You Need a Marketing Plan

Very few businesses can succeed (and remain successful) on word of mouth alone, which is why marketing is so important. For small businesses, it's especially important to use marketing to raise brand awareness and compete against other companies offering similar services. Marketing is essential to growing your business. But where do you begin?

While marketing may seem like a huge, and expensive, task, once you have a plan in place it becomes much more manageable. A marketing plan is the key to marketing success, and it all starts with a budget.

The key to marketing success is making a plan and sticking with it!

Set your budget

If you want to see growth in your business, plan on budgeting at least 10% of your annual sales for marketing. Some businesses set aside up to 20%, but 10% is a good amount when you're just getting started. Once you have a budget in place, you can start setting goals and dates.

Time it right

In marketing, timing is everything. Early spring is very effective because homeowners make purchasing decisions based on their income flow and cash availability. In early spring, many homeowners are getting tax refunds, which frees them up to spend a little extra on things like outdoor lighting.

Choose your channels

Deciding what types of marketing to pursue is also important. Although we live in an age of technology, direct mail is still one of the most effective tools for reaching homeowners. When this post was written, the Data and Marketing Association reported that direct mail response rates had risen sharply from 2015 to 2016.

Social media is another way to reach thousands of potential customers simply and effectively. One reason it's so popular is how easily you can interact directly with your customers and target potential new clients.

Video is another effective tool for your social media, emails and website. In a consumer survey by Animoto, 56% of respondents said a company with a website should have a video, and a quarter said they lost interest in a company without one. Visual content, especially video, shouldn't be overlooked when deciding how best to market your services.

Stick with it

Finally, and this may be the most important thing yet, stick with it. I've seen so many lighting professionals start marketing their company and then drop it when they get busy. If you want to see your marketing pay off, don't stop just because other things pull your attention away. Marketing is too important to put off or quit.

Jim Heim, General Manager (2017)

For more on reaching the right clients, read how knowing your real clients transforms your marketing.

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About the author: Damien Sanchez is co-founder and COO of Sterling Lighting and an experienced lighting designer, trained under Patrick Harders, LC, since 2006. He's also an entrepreneur who owns a service-based business.