Get the Right Small Business Marketing Help for Pittsburgh

I love Pittsburgh. I grew up there and visit family regularly. As great of a city as it is, we all know it can be a tough get the right type of small business marketing help for Pittsburgh.

When you're shopping for knowledge, it is tough to determine the quality before you buy it. It's the same challenge for any service provider. Here's how you can cut through the clutter.

Why Local Matters: Pittsburgh-centric Small Business Marketing Help

Simply, marketing is about changing behavior. To understand behavior, you need to have an understanding of the culture. While we share similar traits, Pittsburgh is a special place.

For example, I remember one Christmas Eve when I accidentally dropped my keys in my trunk a shut it. It was cold. As I was trying to figure out what to do, a tow truck passed by. Seeing me, the driver stopped and offered help. Thankfully, he opened my car. But, what stands out in my mind, even today, is he didn't want paid. I had to force the man to take a measly $20.

That, in my mind, was Pittsburgh. It's an insight that you can only have be being there. These insights are invaluable. It make your communication more authentic and appealing.

When a small business in Pittsburgh, such as in the Southside or Squirrel Hill, for instance, has trouble bringing attention and visibility to itself, it's time to seek the right small business marketing.

As we said before, local knowledge matters. Getting small business marketing help from someone who knows Pittsburgh is likely to be more effective. It is more effective because the message is more authentic and usually more motivating.

Get Right Small Business Marketing Help

Use the 6 Key Factors

All great marketing starts with a strategy.

In other words, the small business has a clear understanding of their Pittsburgh market segment, and they have a clear picture of how they can win. Strategic marketing is how you make this happen.

Measurement and Return of Advertising Spending are Must Haves

If there isn't a expected outcome and clear indication of your expected return, then find other help marketing your Pittsburgh small business.

Testing is Key

If the small business marketing agency you found to help raise your visibility in the Pittsburgh area doesn't have a testing and learning plan, find someone else

Digital Marketing Knowhow is Fundamental

Any small business digital marketing agency should have digital knowhow. But, you would be surprised that many don't. Before you accept marketing help for your Pittsburgh small business, check their technical credentials. Do they offer email marketing? What does their own online marketing look like? How about social media marketing? What do their post look like?

Small Business Experience Can't be Beat

This probably goes without saying, but you'll want to make sure that any marketing help you hire has significant small business experience. Large company solutions won't work.

Risk Sharing

Marketing is inherently risky. When seeking marketing help, see whether they will share the risk with your Pittsburgh small business.

Do They Give You a Guarantee?

Look, you want any small business marketing partner vesting in your outcome. Marketing is risking. So, you shouldn't have to bear all the risk. Look for small business marketing help that is confident enough in their skills to own some of the risks. If they are, then you know they genuinely want to help your Pittsburgh small business succeed.

Size of a Marketing Firm Matters

Size and local knowledge matter. That's been proven, consistently. Therefore, the quality of the help you receive depends on how well they know Pittsburgh and how experienced the time is.

In truth, there are many different benefits that marketing firms of different sizes provides. As Liz O'Neill points out on the Precision Marketing Group blog, the help any small business marketing firm provides needs to match the scale you require.

Things to Remember…

If you're thinking about finding help in Pittsburgh for your small business, here are the two things to keep in mind.

1. Find a firm that knows your area. If your small business is marketing in Pittsburgh, you'll want help from someone who understands how Pittsburgh works. The best marketing firms understand what makes Pittsburgh so special and can communicate in Pittsburghese.
2. Find a company you can trust. If you can't trust a business to have your best interests, you're already going to be left in the lurch. Make sure you have a guarantee that your business will be treated fairly by all parties.
3. Get the size of help you need. A larger firm can provide has more resources and can do more things. A smaller firm, on the other hand, can feel like a neighbor in your Pittsburgh neighborhood, with the added benefit of one-on-one help from the best the company can offer.