Catch More Customers with a Marketing Array

It is all too common for small business owners to operate without a marketing plan.  We all know we should have a plan (that’s what the experts tell us) but it always seems to get put off in favor of the more urgent (but less important) demands of the business.  As a result, marketing tends to be limited to just a few things that are supposed to suffice in telling the world about your business and attracting customers.  Ironically, the biggest complaint among small business owners is that there are not enough leads, and thus not enough customers to achieve the level of success we desire.

I like to think of a good marketing plan in terms of an “array”.  It’s not enough to have 2 or 3 marketing tactics at work in your business (the norm for many).  Think instead of having 8 to 12 tactics arrayed to attract customers and compel them to check out your business.

I live near Lake Michigan, and the fishery on this great body of water is fantastic.  The charter boat captains know all about arrays and their importance in attracting fish.  It is common for them to have 8 to 12 lines in the water at any one time.  Some of the lures are set deep using downriggers.  Some are set at medium depth and some at the surface.  Some are immediately behind and under the boat, while others are trolled far out to the side using planer boards.  They use different lures with different colors.  Some are primarily for attracting the big trout and salmon, and others for triggering the bite.  But the point is that their array is multifaceted, and set out to attract the most fish to please the most clients aboard their boat.

Think of your marketing plan as an array.  You need a variety of tactics.  Some are physical, like brochures, ads, or articles.  Some are virtual, like your website, blog, or social media.  And some are personal, like networking or the cultivation of referral sources.  Your choice of tactics (your lure) will depend on what you know about your target customer, and what will trigger them to “bite” on your array.  But you will catch more with a multi-faceted approach to your marketing, so create an array and watch your business grow.