All too often the "shoemaker's kids have no shoes" effect takes place in businesses. Many business owners get so wrapped up in the day-to-day struggles of staying afloat that they forget to step back and look at the bigger picture as often as they should.
Whether you are a small, independent business or not, you should have a marketing strategy that ensures your company is properly equipped and focused to move in the right direction.
Sit down with a pencil, and write out your objectives; your long-term goals and vision; your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; and what you can do now to ensure success down the road. Don't assume you are too small to have a strategy or that busyness now will ensure continued success in the future. There is nothing more embarrassing than being a shoemaker whose kids have no shoes!
All the elements of the marketing process (objectives, segmentation, targeting, positioning and product, price, place, promotion) need to be considered. Everything should be measured based on your objectives and continually adjusted as necessary.
Above all, you should be able to immediately answer the question: Why should someone use you over your competitor? Are you more "strategy"-focused? Do you offer a more competitive per diem? Do you have 24/7 availability? Do you have 30 years of experience in your field? What makes you worth buying from? If you can't explain it to yourself, how are you going to communicate it effectively to your customer?
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