In our last two segments of Pro Tips, we discussed branding and marketing for small businesses. If you’ve put the time and effort into branding and marketing, the final key to running a successful business lies in follow-through. It’s common for business owners to let their enthusiasm fizzle out over time, or to become complacent with initial success. But longevity requires quality, consistency and maintenance. If you missed Parts 1 and Part 2, Click the links.

As discussed in our branding segment, building trust with your audience is essential. So once you have captured their attention, make sure you deliver what your branding and marketing have promised! If you let customers down after building up hype, you may never gain their trust in your products or services again. Your brand’s reputation will become part of its identity, so do your best to build a positive image.

Making customer service a priority is one of the surest ways to stand out in Costa Rica and leave a good impression.

You want every experience that someone has with your brand to reflect your brand values.

Train staff in developing excellent customer service skills, and go above and beyond to be responsive and thorough in your communications. Take pride in what your business offers and assure that the quality of your products or services doesn’t suffer over time.

When you feel confident that you’re giving your clients the best experience possible, put effort into collecting reviews. Firsthand accounts of others’ experiences are extremely valuable to consumers these days, and often the first thing people look for when deciding to try a new business. Whether on Trip Advisor, Facebook or another platform for community reviews, this feedback will not only give your business legitimacy but help you to understand your strengths and weaknesses and make necessary adjustments.

Don’t underestimate word-of-mouth recommendations either. Though we often get caught up with our popularity in the digital world these days, in-person referrals still carry much more weight. Especially in small communities where word travels fast, the experiences people have can make or break a new business. Maintain good relationships with your community so people send others your way.

Following through with your marketing efforts also means getting data savvy.

It’s so valuable to track your marketing strategies’ success, to be able to see what worked well and what may not have. This lets you know where your marketing budget is best spent. Marketing is an ongoing task for small businesses, so having the data from last year’s campaigns can greatly influence this year’s strategy.

Collecting data can be done in many ways, depending on your marketing plan. It could be as simple as counting coupons that were redeemed, or installing Google Analytics on your website to see how many visitors you had and where they came from. Even Facebook and Instagram business accounts now have analytics reports built in to track the success of your social media ad campaigns and show your audience demographics.

Trends and technology are changing faster than ever, so stay nimble and don’t be afraid to try new things.

As the years go on, you may need to rebrand, adjust your target audience, adopt new technology, update your website, join different social platforms or advertise in a new place. Don’t forget to delegate and get help with things outside your area of expertise. Contact a professional creative agency for help improving your branding and marketing.

Marketing Pro tips article part 1
Marketing Pro tips article part 2

For more business and marketing consultation contact:
Laura Galvin
Nomad Design House
Tamarindo Costa Rica
Costa Rica: (506) 6282-6635
or Email: info@nomaddesignhouse.com

Be sure to tell Laura you found Nomad Design House via HOWLER