Have you seen Easy Ways To Make Marketing Pay?

This is the marketing playbook that will help keep your business at the top of every customer's mind - and wallet - and help you increase Profits, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Retention, Customer Loyalty and Word-of-Mouth Advocacy, both online and offline.

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Customer loyalty is what drives growth

In the survey, a resounding 82% of small business owners said that loyal customers were the main way that they grow their business, followed by online marketing tools (66%), a stronger economy (50%), and skilled employees (47%).

When asked how they earn customer loyalty, 90% said they did so by offering a great product or service, while 60% cited sustained customer communications through email, and 49% said it was through social media channels.

So loyal customers are a top driver of business growth, but what exactly does "growth" mean to small businesses? Well, not every small business has grand plans to expand beyond their flagship location. In fact, 57% defined business growth as "more revenue". More customers (40%) was the second most-cited definition of growth, while expanded inventory came a distant third at only 1.5%. Other definitions included "more employees", "expanded space in our current location", and "more locations".

Roadblocks to growth
Growth is the goal, but it is not easy to achieve. Almost 30% of respondents said finding new customers is the biggest hurdle to achieving growth, with lack of time (23%), the lagging economy (16%), and a lack of funds to invest in growth (10%) also causing difficulties.

"82% of small businesses reported new customers find them through referrals, meaning satisfied customers are one of the most important drivers of new customer acquisition," noted Gail Goodman, CEO for Constant Contact. "Creating meaningful customer engagement, from attracting new customers to keeping loyal ones happy, remains a top priority."

The survey also found the second half of the year to be particularly critical for revenue growth, with 31% citing fall and 31% citing winter as their busiest season. How critical? Fifty-nine percent of the B2C businesses surveyed said between a quarter and a half of their overall annual profits come during their single busiest season.

Holiday bonus
For small businesses, the holiday season is a hectic but rewarding time. Fifty-two percent of survey respondents said that new customers attained during the holidays become repeat, loyal customers. While 31% of those surveyed start planning for the holidays between two and three months in advance, it is surprising to find that, with all that's at stake, 28% do no advanced planning for the holidays.

In-house marketing is the primary focus for small business holiday preparations, with 41% of respondents increasing such activities. Thirty-five percent increase online and in-store promotions and 21% order advance inventory.

Have you seen Easy Ways To Make Marketing Pay?

This is the marketing playbook that will help keep your business at the top of every customer's mind - and wallet - and help you increase Profits, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Retention, Customer Loyalty and Word-of-Mouth Advocacy, both online and offline.

This 120+ page report distils a whole spectrum of marketing best practices, do's and don'ts, practical how-to's, research and wisdom from respected global marketing veterans, explaining both emerging and established marketing techniques, technologies, strategies and practices, and providing you with the data you need to support the best decisions for your new, more profitable, more engaging marketing strategy.

In this comprehensive report you'll find all the information and support you need to build and improve a profitable, effective Marketing Strategy that covers all aspects of your business and customer base.

It also highlights all the hard facts, practical know-how and trends drawn by our experts from the global Marketing Factbook's vast database of market data, studies, research and white papers, and presents you with an invaluable library of ideas and practical support you can call upon at will.

This is no average 'state of play' report; it's the only 'Fact Book' that helps you implement and manage meaningful and profitable change, and help you grow your bottom line despite a slowing economy.

You'll gain a true goldmine of easily adaptable and up-to-date strategies, walk-throughs, trends, research and market data, plus all the supporting arguments you need to build a solid, profit-generating marketing strategy.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)