Marketing Advice All Small Businesses Need: Lessons from Atomicon
Atomicon is THE must-attend event for small businesses and this week I had the pleasure of going and listening to some incredible speakers! There were so many key takeaways that will be useful as a female business owner and I knew straight away that I wanted to share the marketing advice that all small businesses need with the Your AJency community! So, even if you couldn’t make Atomicon, here are some of the best bits of marketing strategy advice you need as a small business owner.
The Best Marketing Advice for Small Businesses, from the experts at Atomicon
I listened to so many speakers, all with amazing words of wisdom. Here is just a snapshot of what I learned, but if you want to learn more sign up for Pep Talk - my weekly email jam-packed with practical, actionable tips and advice for small business owners.
Over-subscribed companies turn the best profits - from Daniel Priestly
Now, more than ever, the companies who are turning the best profits are the ones that seem over-subscribed. If you have a really amazing product or service, but only a certain quantity or availability then alongside some good marketing, you can make it seem even more desirable. Think about larger-scale examples. Rolex watches always create a waitlist which in turn creates supply-demand tension. Artists like Adele and Taylor Swift sell tickets within seconds because there were only a certain limited number of dates she would be performing. Consider how Glastonbury - a once-a-year event sells out in minutes too. It’s all about how you create that tension and feeling of exclusivity and you can do it on a smaller scale if you run a small business. If you’re running a group offer, think about creating an “insiders group” who will get early-bird access. If you’re launching a new product, launch it to your newsletter readers first - that way they will feel incentivised and rewarded for joining your mailing list.
Position Yourself as an Expert in your Marketing Strategy - from Daniel Priestly
When you’re thinking about what to post, make sure one of your content pillars is about positioning yourself as an expert in your field. One of the ways you can do this is by giving away something for free that shows your expertise - i.e. a lead magnet. Think about how many chefs give away recipes for free to prove their skills in the kitchen. What kind of resource can you create to help your potential clients and leave them thinking of you when they’re next ready to make a purchase? On average, it will take a client 11 interactions to build trust with a business and for them to use them time and time again. How can you make each of those interactions a positive experience for your clients?
Email Marketing is a powerful tool for all small businesses - from Eman Copy co
At Your AJency, we spend a lot of time talking about how to grow your following on social media if you’re a small business owner and how this can help you drive sales. But, we always advise that entrepreneurs don’t put all their eggs in the social media basket! Growing a mailing list will help you to grow a warm audience who are more likely to buy from you or work with you. And the more you can personalise your emails, the better. It’s not just a case of adding a name!
Listening to Eman Copy Co, I learned so much. Did you know that marketers have found a 760% increase in email revenue from segmented campaigns? Adding triggers based on each link in an email can also skyrocket your readership, engagement levels and ultimately sales. Proof that when you get it right, email marketing can be one of the best tools in your marketing strategy toolkit.
Don’t Sell Hours - You can’t scale your time - from simon squibb
If you’re an established business owner looking at how you can grow your small business, don’t fall into the trap of charging by the hour. There are only so many hours in the day, and therefore there is only so much you can make when you charge by the hour. This is why curating packages of services, or outsourcing areas of your business is so important if you want to grow a successful small business.
No is just a yes that hasn’t happened yet - from davina mccall
One of the keynote speakers at Atomicon 2024 was Davina McCall and she didn’t disappoint! If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I love the Diary of a CEO podcast and Davina’s episode was full of amazing insights. Her talk at Atomicon was just as impressive. Hearing that someone as successful as Davina still faces things like rejection was such a good reminder that all of these feelings we feel as small business owners are normal and that ultimately, most people in any industry are learning as they go. It’s only when we stop learning that we really fail as entrepreneurs - everything else is just part of the journey!
it’s time to realise that you are good enough - from lisa bilyeu
For many of us, our passion projects are the foundations of our small businesses and therefore our businesses can become an emotional topic. But if we want to succeed as small business owners, there has to come a point where we step back and stop letting our emotions lead us astray. This isn’t always easy, and feelings of imposter syndrome, fear and getting it wrong are themes that come up time and time again for every single female business owner that I’ve worked with. One of the most empowering things I heard at Atomicon was: “stop seeking validation - that’s for parking…” And it is so true! Whilst we want to position ourselves as experts, we don’t need the validation of others to succeed. Build your own validation for yourself - that is one of the most powerful tools you can have as a successful female business owner. Some other words of wisdom from that same speaker were:
“Confidence is the by-product of taking action”
and
“Most of us are promoted to the level of our incompetence”
Do these quotes resonate with you? How can you apply them to your own small business? I’ve worked with so many female business owners who are worried that they’re charging too much, that they won’t be able to find enough client work or make enough sales, or that no-one will enjoy their content on social media. But trust me when I say that this is fear talking and with the right support, you can catapult your business to new heights!
If any of this sounds familiar, rest assured you’re not the only one and there is something you can do to help. The Your AJency Visibility Challenge works on exactly this - helping you gain the confidence to show up consistently on social media and find the right audience. Why not sign up for our exclusive access waitlist - we’ll be releasing more information soon about the September Visibility Challenge, including an early-bird discount!
