Marketing strategies for small business isn’t always about how much advertising you do or how much budget you have to work with. It’s all about the attitude you take when communicating to your customers and potential customers.

Read this phrase and remember it.

“Make Me Feel Important”

One of the basic principles of winning customers away from your competition is to make them feel important, needed, and appreciated.  Every time you see a customer or potential customer, think of them having a sign around their neck that reads that magical phrase – “Make Me Feel Important”.

John, a business owner with a local pizza store, understands this principle very well.   One of the techniques that he uses to create employee loyalty is to put each team member on a pedestal.   He understands what each one is good at and he “brags” about each worker in front of his customers telling them how good his manager is, for example.

John also makes his customers feel important by giving them special attention when they are in his restaurant.   He continually spends a little time getting to know each customer as they come to his store.   By spending this time with them, they feel that John has a genuine concern about them personally and they reward him be visiting his restaurant frequently and often bring their friends, who they normally will introduce to John.

Making customers feel important is a simple, no cost, marketing strategy for all small businesses.   Whether this comes from the owner, manager or all those employees (who also feel important), it is a strategy that costs nothing and gives back tremendously in the form of additional business and customer loyalty.