Expand your marketing message to grow beyond your base

So you’ve written and are in the process of executing your startup marketing plan.  Your customer base is energized and your products sales are consistent, month on month.   The current strategies, calculated as they are, have not been able to project your business beyond your customer base.  It’s beginning to feel like your business has plateaued.  What can you do to grow the business beyond just core customers?  The answer is quite simple actually: expand your marketing message!

Before we get into how to expand the marketing message, it is useful to note that this is actually a good sign for a startup business.  It means that the business is essentially ‘growth ready’ particularly if it is able to successfully satisfy its base market needs.  The business’s consistency also shows that you have been able to tap into a loyal customer group that will stay with you as long as you are able to meet and exceed their needs.

Adjusting their marketing message between stages is a huge challenge for startup companies.  Many believe that the marketing programme used at the genesis of the business can still be used during the growth stage.  Of course, this is not true.  In order to attract new clients and enter new market places, the business’s marketing plan must grow in tandem with the increase in production.

The following are some ways recommended for startups to expand their marketing message:

1.       Widen the customer search – Add new advertising platforms and employ new marketing strategies to attract new customers.  A startup company and one on the path of growth must have different marketing strategies – even if it’s only in scalability.  Tap into new customer bases with online options such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and creating unique client groups based on more complex demographic variables such as race, location and socioeconomic status. 

2.       Revamp your marketing programme – Refreshing your platforms are a great way to show that yours is a company in the growth stage. Little tweaks here and there can give the impression that you are doing things differently.  Use of more striking images and more precise content in your company brochure about your company’s capabilities will increase confidence in the company and attract new customers.  Also, if you did not have a website in the first stage of business, consider setting up one in this stage.  Expose your company’s competencies to an entirely new ‘world’.  The website will undoubtedly open opportunities for the business to enter new markets as well provide the customer with 24/7 access to your company.

3.       Engage the customer base – In your quest to gain new customers, don’t forget your ‘bread and butter’ customers.  Engage your current customer base to assist in identifying new client groups.  Ask for referrals, acquire feedback and provide incentives; and made it easy to do all three.  If the customer has to go through too many hoops to refer a potential client, you may lose that referral; likewise, feedback acquisition should be easy.  Use physical drop boxes if you have a storefront and contact sheets on your website if you are online.