Have you ever noticed how when you ask people how they landed a big client, they’ll often say it was just luck that they were in the right place, at the right time. That right place is called marketing.

Wow, what perfect timing…

It’s absolutely true that it is very often the case that your letter, phone call, blog article, or simply bumping into someone at a networking event appears to conveniently collide with when they are looking for the very thing you offer. Your timing gets a whole lot more perfect if you’re always there, in readiness for when they happen to notice you.

A person’s attention is selective

There’s a phenomenon that you will no doubt have experienced yourself, that is vital to understand if you’re to master effective marketing for your small business. It is selective attention.

When they are in the market for what you do might they prick their ears up and notice you. Which could, of course, happen at any time. So, you need to always be there.

When I worked as Education Sales Executive at Evolution Presentation Technologies I would visit potential clients every six weeks without fail. It took up to six months before these potential clients realized that I was always there. By always being there it lead to building relationships and eventually sales.

Be a beacon in your market

You need to create a lighthouse effect for your small business. Showing up at regular intervals to make sure that people know you’re there. The interval at which you send something, or drop people a line, depends on your market and your budget. Having a think about the average length of a buying decision can be a useful place to start. If it typically takes someone six months, six weeks or six days to work through their decision to buy – you need to show up at least that often. But, that’s a bare minimum – because they could start that buying journey at any time. We advocate a “little and often” approach to marketing – so that you’re always there rather than occasionally very loud and then forgotten.