As a small business owner, entrepreneur, or artist, you possess a unique driving force that has enabled you to accept the potential risks associated with pursuing your passion. Your talent and self-confidence tell you that your vision can become a reality with a little patience and hard work, and you’re right, it can! However, if un-checked, that same desire to independently take on every challenge head on, can become your biggest flaw.
According to Wasp Barcode’s survey of small businesses, the alarming reality is that “30 percent of all new businesses won’t survive past 24 months, and that number raises to 50 percent after five years”. While the challenges you face are complex and unique to your business, there remains a simple, often over looked solution to your problems: a mentor. According to a study conducted by UPS, “70 percent of mentored businesses survive more than 5 year, and 88 percent of businesses owners say having a mentor to lean on is invaluable”.
Here are 5 valuable reasons why every small business owner needs a marketing mentor:
1. STRATEGY AND PLANNING
Marketing your brand in today’s technological cluster f**k can be a daunting task. Having a website is a great start, but it’s just that, a start. There are an incredible amount of online and offline platforms you will need to utilize in order to maximize your audience reach. A marketing mentor will empower you to identify your business goals, and create an accessibly and easily actionable marketing strategy that will help you analyze your competitive landscape and reach YOUR target audience.
2. ACCOUNTABILITY
Even with short and long term plans, it can still be easy to become overwhelmed with all of the things you have to get done on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. As deadlines race towards you, the smaller, seemingly less significant tasks fall to the wayside, and are sometimes forgotten all together. This is why having an accountability buddy is key. A marketing mentor helps you identity and prioritize your key tasks so they won’t add up. At imaginePR we hold consistent bi-monthly meetings with clients, create actionable checklists, and nurture efficient marketing habits, making it easier to stay on track.
3. TRAINING
Training is key for small business owners who are not at the stage in their business growth to outsource their PR and marketing needs. In addition to support we also offer training for you and your team members for various marketing activities, ranging from social media to content marketing. So whether you want to better connect with your audience via Facebook and Twitter, or you want to create a referral program to help convert fans into brand ambassadors, we have you covered.
4. A FRESH PERSPECTIVE
As an entrepreneur you’ve likely become so immersed in your business that you eat, sleep, and breathe it. At a certain point you either become blindly in love with your business or you start questioning and second guessing what choices to make. A mentor provides a fresh and objective perspective. We also provide constant ongoing feedback on all marketing ideas and activities. Think of us like your own personal sounding board.
5. TOOL KIT
Plumbers have their wrenches, carpenters their nails and hammer, but what’s included in a marketing tool kit? Well, obviously no wrenches or hammers (unless you really want one), but we have the marketing equivalents. Editorial calendar templates for newsletters, blog posts, and social media, combined with checklists to synchronize marketing material and efforts across your entire business.
“Smart business owners know that having an advantage like a mentor can be crucial in staying head of the market….. Look for the helping hand of a mentor to open your mind to new ideas, your address book to new contacts, and your business to new opportunities”. (US Small Business Administration)