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When I started my business, PostcardMania, all I had was a phone, a computer, a tiny 600-square-foot cottage and my bestie Melissa (who is now president) at my side. Prior to this, I had worked odd jobs, but I was determined to follow my dream of creating a successful business.
I started out small, but today, we’re making north of $100 million a year, employing over 390 people, and we’re still growing! Sometimes I can’t even believe it myself. I never took any investment capital, and our growth was completely organic. The “secret” to our success was that we consistently marketed, and we marketed a LOT more than our competitors did.
I always try to do what’s best for my company, but my driving force is helping small business owners succeed because I want them to win. I want them to reap the benefits and satisfaction of employing folks and living their dreams. Not to mention that when we all win, our economy gets stronger, too!
Over the years, I’ve witnessed some of our clients go from baby startups to thriving businesses. I don’t know where you are on your journey as an entrepreneur, but if you follow these two main marketing principles below, you could go from a little seed to a massive oak tree, too.
1. Discover which marketing methods work best and stay committed to them
That common cliché, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” is a well-known truth for a reason. It takes time to build a big business. A massive part of the process is figuring out which marketing strategies bring in the most leads and the most revenue.
Finding that revenue-driving strategy is the hard part — once you find the cause behind that top-line sales growth, keep at it and build it up as much as you can afford. Then, build in efficiencies as you go to optimize your spend and maximize your results.
What you don’t want to do is meander from marketing method to marketing method for short periods of time while spending the minimum across all of them. This is a surefire way to stagnate growth.
I discovered very early on that direct mail marketing works and delivers the highest ROI for my business, so I stuck with it, and today, we mail over 230,000 postcards every week just to advertise ourselves! In fact, about 84% of marketers agree direct mail provides the highest ROI of any channel they use, up from 74% in 2023 and 67% in 2022.
Also, take, for example, one of my most successful clients, a dentist in North Carolina. He started out with one practice in Holly Springs, NC, and, initially, he tried local advertising, but it didn’t really work for him in bringing in new patients. So he tried direct mail. His first campaign included mailing 7,500 postcards every month for six months, using a consumer mailing list that targeted neighborhoods near his dental office.
When the owner noticed an uptick in new patients, he decided to invest more in his monthly mailings by increasing the postcard count to as much as 13,000 a month, a 73% increase in mailing quantity.
As a result, his monthly patients doubled. With the increase in revenue, he opened a second location in Raleigh, NC, and his new patient numbers have tripled since he started, going from 15 to 56 a month. The Holly Springs location has increased revenue from around $900,0000 to $2 million, and the new Raleigh location is already bringing in nearly $1 million.
This proves two of my biggest marketing tips: Stay consistent with your marketing and spend as much as you can on the marketing strategies that drive revenue.
And let me be clear: It doesn’t have to be direct mail. I recently talked all about how Modelo launched an aggressive campaign and overtook Bud Light as America’s best-selling beer.
Whether you invest in mailers, digital advertising, TV commercials or other marketing channels, it’s crucial that you test these channels to see which ones work best and stay committed to the real revenue generators.
Related: What America’s No. 1 Beer Can Teach Entrepreneurs About Effective Marketing
2. Once you’re thriving, share your story and inspire others
How do you go from big to huge? If you want to keep growing, focus on sharing your story with others and forging relationships. There’s a reason why so many entrepreneurs are starting podcasts and YouTube channels, and their advice proliferates social media.
If you want to become a household name, you have to share who you are with the world. Once you’ve achieved a certain level of success, you can be confident enough to go public with your expertise.
I personally love talking to business owners and encouraging them; it’s a big part of my passion, and my mission is inspiring other entrepreneurs. That’s why I’m writing here — to share what I’ve learned the hard way.
Another client of mine, a Michigan-based landscaper, decided to share his lawn service secrets with other aspiring landscaping business owners. Starting out, mowing lawns was just his side hustle. But in 2020, he decided to turn it into a full-fledged landscaping business.
Now that he’s making six figures, he has his own online training program. His content has gone viral, now bringing in even more revenue. Thousands of landscapers all over the country now follow him and seek him out for his knowledge and experience.
One of his subscribers had relied on social media to bring in new business, but it wasn’t doing much. They changed their approach based on what worked for my client, and that season, they signed up 70 new clients for their recurring lawn services, valued at $52,000 in revenue upfront. But this number grows to $122,000 if those clients stay on with them for another season, increasing their ROI from a very respectable 800% to a mind-boggling 2,000%.
Without having shared that advice, this other entrepreneur might’ve struggled to the point of giving up. Both now both — and more — are thriving! All because one man decided to share his journey.
So, if you have a great story to tell or advice to share, don’t hold back. It could lead to much greater publicity and wealth in the future.
Related: Telling Your Brand Story Is Crucial. 4 Steps To Ensure That It Resonates.
In the end, it really doesn’t matter where you come from or how you start out as an entrepreneur. It’s your passion, your vision, your commitment to marketing and your interest in connecting with others that makes the difference.
After working with 121,976 business owners on marketing campaigns, I can tell you firsthand that this is truly the key to growing a business.
