In this instalment of our eBay Elevate webinar series, sales and marketing experts James and Garry share their combined 40+ years of experience to help your small business stand out from the crowd - without breaking the bank.

How to efficiently market your business online

Starting a small business and watching it grow can be one of life’s most rewarding pleasures. But it isn’t easy - especially when it comes to marketing. From finding the time to run your socials, to converting leads into sales, or keeping up with big spending brands, there are many barriers to marketing your small business.

Fortunately, there are ways to overcome them. In this deep dive eBay Elevate webinar, James and Garry share their 40+ years of experience in marketing, brand, data and user experience to help you reach the right people, on the right channels, with the most effective messages and formats.

If you missed it, fear not! You can watch the webinar on demand, which explores:

How marketing isn’t rocket science if you think like your customer and nail the basics:

1. What makes you special?

One way to think about this is to identify your secret recipe, which is made up of the key ingredients: what do you offer? How do you deliver it? What makes you, as a person, special? When combined, these ingredients make up your secret recipe. Or in other words, your one-of-a-kind small business - and your unique selling points that help you stand out from the crowd.

2. Who is your ideal customer?

First and foremost, not everyone is your customer. It’s impossible to reach everybody with your marketing. So, you have to be smart, which means focusing on creating a deep connection with your ideal customers. Start by trying to understand their pains, needs and desires. Once you’ve mastered this, decide whether they’re logical or impulsive - and find the purchase drivers that will make them tick (and click).

3. Where do they hang out?

Discovering your ideal customer is only one piece of the puzzle. In an age where there are no end of places to promote your business, it’s impossible to master every single channel. So, if you’re able to think about your ideal customer and the places where they’re most likely to consume content, you can hone in and nail the channels where you’re best placed to start creating meaningful connections.

4. How can you make them take action?

Once you know who you’re speaking to, it becomes a lot easier to create content that resonates. So, before launching a social media campaign or sending an email, ask yourself: does this nod to the pain point of my ideal customer? Does it speak to their desires? Does it address a need in their life? Even better if you’re also able to speak their language and include photos that support the above.

Key takeaways from the webinar:

1. Complete the ‘what makes you special’ secret recipe

2. Use the avatar template to map out your ideal customer

3. Pick the three more important channels for your business

4. Jot down three topics that will create a connection with your customer

5. FOCUS on what matters

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