do not delineate their competitive advantages.
5. Often  they can list their target markets but do not have a strategy for accessing them.
6. Often they get a talented student, friend or employee to build their website.  They get no results and say the internet doesn’t work for them. When did the same owner, ask a staff member or student to operate on their cancer or prepare their taxes!
7.  They do not analyze or track their marketing efforts
8. They do not know how to utilize their company’s resources (expertise, contacts etc)
9.  They do not follow up leads/contacts in a timely fashion
10. Most do not have the time/expertise to market their companies.  They hesitate to outsource the marketing function- procrastinating and plodding along, doing business as usual.

The courageous or desperate companies break out of this false reality and consider a step by step approach to marketing their company.   If you would like more information please email me.