Why do you think marketing matters
so much now?
The world is more competitive than
ever before. There are more businesses
and more products, so you have to find
a way to stand out. Marketing is one of
the best ways to do that.
It’s also more important than ever to
build relationships with customers. In
the past, people were loyal to brands
and stuck with them for years. Now,
people are constantly bombarded with
choices, so you have to work hard to
earn their loyalty.
Finally, marketing has become more
complex as we’ve moved into the digital
age. There are new channels and new
technologies, which provide endless
opportunities to reach customers
in innovative ways. With so much
potential, it’s essential to have a strong
marketing strategy.
Can you speak to the marketing
skills gap that exists within small
businesses these days?
It seems like everyone is a marketer
these days. Social media experts,
SEO gurus, and content creators are
all over the place, eager to help small
businesses grow.
Many business owners simply
don’t have the time or knowledge to
effectively market their products or
services. As a result, they end up missing
out on valuable opportunities to reach
new customers.
The good news is that there are a
number of resources available to help
small businesses bridge the marketing
skills gap, including the tactics outlined
in my book. With a little effort, any small
business can develop the skills needed
to create a winning marketing strategy.
12 milkshake
For more than 30 years, Susan Tyson
has been a marketing and advertising
professional, and an independent
marketing consultant since 2014.
She has worked with a wide range
of ad agencies and corporate entities for an impressively diverse client
base including Enrich Enterprises, Inc. (EEI) management consulting, Cars.
com, Chicago Sun-Times, Budget Rent a Car and the College of American
Pathologists (CAP).
Recently, Tyson authored her first book, “Business Marketing Strategy:
Your Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Success for Your Small Business.”
While she has endeavored to support small businesses with marketing, her
simple approach works for entrepreneurial and marketing personalities in
organizations of all sizes. For more information, visit Susan@SGTyson.com.
What are some of the most critical
action items for brand owners to
get started?
Your brand is not your logo, website, nor
your product.
Your brand is the perception that your
customers have of you. And in today’s
competitive marketplace, perception is
everything. As a result, it’s essential for
brand owners to carefully control their
own narratives.
The first step is to define what your
core values are and what message
you want to communicate to your
target audience. Once you have a
clear understanding of your brand
identity, you can begin to craft strategic
marketing campaigns that will help to
shape public perception.
It’s important to remember that your
brand is your most valuable asset. By
taking the time to define and nurture it,
you can create a powerful competitive
advantage that will help your business
thrive.
What kind of resistance do you
see when it comes to clients
embracing marketing?
Some clients believe that marketing
is too expensive. They don’t want to
invest the money required to create a
campaign that will reach their target
audience. Other clients think that
marketing is unnecessary because they
believe that the product or service
will speak for itself and that they don’t
need to go to the trouble of creating a
marketing campaign. And some clients
simply don’t understand marketing.
They don’t know how to create a
campaign or what kind of results to
expect and they resist getting started.
Overcoming these objections, however,
is essential to success.
You talk about brand “tone.” Can
you share what you mean by that?
I’m referring to the overall attitude and
personality of a brand. This includes
everything from the language used in
marketing materials to the design of the
website to the way customer service is
handled.
Every element of a brand’s
communication should be carefully
considered to create a consistent tone
that accurately reflects the brand’s
identity. For example, a luxury fashion
brand would want to communicate
ACTING SMALL AND
THINKING LARGE
SUSAN TYSON
FRACTIONAL CMO,
ENRICH ENTERPRISES, INC.
July 2022
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