Do you remember in business school when you learned about the four Ps: Product, Place, Price and Promotion in your Marketing 101 class? A lot has changed since I was sitting in my first Marketing class 20+ years ago, however the 4 Ps are still relevant. While marketing professors still refer to the 4 Ps, the implementation is quite different.
Remember the days when you thought 'Place' referred to real estate, a good a visible store front? Then we hit the "dot.com era" and began to think beyond brick and mortar to having a website. In today's fast moving digital economy you need even more than just a digital presence.
Now you need a website that is mobile-friendly. The computer that we use the most, is the one that fits in the palm of our hand. In fact, by 2018, according to eMarketer, global smartphone users will reach the 2.5 billion mark. And nearly 86 million consumers will make a purchase on their device in 2016.
Remember the days when you thought 'Place' referred to real estate, a good a visible store front? Then we hit the "dot.com era" and began to think beyond brick and mortar to having a website. In today's fast moving digital economy you need even more than just a digital presence.
Now you need a website that is mobile-friendly. The computer that we use the most, is the one that fits in the palm of our hand. In fact, by 2018, according to eMarketer, global smartphone users will reach the 2.5 billion mark. And nearly 86 million consumers will make a purchase on their device in 2016.
One of the greatest strengths of small business is their ability to be agile and to respond quickly to market fluctuations. One thing that can create a drag on the business is managing functions of your business that are foreign to your core business model or take away from daily operations or billable work.
There are very few businesses today that can grow without a marketing model in place. Even if your client base continues to buy from you, think at how much more you could grow if you expanded your sphere of potential clients.
So how do you expand your business and implement a marketing model, without adding a staff function you need to manage? The Answer: Hire a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer.
There are very few businesses today that can grow without a marketing model in place. Even if your client base continues to buy from you, think at how much more you could grow if you expanded your sphere of potential clients.
So how do you expand your business and implement a marketing model, without adding a staff function you need to manage? The Answer: Hire a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer.
Every year I speak with and help other entrepreneurs market and grow their businesses.
Some are able to achieve their desired success. They have a solid business plan in place, the right attitude, make the proper investments, are able to delicate and know when to enlist help.
Others have every good intention, but wander aimlessly with no plan or a plan that changes from day to day. They rely on luck rather than hard work and a more strategic approach.
Then of course, there are the dreamers who do nothing more than dream and talk about their aspirations. They often talk about what the could have done or will do, without taking the first step to put their plan into action.
Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of grit and determination, bravery and thicker skin than you might have first thought. There will be people that want to see you succeed, but just as many that secretly (or not so secretly) want to see you fail.
For an entrepreneur, that's all part of the journey. They are often motivated as much by proving doubters wrong as they are proving to themselves that their ideas and instincts were right. They value the reward of building something for themselves over the risks and long hours that are required.
Some are able to achieve their desired success. They have a solid business plan in place, the right attitude, make the proper investments, are able to delicate and know when to enlist help.
Others have every good intention, but wander aimlessly with no plan or a plan that changes from day to day. They rely on luck rather than hard work and a more strategic approach.
Then of course, there are the dreamers who do nothing more than dream and talk about their aspirations. They often talk about what the could have done or will do, without taking the first step to put their plan into action.
Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of grit and determination, bravery and thicker skin than you might have first thought. There will be people that want to see you succeed, but just as many that secretly (or not so secretly) want to see you fail.
For an entrepreneur, that's all part of the journey. They are often motivated as much by proving doubters wrong as they are proving to themselves that their ideas and instincts were right. They value the reward of building something for themselves over the risks and long hours that are required.
