Why do small businesses need a marketing strategy in 2021?

The question of why small businesses need a marketing strategy at all, in 2021 or indeed any year, really cut to the core of the struggles small businesses face in today's digital age. The ongoing global events of 2020 have bled into 2021 and will doubtlessly shape our world for the foreseeable future. For better or worse it is a very different world we live in now- and this is of course particularly true of the online world. Not since the advent of television nearly 100 years ago has a new medium offered businesses of all sizes such an opportunity to get their name out there. Some were slow to realize the potential of the internet, just as some are now slow to awake to the possibilities of social media. Small businesses are to some extent the backbone of this country. Small business owners are to be commended, encouraged, and lauded. Such accolades are due because, quite frankly, starting and maintaining a small business is difficult. Because small businesses are so often passion projects of the people who start them, small business owners can sometimes find it much easier to focus on the big picture and the end goal, whilst the small but necessary daily tasks needed to actually run a business stack up. However, it is also far too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutiae and lose sight of the big picture. 

So yes, small businesses are great. We love them. This does not, however, mean that all small businesses are thriving. Some are, some are not. The key difference seems to be the small businesses that manage to harness their community, whether it be in the physical world or online. With the physical and geographical communities under increasing instability due to the ongoing and unpredictable global pandemic (you may have heard of it?), it has never been more important for businesses of any size, but particularly it must be said small businesses, to have a dynamic and efficient digital marketing strategy.

What are the big questions?

The big questions are: How do you truly stand out in such a crowded field? How can you hope to compete with the internet goliaths of this world? And once you're done figuring that out- how do you create and implement a successful strategy? The answer is not always with money or resources, but with smart, targeted, and inventive marketing strategies. Building strong brand recognition and cultivating a strong, loyal client base is nearly always the end product of intelligent marketing. Often small business owners get caught in a familiar dilemma: after the initial marketing push and acquisition of new clients and orders, the focus rightly shifts to customer service and consistency. This in turn leads to a lack of focus on the marketing front leaving the pipeline dry and you back at square one. Whilst a small business may be able to survive this way, it is almost impossible to actually grow your business when you are stuck in this vicious cycle. With that said, it is not an exaggeration to say that in today's day and age, a successful digital marketing strategy is absolutely critical to the growth and survival of small businesses. This is in fact a time of unprecedented potential for small businesses. Never before has there been a more (in some cases literally) captive online market. Never before have potential clients had to look almost exclusively to the online marketplace for their goods and services. screen and computer time is way up. One need only look at the sky-rocketing stock and sales of the big companies to see that people are still spending their even harder-earned money.

What do we need to know?

So, we know that an effective digital marketing strategy is imperative for a small business’s growth. So why, according to a 2017 report from Smart Insights, do 49% of organizations and businesses fail to have a clearly defined marketing strategy? As we have already seen, the answer to that lies somewhere between naivety and madness. The customers are there. The money is being spent. The question is how to tap into this goldmine of possible business? Luckily, there is a way. In fact, there are multiple ways to do this. However, they require expertise, resources, and time. We have those.

Who are we?

The Creagency is a digital marketing agency that specializes in helping small to medium sized business owners like you navigate the hustle and bustle of the online marketplace. We provide digital marketing for small businesses, as well as social media management and ongoing personalized online strategy and consulting. We are the leading marketing agency in Reston, VA. In a time where it has never been more important to have successful and clear digital marketing for small businesses, we provide a one-stop shop for your digital marketing and business needs. Let us take care of the ins and outs of digital marketing and social media leverage, and allow you to concentrate on what’s most important: the growth of your business.
We believe the key to a successful marketing strategy is to work backwards from the desired goal. The ultimate goal of every marketing campaign- and indeed any small business period- is more customers, more clients and more revenue. Imperative to this is understanding your customers wants and needs. Once you figure that out (no easy task in itself), organizing and implementing a long-term game plan becomes a lot more attainable. That being said, a successful marketing strategy also requires meticulous and exhaustive research and analytics. Most small business owners may know this, but don’t have the time to do all this themselves. That’s where we come in. At The Creagency we offer a full spectrum of digital marketing services and packages. This includes ongoing search engine optimization, social media management, paid social and search, content marketing, market research, target audience research and so much more. There really is no such thing as being too prepared when it comes to digital marketing. Allow us to dynamically grow your online presence while you grow your actual business. We got you.