Business Marketing and Customer Engagement

How is marketing used in business?

Marketing is just another word for telling customers about your business. Your marketing activity will help new customers find out about your business and the products or services that you’re offering. That’s the theory anyway. But it takes planning and dedication to execute successful marketing.

When done right it will help you increase direct sales, drive brand awareness, and improve customer engagement. Strong marketing gives you the opportunity to tell your customers how your product is different and why they should buy it.

Is business marketing expensive?

Not necessarily. There are many ways of marketing that you have to pay for, and some can be expensive, but there are also a lot of ways to market your business for free. If you have a limited budget you can still do lots of marketing without spending a penny.

For marketing ideas that won’t break the bank, check out our tips for keeping costs down and our business marketing ideas. That said, if you’re looking to grow your business significantly then it’s likely that you’ll need to start investing money in marketing.  

As a new business owner, it’s likely that you’re wearing many hats and acquiring new skills at a fast pace. If that’s the case, and you’re planning to run marketing channels yourself, take a look at our getting started guides.

Do I need to hire someone to run my marketing?

That depends on your skill set and confidence in dealing with marketing channels and setting up campaigns. If you have experience in those areas or an interest (and time) to learn then you might be able to manage marketing yourself. 

However, if you’re busy running the business with little spare time then it might be worth getting some freelance marketing support to begin with. Often you can make some great progress with marketing without hiring a full-time employee.

If you do decide that a permanent marketing recruit makes sense for you and your business, then make sure you’ve read our guide to finding the right person for the job.

How can I profile my customers?

Knowing what your customers are looking for and where they look is essential for developing an effective marketing strategy. You need to know who you’re targeting and how they usually interact with other brands. 

Understanding your customers buying habits puts you in a stronger position to present your business in the best way to appeal to them. Our top tips for researching your audience can help you get going.

How do I build a brand?

You might be wondering what it takes to build a brand. Or even, what it means to build a brand. After all, some might say that every business that exists is a brand in itself. But it takes more than just starting a business to be a brand.

You’ll need to develop a strong and consistent visual brand identity, design a logo, build an attractive website, and craft an appropriate tone of voice. All of this takes time and dedication, but can reap some major rewards down the line.

Branding your business comes with a huge list of benefits from increased sales, customer loyalty, and credibility, among others. To find out more, read our guide on why it’s important to brand your business.

My business is B2B, do I still need to invest in marketing?

Whilst a B2B business can be more challenging in terms of marketing, it’s likely that you will still need to run marketing. Your products may be more niche or difficult to sell into a big business, but the right marketing activity can work wonders for your business growth.

You’ll want to carefully consider which channels you use, the approach you take and the marketing content you use. As with a B2C business, you need to understand how your customers interact with their suppliers and understand who makes those purchase decisions, and how.

LinkedIn can be a powerful network to use for B2B business marketing. Create your business page and start posting great content to begin building your online presence. You can even do some paid marketing on LinkedIn, if you have the budget for it.

Should I consider offline marketing?

You might hear some people saying that offline marketing is gone. Digital is king. But don’t be so sure. Online marketing can be extremely powerful, but there are still some very relevant offline channels that can really help boost your business and your brand.

Depending on your business type, location and your target audience you might want to consider marketing channels such as press ads, radio and television advertising, or even sponsorship.