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View Winners → ADvocate Jan 17, 2022
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Marketing your business begins even before you illuminate that ‘open’ sign. Setting up a pre-launch marketing strategy is one of the best things you can do for your brand. The worst case scenario is launching your business only to realize you have failed to rally the appropriate audience for your services. Entrepreneurship is an uphill battle and requires someone who is comfortable with rejection and does most of their thinking outside the box. If you eat failure for breakfast (and you might have to, if that budget is small enough), then tackling the hefty job of marketing a new business should be no problem for you.
It is no secret that many businesses fail within the first five years of operation (upwards of 80%). You can set your company up for the highest chance of success by being proactive instead of reactive in the marketing world. Planning your pre-launch marketing strategies is equally as important as filing your DBA or purchasing insurance for your company.
Create a Social Media Editorial SOP
Having a social media plan is crucial to the success of your business. This determines where your energy and efforts should go in terms of digital promotions. Your social media marketing plan is the cornerstone of your organic and paid online advertising. Content marketing consistently generates up to three times more leads than per dollar versus paid search marketing. Establish a clear SOP (standard operating procedure) regarding social media so that there are no gaps in your team’s efforts. It is ideal to have a designated content creator. This of course falls to you if you are currently the sole employee within your business.
Content organization software such as Sprout Social and Later offer cross-platform scheduling and community management options. Here you can simply plug in the pre-established content and queue it up for a later date. Additionally, keeping a spreadsheet of proposed content allows you and your team to plan in advance and make edits within a single working document. Here you can write post copy, link to the approved images, include appropriate links, and manage hashtag lists.
Plan for Email Marketing
Email marketing ROI (return on investment) is one of the highest-grossing digital media tools today. Consumers benefit from consistent company updates and promotions delivered right to their inboxes. In a 2021 business survey, 59% of consumers reported that brand marketing emails impact their purchase decisions. Having a setlist of email recipients allows you to notify existing customers of sales and special discounts. Email marketing also generates increased traffic to your website, as you can easily link your page to copy and image blocks within the newsletter.
Schedule a Launch Event
It’s true that in this day and age, most of your pre-launch marketing efforts are likely geared towards the digital space. However, there is a significant benefit to promoting your services within your local area. As your business opening day draws closer, consider planning a pre-launch event to generate even more local interest.
