Skip to Content

How can marketing help you to grow your Business?

How can marketing help you to grow your Business?
Tuesday, December 11, 2018

It has always been the case that, in order to survive in business, companies must get their name out there in front of customers.  While “word of mouth” referrals are a welcome bonus for any business, it would be rare indeed for a business to prosper relying on this method alone. The internet is now seen by most entrepeneurs as an essential place for their business to be.

However not all of your customers may be internet savvy. Depending upon the profile of your typical customer, other more traditional methods of marketing should be considered equally.

A great start to improving your marketing would be to understand just what it is your competitors are doing to win. Are they using a form of marketing that you’re not currently using? If so, there’s a strong possibility you might be losing out on winning customers over to you because you’re not seen by these people and businesses.

How do I make the most of my marketing strategy?

You may already have decided that you are going to market your products with pricing that undercuts the competition. That is a strategy that has been successful for some businesses, especially those with low overheads. Can you afford to do this?

If lowering your price is not an option or you’d prefer not to get into a race to the bottom, then you should consider the following two things:

• First, what are you offering your customers that your competitors are not? What is your unique selling point? Do you offer better products or better customer service?

• Second, how are you going to promote that unique selling point to as many prospective buyers as possible?

Think carefully about your unique selling point. Maybe it might not actually be unique to you but none of your competitors have so far chosen to lead on it when advertising themselves.

This is not a new idea. Over fifty years ago, the way in which milk was treated for human consumption was changed by law. All milk had to be boiled to eradicate the spread of T.B. from cows to humans. 

What does have to do with you, you might ask? One entrepreneurial milk man decided to advertise on the side of his cart that his milk was pasteurised and therefore safe. The point is all milk had to pasteurised but he was the first to advertise it.  The business went from strength to strength, and the rest as they say is history.

Now that you have thought about the USP that your business has or a factor that is common but under promoted, you’re ready to go.

Next, you should consider the many marketing outlets available to you.

How are you going to reach all of your potential customers?

There are currently five main types of off-line marketing you can select:

• direct,

• networking,

• exhibiting,

• trade/niche, and

• blanket.

Direct marketing

Direct marketing allows you to choose who will receive your promotional material and in what format. You could consider email, post and telephone marketing.

If you are targeting a specific trade, you could purchasing contact information on them from list owners or list brokers. These companies will help you narrow your search by type, size and location. 

A word of caution - please make sure that your list broker can guarantee that their lists are GDPR complaint. Also if you are tele-marketing businesses, ensure that they are not on the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS) opt-out list.

Networking

This entails you attending get- togethers with other business owners. You can introduce yourself, share information and seek out new contacts. These events are often attended by large numbers of business people from a variety of backgrounds.

Before attending, it’s always worth checking with the organisers how many people from your target audience will be attending. You can then decide whether attendance at the event offers value for money.

Events and exhibitions

Trade fairs and expos are great places to win business, especially if you operate in a niche sector. If you’re in the food sector, you might gain some valuable new contacts and orders by attending a local hotel suppliers exhibition.

The cost of trade fairs can quickly add up when you factor in purchasing banner stands and promotional literature. Try your best to keep cost under control and stick within the tightest possible budget you can.

Trade/Niche

This could involve advertising on newsletters and websites linked specifically to your target market. Thinking back to our food supplier, s/he could advertise on hotel news, pub news, or even education news website so that they’re seen by the decision makers responsible for purchasing food and drink for their organisation.

Blanket Marketing

This method is used to target thousands of potential customers all at once. Local and national areas can be covered. With some blanket marketing method, specific customers can be targeted by gender, income bracket, interests, profession and so on.  Blanket advertising is the cheapest form of advertising and can include, newspapers, leaflets, buying space on Google, Facebook, television, radio and so on.

Although blanket advertising is often the cheapest form of marketing per person it is also the least precise. For example, if you distributed thousands of leaflets, only a handful of people might need your services or products at that moment in time.

Can I afford to promote my business?

Reading this article may have increased your drive to use marketing to promote and grow your business, the burning questions are - what does it cost and can I afford it?

Help is at hand. Speak to us about any ideas you have or any suggestions on marketing you have and we can see if those ideas sit comfortably within your budget. Being the best in business is all keeping costs where under control and we’d love to help you grow your business at a pace that is sensible and affordable.

To find out more, please call 01235 768 561 or email enquiries@pantheraaccounting.com.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

For us, there is nothing better than a happy customer. Here are just a few that let us know how much we mean to them.

Pete Dungey

Simple, efficient and most importantly, hassle-free.

We found Panthera via our search for a Xero expert. We knew the software we wanted to use, and needed a forward-thinking accountancy partner who could get us up and running, and teach us the ropes moving forward. Tory and her team have always been on hand to answer our questions, and help us to grow as a business, particularly during periods of big change, such as becoming VAT registered. They are always on hand to alleviate any concerns and help to keep our records in order, which makes our year-end accounts an absolute breeze! Being based in Bristol, our relationship is entirely email based, alongside one consolidation meeting at year end - this keeps things simple, efficient and most importantly, hassle-free.

Pete Dungey | Kaleido Grafik Limited
Anita van Eijndhoven

Talk Our Language

The support and service we receive from Panthera Accounting is very good. Everything from regular meetings, a prompt e mail response and the transition of our Xero software (which we find very pro active indeed) has and is all remarkably efficient. We find Panthera talk our language and make any process as painless and easy as possible.

Anita van Eijndhoven | Quidne-IT
Ash & Tim Lane

Panthera brush aside the stereotype of the typical accountant

We got in touch with Panthera Accounting by way of a recommendation; we haven't looked anywhere else since. They are an extremely professional yet relaxed group of people. We were slightly daunted by the idea of accountants but Panthera brushed aside y the stereotypes. They are very understanding when answering any questions we may have. They are completely efficient, offer sound business advice, and are fantastically priced. We will continue to recommend them.

Ash & Tim Lane | Starveacre Fencing
Jayne Johnson

An Asset to my Business!

The whole team at Panthera are great! Working with them has been a huge support to my growing business. They help me to understand the numbers I need to know. They give me technology solutions like Xero so that I can process things quickly and have access to my own figures. They are quick to reply, highly knowledgeable, nothing is too much trouble and as well as making sure that everything is compliant and on time, they are enthusiastic, professional and fun to work with.

Jayne Johnson | Better People
John Baker

Absolute joy - they provide a first class service on every level

Working with Tory and the team at Panthera is an absolute joy - they provide a first class service on every level; from simple Xero issues through to more complicated tax enquiries, they’re always on-hand to help me get it right. I’m certainly not their biggest customer, but I’m always made to feel like their most important one.

John Baker | BKR Solutions
John Castle

Professional and Friendly

I would like to say that Panthera Accounting have helped me with my business accounts for more than 4 years now. They have consistently offered an excellent competitively priced service that works both professionally and in such a friendly way that I would highly recommend them to everyone considering using their services.

John Castle | Ilexanna Limited & Birch Castle Homes Limited
Jonathan Morrison

They are always there to answer queries and sort out issues

I had been with Mr Dunn for 20 years when upon his death Panthera took over the business. They now play a bigger part in the running of my business, they do all the stuff that has to be done but I don't like doing ie book keeping, VAT, wages, and returns. They are always there to answer queries and sort out issues and make sure all Tax deadlines are met. Their costs are fair, service is great and I have and would highly recommend them.

Jonathan Morrison | Wallingford Builders
Pippa Scott

Professional, friendly and personal service.

Panthera Accounting have gone above and beyond the call of duty to guide and support our Company. They offer a professional, friendly and personal service that can take the stressful and sometimes frightening feelings out of running a business. They have guided us through the working of Xero and have offered “teaching sessions” on the day to day running of the accountancy package. Our only regret is that we didn’t join their team earlier.

Pippa Scott | Scott's Commercial Services Limited
Sara Southey

Panthera puts the personal back in to accountancy!

Tory and her team have provided a friendly, approachable and helpful service from the start. They have delivered a quality service, above and beyond anything I could have expected. Panthera, with the help of the Xero package, have taken the stress, strain and confusion out of managing my company and personal accounts. I look forward to working with them for many years to come.

Sara Southey | Bluestones Garden Design
Tracey Miller

Panthera are fantastic.

Panthera are fantastic. Always professional, going the extra mile for their clients and delivering superb service. I recommend them all the time to my clients.

Tracey Miller | Bigger, Brighter, Bolder BBB

CONTACT US

Lets Get Started

Panthera will use the details that you have entered into this form to communicate with you on the subject of your message, and for no other purpose.
Please see our privacy policy for more details on how we manage your data.

Move to Panthera

Moving to Panthera is as easy as 1,2,3...

  1. We jump on a quick call to create the perfect service package for your business
  2. You e-sign your terms of engagement
  3. We get your authority to talk to HMRC on your behalf

And that’s it! From contacting your previous accountant, to updating Companies House with your new registered office address, let us handle all of the admin so that you can get on with running your business, safe in the knowledge that everything is going smoothly in the background.

TALK TO US