Thursday, May 3, 2012

Marketing Plans Are Part Of What It Takes To “GET” Your Business


As small business owners, we sometimes have trouble grasping all of the moving parts of what it takes to be in business.  Large corporations have marketing departments, accounting departments, legal departments, etc.  Being in business for yourself typically means that you become those departments.  I often think back to something I once heard from a fellow business owner; “being in business for yourself means you have the ability to choose which 14 hours of the day you want to work”.  So True!
In this economy, it’s tough to pay people to manage every aspect of your business; hence many business owners take on the task themselves.  Ultimately it is hard to be the master at everything, but gaining a general understanding can be a huge help for every business owner. 
On April 17th, I had the opportunity to team up with Gateway to Entrepreneurial Tomorrows (GET) and Orange County Trust Company as part of a workshop for small business owners.  The goal was to provide useful information to business owners about what it takes to effectively market their products and services.  We discussed the importance of creating a marketing plan, which then spun off into a variety of different directions from Facebook to e-marketing. 
Having been in the marketing industry for so long, it still amazes me how quickly things have changed.  Just 5 years ago the conversation would have spun off into discussions about print and radio advertising and now everyone’s primary focus is social media and digital advertising.  With technology being ever changing, it is so important to keep up with new trends in marketing and incorporate them into your marketing strategy.
The workshop was very interactive and engaging.  According to Tim McCausland, VP of Corporate Strategy and Business Development at Orange County Trust Company, it was the biggest turnout yet!  I thoroughly enjoyed giving the presentation and it was great to see that Orange County Trust sponsors events like this for the small business community.

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