Help! Marketing and advertising

[sighrah]

Hi everyone,
I've recently set up a little enterprise but I'm really struggling with marketing and advertising and getting the custom I need. Any advice on where I can go or what I can do to improve in this area?

I've got no experience so literally winging it and it's not really working. What have others done?

Thank you!!

What kind of business are you running? Advice for B2B vs B2C would be quite different, equally for a bricks and mortar shop vs an online enterprise vs a service provider

There is so much free advice. FSB COC BNI all good places to start

It's an outdoor learning business aimed at primary aged children. Apologies, I'm dyslexic so acronyms are quite tricky for me to get. What is B2B and B2C?

I mainly use Facebook and Instagram.

Thanks @Greensleevevssnotnose. I'll have a Google of those!

Start referring to it as Forest School, if you're not already

@sighrah B2B is business to business, B2C is business to consumer, in terms of who you are selling directly to. If it's parents for their children, you're B2C.

Have you had a look for any short courses on marketing in your area? I did a one day course on social media marketing a few years ago.

B2B is business to business so for example if you're aiming to be booked into schools, that would be business to business. In which case I'd recommend you go on facebook and search for Cery's Approaching Schools Academy. She's doing a free challenge to get into schools in about 2 weeks time.

B2C is business to consumer, so if you're running sessions for families to book individually, parties, that kind of thing. B2C is often needing a lot more clients to spend smaller amounts of money more frequently. Do you have a mailing list set up? Are you making regular posts of a variety of types (educate, advertise, entertain etc) on your social media that people may want to share or tag in? Does your social media provide value ie not just 'here's what we have coming up' but also 'here's an activity you can do at home'.

If you're in the UK your local council may be able to sign post you to local providers of fully funded training, or google 'fully funded business support/training MY TOWN' and see who comes up. I can advise on a few if in the North East. One of my local ones is Enterprise Made Simple, and they also offer online learning for things like marketing if you can't find anyone local.

Hello - I’m a marketer and my partner runs an outdoor centre (and is therefore my top client!). Don’t start referring to yourself as Forest School as someone above suggested. It is trademarked and there’s a rather expensive course you have to do to use it!
Social media is the most cost effective way when you’re starting up. I recommend getting a pro in to help (I would, of course!).

Marketing and advertising can definitely be tough when you're just starting out, so you're not alone in feeling overwhelmed. One thing you might want to consider is PPC advertising and SEM reporting tools. These can help you track your online advertising efforts and ensure you're getting the most bang for your buck. Another option to consider is working with a Digital Marketing Agencies For Nonprofit Organizations. They can help you develop a strategy that's tailored to your specific needs and budget, and they'll have experience working with similar organizations in the past. My advice would be to keep learning and experimenting until you find what works for you.

I’d highly recommend Instagram! It’s a great place for showcasing your business but also for finding your ideal customers. I’m an Instagram trainer and what I notice is that most IG users don’t actively go out and find their ideal customers – they just wait for them to find them! Your ideal customer is a parent and there are tons of parents on IG! Think about hashtags they are using in their posts; list other accounts they may be following and go and find them there. Engage on their posts to draw attention back to you, your feed and your business. I would recommend engaging more than posting. This works! Let me know how you get on and if you’d like some more help I run an Instagram Club! Club creativepuddles.vipmembervault.com/

That link came out wrong!! It's:

@MamaVikki Could you post your link again please as it didn't work either time

Oh dear! Thanks for letting me know! It's https://creativepuddles.vipmembervault.com/ or you can access it via this webpage too: https://creativepuddles.com/collections/instagram-training I hope that works!

Navigating the challenges of marketing and advertising for a new enterprise can be daunting, especially without prior experience. Consider enlisting the expertise of a digital marketing agency to guide your strategy. These agencies specialize in tailoring online campaigns to reach your target audience effectively. From social media management to targeted advertising, a digital marketing agency can provide the professional touch needed to enhance your visibility and attract customers. Seek consultation to align your goals, and let their experience help steer your enterprise toward marketing success.

If there was ever a post created by AI ⬆️

Firstly, know your audience inside out. Since you're targeting primary-aged children, understanding their interests, preferences, and the needs of their parents or guardians is necessary. Conduct surveys, talk to parents, observe children's activities – the more you know, the better you can tailor your marketing efforts.

Secondly, use social media. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are great for reaching parents and children alike. Building a strong online presence can significantly boost your visibility. I'd mention here using billboards. They can be effective, especially if strategically placed near schools or family-friendly areas. I don't know your location, but you could use Blindspot. They have access to most billboards worldwide.

Thirdly, partnerships can be a powerful tool. Collaborate with schools, community centers, or local businesses that cater to families. Offer them special deals or discounts in exchange for promoting your services to their audience.

😂

Join your local chamber of commerce and contact organisations such as Boost. Look for local networking events in your area. Get all of the free advice you can. Join linkedin and start connecting with people who your feel can help, start talking to them. Ask everyone you know about your idea, find out what problems they have and try to work out if you can solve those problems. A lot of people need child care so there is a market ready made for you. What if you offered childcare with a twist and while the children are with you they are learning skills that many other child care groups dont offer? Just a thought....good luck

For marketing I think it pays to do little and often. Social media is a two way thing - you need to be commenting on other (relevant) posts and contacting accounts to see if you can do a guest post or they can reshare your content, or collaborate, friending relevant organisations and people so you can be part of the network. Offers, competitions for a free place / gift etc for a reshare / save / like / comment / tag a friend etc can work well. Blog posts are good - you share your knowledge about important issues then you share the summary online which takes people to your website. Build up an email list ASAP. It will be super important - find ways of getting people to sign up to it - e.g. offer a freebie or something when they do. It's about being visible and I think across a few platforms is good because it cross pollinates a bit. You could also ask your local newspaper to run an article about your business perhaps? Finally ensure your marketing materials are decent designs not crap - will help people take notice - canva is good for free templates. Hope this is helpful.

I'd suggest really going hard on who you want to target and why.

Are you getting some business at the moment? Is so where's that coming from?

Give a little more information on that and I'll see if I can help.

I've been in marketing over 20 years, and even when it's your full time job it can be hard to get results.

Social etc is good background work- but it needs to go hand in hand with a plan to really get sales through direct methods such as email, or even calling relevant people or some partnership where you get solid referrals.

What are you doing at the moment to get business?

And don't feel bad, almost everyone struggles with marketing making a difference.