Amber Gaige, Founder of Far Beyond Marketing, smiles as she poses with her arms folded and one hand under her chin. She is a white woman with wavy brown hair and brown eyes. She wears a dark blue blouse with loose butterfly sleeves.
Amber Gaige, Founder of Far Beyond Marketing, stresses consistency in messaging and branding, as well as an understanding of where and how to reach your audience. — Amber Gaige

If you could create your own fantasy board of directors, who would be on it? CO— connects you with thought leaders from across the business spectrum and asks them to help solve your biggest business challenges. In this edition, we ask an expert to share marketing tips for trade businesses.

In this edition of “Ask the Board,” we feature Amber Gaige, Founder of Far Beyond Marketing, a full-service virtual marketing company. She is a strategic marketing expert with over 20 years of experience helping businesses thrive in competitive industries. Amber shares her tried and true marketing tips for trade businesses.

Trades and home services–based companies often struggle to create marketing campaigns that will actually drive leads. The good news is with a bit of strategy, creativity, and persistence, it is possible to design successful marketing campaigns that lead to new customers and greater profits. Here are my top marketing tips for trade businesses:

Clarify your message

Many businesses struggle to clearly and succinctly say what they do, who they serve, and why they differ from their competition. This is the first step you should take before creating any marketing campaign. You should be able to describe your company in under three sentences (or 15 seconds). This is called your “Elevator Pitch.” This helps you quickly convey who you are, who you serve, what products or services you offer, and what makes you different.

Evaluate your online presence

Is your website up to date? Are your phone numbers working? Can customers easily contact you? Ensuring there are no holes in your existing inbound systems will save you time and money. Don’t forget to be sure your email signatures and social media channels are all also in line with your other assets.

Rather than spreading yourself thin over multiple marketing channels, consider the best targeted approach for hitting your ideal audience and silo your efforts there for a minimum of 90 days.

Amber Gaige, Founder of Far Beyond Marketing

Decide ahead of time who you want to target

For example, if your ideal customer is over the age of 50, you might not want to do a marketing campaign on TikTok or another digital platform frequented by younger generations. Knowing who your audience is will help you decide where your marketing campaign will be the most effective.

Be consistent with your branding

Everywhere from your letterhead, logos, vehicle wraps, and to your website—these should all be cohesive. Your customers should never wonder who you are, how to contact you, or what you do. Don't be tempted to use different colors, different fonts, or inconsistent graphic representations of your business. If you confuse your customers, you lose them.

Review your past marketing campaigns

Decide what has garnered the most success for you and then add more budget to that tactic. Rather than spreading yourself thin over multiple marketing channels, consider the best targeted approach for hitting your ideal audience and silo your efforts there for a minimum of 90 days. At the end of 90 days, you can decide whether or not you've generated enough revenue to try a new platform.

Focus on tracking and analytics

Many business owners get duped into thinking that by putting money into a sales platform, they will automatically get a positive result. However, if that platform does not accurately target their ideal customers, then they are just wasting money. It's a good idea to understand who the platform targets and other terms like the minimum investment timeline, amount, and what kind of reporting to expect at the conclusion of the campaign.

Review the best revenue-generating offers and calls to action

Consistently use these in each new marketing campaign and make sure that these same offers are available in multiple places—for example, if you choose to advertise on third-party directory websites such as Angie's List, Yelp, and Thumbtack.

Then, make sure that the same discounts or calls to action are listed on these websites as well as your own. Finally, before rolling out a new campaign, thoroughly educate your team members so that everyone knows about the opportunity and the offers. Everyone in your organization should be responsible for tracking and listening to gauge the success of a new campaign.

CO— aims to bring you inspiration from leading respected experts. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation.

CO—is committed to helping you start, run and grow your small business. Learn more about the benefits of small business membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, here.

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