The general election: marketing lessons for small businesses

The general election: marketing lessons for small businesses

The general election attracts media and public attention on a greater scale than most small businesses could ever dream of. Nevertheless, there are a couple of lessons to be learned about the importance of being properly prepared when marketing your business.

Understand your business

When politicians step into any public forum, they can expect a grilling on their policies. If they can’t answer a question about how a proposal will work or offer evidence to support their claims, they’re in trouble. At the very least, they’re going to look evasive.

So, what does your business offer? What are your key services and policies? Before you can safely embark on any kind of marketing effort, you must know your business inside out and be prepared for any curveballs the media, or clients, could throw you.

Write yourself a Q&A, outlining every area of the business clients or the media might ask about. This will also help you weed out any awkward questions and work out how you’re going to address them so that you don’t get caught on the back foot.

Understand your market

You’ll often hear the media talking about which group of people a party is currently trying to win over. For example, earlier this year it was reported that Gordon Brown was targeting Mumsnet in an effort to woo female voters away from the Tories. Labour focused on George Osborne’s plans to cut tax credits for families with incomes over £50,000, warning Mumsnet-ers that they would “get less than they bargained for” under the Conservatives.

So, who are your target customers? Where can you find them? How is your product relevant to that specific market? Why do they need what you’re selling? How do you address those needs? How do those needs change, and how are you positioned to adapt to these changes? It might take some research, but the answers to these questions are vital.

To stand the best chance of being effective, every marketing message you put out must aim to address the needs and interests of your potential customers – after all, it’s their opinions that matter to your bottom line.

Emily Cagle is director of Emily Cagle Communications

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