Small business marketing environments can affect your business more than by what your do and say in your marketing.
By including these marketing environments in your marketing and business plans, you open many opportunities for your business.
The following small business marketing environments affect your marketing in ways that you may have not considered before.
Small Business Marketing Environment 1: Your Business And Employees
Everyone working in your business enhances or diminishes your marketing. If your employees make positive comments about your business to others, that’s good marketing. If they make negative comments, it hurts your ability to market.
Small Business Marketing Environment 2: The People You Purchase From
Some vendors will help deter advertising expenses through cooperative advertising. Some provide promotional information that you can use to promote your business. All influence how well you can meet orders by how they supply what you need to do so.
Small Business Marketing Environment 3: The Businesses That Deliver Your Products
Some distributors enhance your marketing by telling others they serve about your business. Because distribution is an important part of the marketing mix, how well they deliver your products also influences your marketing, your ability to get products to customers, and even your price.
Small Business Marketing Environment 4: Retailers
Which retailers carry your product, the type of customers they attract, and whether they feature your products in their advertising all affect your marketing. In addition, how well they display your product in their stores or whether they will even give you shelf space influences your marketing.
Small Business Marketing Environment 5: Competitors
Of course, competitors are generally not going to willingly help you market, but how your product and business compares to theirs is an important marketing consideration. You need to know as much as possible about your competitors so you can determine your best distinguishing characteristic. Then you should promote that distinguishing characteristic throughout your marketing messages and consider it in all your marketing strategies.
Small Business Marketing Environment 6: External Publics
Publics influence your business in other ways besides buying your product. Their support can be a great marketing boost. Their lack of support often requires public relations marketing to diminish their influence on potential buyers and other publics.
Small Business Marketing Environment 7: Customers
Many small business owners think primarily of present and potential customers when they think of marketing – marketing to them. But who your customers are and whether they are individuals or businesses influences how you market to them.
Small Business Marketing Environment 8: Demographics
Knowing factual characteristics (demographics) about your target market reveals much about their attitudes, values, concerns and buying preferences. People differ by factual characteristics such as income, type of occupation, amount of education, their race and gender. The more you know about them, the better you can design marketing that appeals to them.
Small Business Marketing Environment 9: Economic Situations
Economics affect how much money people have to spend, the types of products they buy, and what most influences their buying decisions. People and businesses spend money differently in various economic situations. So the economy can be an asset or detriment to your marketing.
Small Business Marketing Environment 10: Nature
Natural resources influence your product’s price because the less a resource is available, the more you have to pay for it. To continue to make a profit, you have to pass that price on to your customers. This, in turn, influences if and how much of your product will sell.
Small Business Marketing Environment: Conclusion
Marketing is much more than what you say and do to attract potential customers. It includes a mix of product, price, promotion, distribution and other elements that are influenced by different small business marketing environments.