The last few episodes I watched there was something that struck me, besides the fact that most restaurants are considered a small business. That is the fact that restaurants have an even higher rate of going out of business than other types of businesses. Granted that most people that venture into the restaurant industry are chefs and not marketers or business people, it may seem like it make sense that they are in more danger. What struck me more than anything was the lack of understanding that these people have in regards to image and branding of their business. The reason most of these restaurants that Chef Gordon Ramsey is helping, just like small businesses, that are going out of business is because they do not fully grasp the concept of how to create a brand name or what building a business image is all about. If a small business would fully understand what it means to create a brand name and establish their image I would be willing to bet that the rate of successful businesses would go up. After looking around in my local town and the businesses that had come and gone over the last two years, something interesting came up. The companies that had built themselves as a brand and been very clear about their image from the get go are still around! Another thing that I found extremely amusing to discover, was that all of the businesses that are still around had all established a web presence and done internet marketing very early on. So here is some free advice to any small business out there, catch an episode or two of “Kitchen Nightmares” and see what you can pick up on in regards to what Chef Gordon Ramsey explains to them about their image and branding. It may just be the episode that saves your business!
Posts Tagged ‘Small Business Marketing’
5 Pitfalls to Avoid in Your Small Business Marketing
December 31st, 2009If you have a brand new business sprouting as we speak, you need to pay attention here. Or may be you already own a small business in its nascent nervy stage. In either scenario you require a solid plan to reach your target customer. And you need it fast. Well, this article is not about giving you a marketing plan. This is to tell you what 5 mistakes to avoid. As a small business you can’t afford to loose a million dollar in market research or focus groups to find out what might work for you. But I can tell you right away what will not work. Lets find out what to avoid in your initial marketing and advertising. 1. Acting Small- ‘One man Band show’ A cardinal sin that you can commit in this time and age is to act small. Of course, you really might be a humble start-up but internet gives you a level playing field with the big guys. So why not go out, get a neat website, find some multiple-id corporate email ids, get a toll-free no. and open the shutter to public. Dn’t make it blatantly obvious that you are a one-man/woman band. Find ways of being bigger- not small. 2. Underselling- ‘Pay Us Whatever You Want’ Yes, you are just starting out. Every penny matters and you might have rising bills. Granted. Undercutting a competitor by reducing prices can be a smart business strategy, but simply trying to survive by taking whatever you get- is a disaster signal. Remember, price is an important element of your marketing-mix, please do not abuse it. ‘Better-value’ is a unique proposition; ‘cheap-product’ is not. 3. Boasting- ‘We are The Best’ Do you have honest references and genuine testimonials to prove your credibility? Do you make it visible straightaway on your home page or company leaflet? If not, then whatever you will say in support of your product and services will sound like an over-hyped sales pitch. So please be careful. Your sales page might be boasting beyond your customer’s logic. 4. Blabbering Online- ‘Bill Gates Sucks’ If you have a business to run, you have a reputation to guard. Blabbering on online forums, passing sleazy chain-emails, or, commenting rudely on blogs will find its way to your Google resume. Watch what you do online. Big brother is indeed watching you. 5. Freeby-Mania- ‘Free Web Design By’ Its commonplace for new small business owners to be on the lookout for free stuff. Not bad. As long as, it reduces the cost and provides added productivity. Beware of too many free links in your website, or, email newsletters. Maybe that presentation you prepared with free software (which left a ’sample’ watermark)can find its way to your clients. I hope these tips will help you guard against small pitfalls you can make in a bid to quickly promote your business. These are all common-sense issues. Make a habit of avoiding them once will help you throughout your entrepreneurial career.
Small Business Idea Free Important Knowledge Base
December 13th, 2009I am sure your quest for small business idea has come to an end as you read this article. Yes, gtwo are those days when we have to search endlessly for small business idea information or other such information like domain name registration cheap, many small businesses, small entrepreneur or even small business grants. Even without articles such as this, with the Internet all you have to do is log on and use any of the search engines to find the small business idea information you need. Today there are all kinds of software for small business which includes small business accounting software, small business marketing software and small business CRM tools. The usage of this software is aimed at reducing the pressure of handling tasks like managing payrolls, sales, managing leads, and it also paves way for better customer management. After all, not everyone can be a one man industry. Can one? Do you have a phone in your organization? Well, then you need small business CRM as well. It is becoming that important in determining the success of a small business. One false move as a small online business owner in a small town and you could find yourself without a small online business and without a means to handle all of your bills and other things that come about. Your small online businesses success has a great deal to do with who you are, how you feel about others, the cleanliness of your small online business and the staff or employees that are working for you, representing what you are about and making your small online business look good each day. Small business is a term that is used day-to-day. That is because in the past decade the rise of small business has been larger than in any other decade prior. This is largely due to the increasing number of services that are available to small business owners, to enable them to keep their business running. If as related to small business idea as this article is and it still doesn’t answer all your needs, then don’t forget that you can conduct more search on any of the major search engines like Google dot com to get more helpful small business idea information. The small business plan steps given above, end up with an idea that actually has the prospective to succeed along with the money and small business loans online the satisfaction you have been dreaming. Effective small business marketing starts with being able to write a simple and practical marketing plan, specifically for your business. This marketing plan then forms the basis of all your marketing efforts and acts as a reference point when you have to decide between two or more courses of action. Keep in mind that the fonts you choose should support your content and your message rather than take away from it. Lastly, make sure you test your fonts on your target audience ahead of time to make sure the font(s) you chose are easy to read. It was intriguing to find that many people, oblivious of their background, found this article related to small business idea and other small business marketing strategies, develop a business plan, and even starting a new small business helpful and information rich.
