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Small Business Marketing: Are You Using a Net or a Spear?
By Jeremy Cohen
jcohen@bettermarketingresults.com
Contact Jeremy Cohen
http://www.bettermarketingresults.com

When I was back in college, over a decade ago, I decided
that when I was done I would run off to Alaska and work in
the fishing industry. The lure of hard menial labor and the
outdoorsman�s life seemed so tantalizing to me after having
toiled away in academia, not just for the past four years,
but for most of my life.

I learned as much as I could about the fishing industry:
working on boats, at the docks and in canneries. I learned
that one of the popular techniques used by commercial
fishing companies is to cast huge nets between ships miles
apart and drag them through the sea capturing anything
unfortunate enough to get snarled. While this technique
netted prolific amounts of fish, the vast majority of the catch
could not be sold at the market.

What a waste! Not only do these companies
unnecessarily deplete a precious natural resource they also
waste their valuable time and energy setting and hauling in
nets and then sorting through their catch to identify and
pluck marketable fish from the masses.

While large fishing companies can afford to expend their
resources in such a manner, as a small business owner, you
would be ill advised to follow such a path when fishing for
new clients. Small business marketing tactics must be much
more precise and efficient to be viable.

To continue our fishing example, consider a tribesman from a
pacific island. Instead of employing large nets a tribal
fisherman will stand and wait, knee deep in water known to
be plentiful with the type of fish he seeks with only a
spear in hand. When a fish swims by he lunges with his
spear and voila! Dinner is served, or at least caught. The
tribesman�s method is highly efficient and effective.

The methods you employ when marketing your small business or
professional service firm should minimize waste and maximize
sales.

Are you using a marketing net or a marketing spear to find
new customers?

Size Matters
A marketing net can take many forms. One of the most common
forms of marketing with a net is investing in the belief
that the larger the group you market to the better the
chance of developing new business. This type of thinking
could not be farther removed from reality. You can much
more effectively generate quality leads and sales by
focusing your marketing efforts on a smaller yet highly specific
audience.

If you�ve ever placed a display ad in your local newspaper,
paid for banner advertising on a popular web site or paid
for a radio or TV commercial only to be disappointed by a
meager response there is good reason dissatisfaction.

While there were likely a few potential clients who saw
or heard your ad the vast majority of those you reached
simply had no need for your products or services. What�s
more, those who might indeed have a need for your
product or service were likely not actively seeking what
you sell at the moment they saw your ad.

You can improve the response to your advertising by
marketing to a smaller but more focused audience. Your ad
will not only appear in front of those who have a need for
what you sell, it will be seen by more people who are
actively seeking what you provide.

Take some time to identify periodicals and other ad vehicles
that serve your market and fit your budget and then place
your ads in front of a smaller but more specialized audience.
You will sell more and get more for your advertising dollar.
It�s amazing what a spear can do.

Sharpness Matters Too
Even if you trade in your marketing net for a spear (focus
your market) your marketing results may still be
disappointing if your spear is dull - you may squarely hit a
fish with the tip of your spear but if it is not sharp the
fish may squirm away.

You can perpetually keep your spear sharp with an
outstanding marketing message. Your marketing message
should speak directly to your buyers and clearly communicate
why they should buy from you. If it does not your future
customers won�t ever take notice of you, even if you are the
ideal solution for their needs.

Many small business owners use a poor and ineffective
marketing message because they do not fully appreciate the
value of a good one. A strong marketing message will be
noticed by those most likely to become your clients and will
work to get your prospects to take the action you want them
to take: visit your store or web site, contact you for more
information and ultimately, buy from you.

Take some time to examine your marketing message. If you
get the sense that it isn�t very focused, it probably isn�t.
What words and phrases can you use to sharpen it up?

Move Your Marketing Forward
Get rid of your net and sharpen you spear. Even if you hate
to fish or have never gone fishing, you�ll find yourself
looking forward to every opportunity to wade into knee deep
water.

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