If there is one thing small businesses struggle with, it’s visibility and sales. Imagine creating a product or service you believe to be a hot cake, yet all you get are cold leads. Your product is loved by some users, but nobody else seems to notice it. It is at this point that self-doubt begins to penetrate. You begin to question yourself: Is this product really good? Is my pricing structure inadequate? Your product isn’t the problem, but your invincibility is. The uncomfortable truth remains that you can’t talk about selling when nobody knows about your product.
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Here are 4 reasons you’re experiencing poor sales:
1. The Visibility Myth
This is one of the biggest reasons why people struggle with sales, as they believe that a good product sells itself. With this mindset, they invest in product quality alone without budgeting and planning for sales. Even the best product will become stale in your store without marketing and sales. People can’t buy what they don’t see or know. The truth is that inferior products, which you know your product will beat hands down when put side by side, will attract sales with marketing. This doesn’t in any way encourage selling inferior products or rendering average services, but as you invest in product quality, you also invest in sales.
2. The Psychology of Buying
Many entrepreneurs have the notion that marketing is about shouting or making noise, but far from it. It is about understanding buyer psychology and using this knowledge to your advantage. Nobody moves from being a stranger to being your customer. They need to first get to know that you exist, like you and what you sell, whether product or service and trust that you’ll deliver.
3. Your Marketing is the Problem
More often than not, most entrepreneurs become so emotionally attached to their product that they find it hard to detach themselves from the equation and discover the loophole in their marketing. Invest in marketing.
4. Where are you showing up?
Hoping to be discovered by your target audience is not a strategy. Deciding what platforms to show up on is the strategy. These platforms could be:
● Social Media
Which platform on social will you play the visibility game on? Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tiktok, Twitter etc. Know where your target audience lives and pitch your tent there. Share educational, entertainment, informative and sales posts.
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● Email Marketing
Create a strategy that’ll help you get your target customers’ email addresses, curate your list and send out regular newsletters. This keeps you evergreen in the minds of people.
● Influencers
Some individuals have invested in their visibility and follower base over time, leveraging their presence will help you drive visibility for your business.
● Blogging and SEO
Is your business showing up when people browse? If not, you need to do something about that.
How to Start Getting Visible
In today’s world, you don’t need a million-dollar budget to achieve this – you just need a strategy.
- Optimise your Profile: Create a social media profile or handle for your business and ensure that it is well-optimised.
- Clear Brand Message: Ensure that the problem your business seeks to solve is clear and memorable.
- Create Valuable Content: Share stories, tips, how-tos, behind-the-scenes, testimonials, educational entertainment and sales posts.
- Be Consistent: Show up consistently and show up with value.
Metrics for Measuring Visibility
The following are a few ways to ensure that your efforts are paying off:
- Reach and Impressions: Are your posts getting to new audiences?
- Engagement: Are people engaging your posts by liking, commenting and sharing?
- Website Visit: Are you getting purchases and visibility through your websites?
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Concluding Thoughts
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Stop hiding your products or services and set them on a hill through your marketing and sales strategy, and watch how your sales will skyrocket.
Did you find this article useful? Contact us: editor@connectnigeria.com
