A lot of small business leaders want to be able to say they do proactive marketing in their business, but the reality is that they’re actually stuck in a vicious cycle of reactive marketing instead. It can be really difficult to get away from a reactive approach to marketing, so in this post we’re going to explore the main advantages of proactive marketing to inspire you to take the first step.
First of all, if you’re not sure what we mean when we talk about reactive vs. proactive marketing, check out Proactive Marketing Strategy: Proactive Marketing Examples For Your Business.
You’ll feel less stressed and more in control
This is probably the top reason we even have a business to begin with! Marketing a small business can be really stressful. Especially if you don’t particularly enjoy marketing, don’t have the right expertise or skillset and you’re painfully aware that you absolutely must have a marketing function for your business to stand any chance of succeeding.
When you adopt a more proactive approach to marketing, that’s when the magic happens. You’ll start from the point of a strategy and plan, which then means all you have to do is implement the core activities you’ve identified.
This removes that horrible feeling of being overwhelmed and stressed. You might even find you start enjoying marketing you business rather than dreading it!
You’ll have more time to focus on other parts of your business
Once you start doing more proactive marketing, there’s no going back. You’ll find you have a lot more time and headspace for other parts of your business… you know, the ones you actually enjoy!
That could mean more time for business development, client delivery or even just more time that you don’t have to spend sitting at your desk agonising over what to share on social media next.
It’s easier to gain competitive advantage
With proactive marketing comes consistency. And with consistency comes competitive advantage. Sure, there may be some competitors out there who are also playing the proactive marketing game. But the majority of small businesses will be panicking every time they realise they haven’t put any marketing out in months.
Proactive marketing will keep your business front of mind for your target audience. Even if you don’t think that many people are seeing and engaging with your content, keep up the good work and it will pay off (we’re looking at you, LinkedIn lurkers).
It becomes possible to make strategic decisions about marketing
Once you’re approaching your marketing in a proactive way, you aren’t going to need to rely on gut feeling any more. If your marketing is proactive, you’ll be monitoring and reporting on marketing activities regularly so you can easily see the data you need to make sound strategic decisions.
Not only is this way less stressful than a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach, but it will also save you money and improve your bottom line in the long run.
You won’t run out of things to say
This is a big challenge that we come across every day when we speak to small business leaders. One of the advantages of proactive marketing is that it will set you up so you’re crystal clear about the problems you solve for your target audience and your key messages, so you don’t have to worry about running out of content.
You’ll become better known in your space
Proactive marketing will ensure that you and your business is showing up for your audience day after day, week after week and month after month. They will come to know how often you communicate with them and the value you add for them.
Ultimately, you’ll become much better known in your space, thereby making winning new business much easier in the medium- to long-term. Businesses with a proactive approach to marketing make it much easier for you to get to know, like and trust them. Which we know is the winning formula for marketing and sales success.
