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marketing-voice

Finding the Small Business Voice

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As a small business, have you found your voice? Does your marketing message reflect your offer or are you trying to emulate the big brands?

Many small business owners are concerned that potential clients will be put off by a small team. They fear that it will be assumed that they lack the capacity or resources for larger projects and orders. As a result, they are tempted to create a marketing message that implies that they are a larger entity.

Is this a great marketing strategy or is honesty the best policy?

Are you Attracting the Right Clients?

Some customers favour the big names, the known brands and the long-established agencies. The familiarity of the process or the product is reassuring. They trust the label of a quality brand.

You can chase these customers, trying to attract their attention and working tirelessly to prove that you are worthy of their business. The difficulty is that bigger brands will inevitably have more marketing resources, so competing at this level is tough.

Is it worth risking a façade that doesn’t quite match reality when it can crumble? Can you build strong client relationships when you aren’t being genuine?

Celebrating the Small Business Offer

Rather than trying to emulate big business, why not celebrate the advantages of being a small company? Many potential customers prefer the experience of working with local, independent companies and here are three reasons why:

Small Businesses are Led by Owners, not Managers

As a business owner, you have a vested interest in delivering the best customer experience. Your livelihood depends on listening to customers and providing what they need. As the decision-maker, you can adapt services, policies or processes in an instant if it is advantageous. This approach makes the service responsive in a way which isn’t possible in large firms.

The type of customer that favours small businesses is looking for someone who cares. They know that owners are willing to do what it takes to build trust and complete the project to a high standard. This commitment is seldom matched by a paid manager.

Does your marketing message celebrate the dedication of the team? Do communications and case studies showcase your approachable and receptive nature?

Small Businesses offer Something Unique

Where large organisations are tough to beat on standard products and services, small independent businesses are the champions of personalisation. If consumers are looking for bespoke products and tailored solutions, they need specialists.

Let big brands engage with the masses, for small businesses it is more important to celebrate niche products and services. If your webpage content and social media is simply a micro version of the market leader, you are missing a trick.

Small Businesses are Part of the Local community

There are several advantages to being part of the local community. In the digital world, we can be in communication with anyone, but it is reassuring to be able to meet in person. Having your business on their doorstep makes you approachable and provides a sense of accountability.

As a small business owner, you likely have established contacts in the local area. If clients need something beyond the scope of your offer, you can make recommendations. Outsourcing and collaboration bring the best skills to the table and this can make you far more dynamic than larger firms.

Many customers prefer independent companies because they contribute to the local economy in ways that have a direct impact on them. From support school programmes such as Young Enterprise, sponsoring a sports team or engaging in community activities, this makes a difference.

Does your marketing message showcase your community involvement?

Be Proud of your Small Business Status

As a small business owner, you have lots to be proud of. Make sure that you have an original voice that promotes your strengths. With an honest marketing message, you are more likely to entice customers with natural synergy.

 

If writing is not your thing and you would like some help with finding your small business voice, I offer a range of affordable copywriting services. Please email catherine@write-it.co.uk for further information.

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Does your Marketing Message Still Hit the Mark?

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Through this challenging year, every business has had to adapt. Have changes been reflected in your marketing?

If your business has experienced change, it is fair to assume that the same applies to your customers. Priorities have shifted, along with where and how we work. Plans may have been put on hold as we focus on what’s needed to keep afloat.

Whether you serve other businesses or consumers, what they need and expect from you now is probably different from a year ago. Does your marketing message still hit the mark?

Is your Website Content Current?

If you have adapted processes, changed your product range or have new ways of accessing services, has your web page content been updated to reflect the changes?

Beyond your website, take a look at your business profile on social media platforms, directories and other marketing tools; are the details accurate? As uncertainty continues, it is worth reviewing this content regularly.

Responsive Marketing

During times of rapid change, communication with customers is essential. Keeping in touch and encouraging open conversations provides valuable insight. This enables your business to tailor services and marketing in ways which address customer and organisational needs.

In many cases, those quickest to respond to the Covid-19 lockdown were small businesses. Knowing their customers and community, they were responsive. As they shifted their offer and message to meet needs, they attracted new business.

As you welcome customers back through the door, have you communicated the steps you’ve taken to keep them safe? Do they even know that your company is still operational? Email marketing and newsletters are an effective way to reassure customers, retain their trust and keep everyone on your database informed.

Retain Customers with Direct Marketing

Direct communication with existing customers can pay dividends. We know that it takes a lot more effort to acquire new customers than to retain existing ones. As many companies and individuals are facing difficulties, what will it take to keep those loyal customers?

A change in financial situation could mean that previously regular buyers can no longer afford your services. Rather than lose this business, do you have an alternative option or can you agree on new payment terms?

Bring your Content up to Speed

As a small business, there is always plenty to keep us busy. I encourage you to find 30 minutes in this week’s calendar to review your communications and marketing messages. Is your content relevant or does it need bringing up to speed?

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Writing for the Web

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Writing for the web is a little different from other forms of correspondence. If you were to write a letter, it would be addressed and sent to the recipient. They would know it was for them. On the internet, they need to find your message and recognise that it is more relevant to them than all of the other messages that are available.

As a freelance copywriter, I visualise writing for the web as a triangle. I have to balance the requirements of the company, the target customer and the search engines.

Common Challenges of Writing for the Web

The challenges are writing for the web can be illustrated by the Family Law pages of two solicitor websites that I have come across.

Content on Family Law Page of Website One

This read along the lines of:

“Our experienced family law solicitors are aware of the financial and emotional cost that family proceedings can bring. Timely, focused legal advice can be crucial in cases of:
• Divorce and Separation
• Paternity and Parental Responsibility Issues
• Adoption Proceedings
• Domestic Violence and Injunctions”
(and the list extended to cover every other element of family law).

Now, this clearly states what they offer, but my first question is, how does this differ from the message that any other family law solicitors are sending out?

The content is full of keywords that people might search for and included geographical location, which can help them to be found online. However, when someone reaches their web page, it is impersonal. Despite stating that individuals needing their service are likely to have financial concerns and be in an emotional state of mind, they have not addressed this in the written content.

What is more, the list was so long that it was overwhelming. If you were going through a separation or divorce, do you need to speak to have a separate meeting to discuss parental responsibility? How much is that going to cost?

Content on the Family Law Page of Website Two

The second was at the opposite end of the spectrum:

“As an established firm, our committed team have earned a reputation for providing responsive and caring advice.

We offer all new clients a free 30-minute consultation. In this session, we ascertain your situation and advise on how we can use our expertise to help you. We recognise that this is a stressful time, so to get the most from this consultation, it can be beneficial to note down any key points in advance.”

It continued in this caring tone, which addresses the emotional and financial concerns by providing a clear idea of what to expect.

The issue in this example was that no relevant keywords could be found on the page. There was no mention of ‘divorce solicitors’ ‘legal advice’ ‘parental rights in a relationship breakdown’ or any other words or phrases that someone needing their services would search for.

Updating Website Copy

Both of these solicitors were in the process of upgrading their websites. As part of this process, they asked me to review the existing page content and provide feedback. I was then involved in creating fresh copy for the web pages; balancing the requirements of the company, the target customer and the search engines.