First, congratulations! If you're looking to market your small business that must mean you HAVE a small business! Starting, owning and running a small business is scary stuff. Scary but exciting! Everyone comes into a entrepreneurship with a different specialty. Some people are good at selling, some are good at organizing, others still and making a quality product or service. Some, yes it's true, are even graphic designers just like me.
Let's assume you're not a graphic designer or a marketer, because it's all you other people I'm hoping to help. Maybe you bake the best apple pies or can delegate to a team that follows you with tears of loyalty, but that doesn't make you a marketer. Chances are you don't have a ton of time or money for it either. A lot of companies I've met have either hired the first low-wage designer they could get their hands on or worse thrown the whole mess - logo creation and all - to a print house to make.
Can I be frank? This is not the way to handle one of the major driving forces of sales for your business. I can understand though. I mean, it's not your specialty. People start slinging terms like 'vector graphics' and 'CMYK' and your eyes gloss over. Well, it doesn't have to be that way, I promise. Nor does it have to be expensive either! Let's start with some of the basics.
Software
You're going to need software, but there are free programs like OpenOffice (Like Microsoft Office), Gimp (Like Adobe Photoshop), Inkscape (Like Adobe Illustrator) and more that can equip you for little to no cost. Will it be top notch? No, but it will get you along until you can afford the big guns.
Core Marketing Materials
Seth Godin said it best when he explained that marketing starts in product development. Your product should be easy for a current customer to show off and brag about to their friends. It should be simple and amazing enough that anyone can understand what you offer. Bribe some people with pizza and run your marketing materials by them - get them to be brutally honest, have them ask questions and take their advice seriously! If they tell you your dental logo looks like vampire teeth (true story) please, don't defend it. Have a Dr. Phil moment "How's that working for you?" Polish and revamp your message.
When In Doubt, Copy
I'm not saying word for word, but look at marketing ads you like and ask 'why do I like this?' Keep a folder of all the ads you run across and like and you'll start to see patterns. We as a species learn through mimicry even from birth. Again don't just word-for-word copy someone, but take into account what works, and apply it to your own work.
It's not impossible to learn how to market a small business. It doesn't have to be rocket science either. Take your time, pay attention to what works and what doesn't, revise, rinse and repeat.
Good luck!
A marketer and graphic designer on a mission to simplify design and marketing for small business owners.
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