The ideal situation is simple. When you run a business, your aim is to keep the cost low and when it comes to marketing, this becomes all the more crucial.
Controlling marketing expenses
If your marketing expenditure is not kept in check, it can spiral out of control. Marketing is very crucial but it does not mean spending every sen you have. Without marketing, no one knows about your batik products, Air Batu Campur beverages or the best Nasi Dagang in Shah Alam. If you are not careful with this, you find yourself wanting to spend on every channel possible in order to get the word out. So, how do you save money here? Let’s check out the following.
Give value for money
You can easily get content without much effort. What your customers want to know is not so much about you but what you can offer. They are looking for something that can solve their problems. Instead of getting newsfeed from sources, you should start churning out your own content and then customizing them on every platform available. Many Malaysian businesses make the mistake of taking content directly from other sources and fail to localize them. When customers read and find that you use dollars and cents instead of Ringgit and Sen, they know that your content is not original and becomes less interested. It is not always about you. They want to know how you can be of help to them. Focus on the prospects of the solution and not the problem.
Respond, efficiently and effectively
Once you have content out there on social media, then you need to monitor the progress. Engagement with your potential customers is vital and you need to do that quickly. Be consistent with your timing and if possible, be immediate. This is absolutely FREE OF CHARGE. Create dialogues and conversations always. You can start attracting really good quality leads this way because of the way you respond and the speed of answering their queries. What you want to create is an environment where your customers know that you are not just a business but one that cares.
Plan ahead in the calendar year
Malaysia has many festivals and celebrations. Whether it is Malaysia Day, Hari Raya or Christmas, they are all considered as hot seasons. If you are in retail, spread the calendar out and plan your campaigns along those days. Buy media spaces ahead so that you won’t need to be in a rush when it comes along. Planning ahead will save you in marketing costs because media spaces tend to charge more at the last minute. Furthermore, you will be able to start streaming out content that is related to your campaign days or weeks before that specific festival.
