As a small business owner, you have a long list of titles. You might be the CEO, the CFO, and the janitor all rolled into one. One of the most important—and most time-consuming—titles you have is that of marketing director. From developing and refining your messaging to managing your presence on various channels, marketing is a full-time job. And if you're already juggling a million other things, it can be tough to find the time (and money) to do it all yourself.

But don't despair! With a little bit of effort and these tips from the Tucson LGBT Chamber of Commerce, you can easily become your own marketing department. Here's how.

Focus Your Marketing Messaging

Your messaging is what sets you apart from your competitors and tells your customers who you are and what you're all about, according to Metis Communications. So it's important to take some time to really think about what you want to say—and more importantly, how you want to say it.

Once you have a handle on your messaging, be sure to revisit it on a regular basis. As your business grows and changes, so too should your messaging.

Manage Your Marketing Strategy

Now that you know what you want to say, it's time to start saying it! But before you start posting willy-nilly on every social media platform out there, take a step back and develop a solid marketing strategy. This will help you determine which channels are right for your business, how often you should be posting, and what kind of content will resonate best with your audience.

And like your messaging, your marketing strategy isn't set in stone. Be sure to revisit it regularly and make adjustments as needed.

Learn Which Marketing Channels Work Best for You

There are endless marketing channels out there these days—from traditional mediums like TV and radio to newer platforms like Snapchat and Instagram. And with so many options available, it can be tough to know where to even begin. Start by thinking about which channels make the most sense for your business. If you're targeting Millennials, for example, Snapchat and Instagram should definitely be part of your mix. If you're targeting Baby Boomers, however, Facebook might make more sense. Once you've determined which channels are right for your business, get started experimenting with different content types (e.g., images vs. videos vs. text-based posts) until you find what works best for each platform.      

Track Your Marketing Efforts

You can't manage what you don't measure—and this is especially true when it comes to marketing. Digital Neighbor explains that regularly tracking key metrics will help ensure that your efforts are effective and efficient. It will also help ensure that you're getting the most bang for your buck by identifying which channels and content types are yielding the best results.

Automate Where Possible

One of the biggest challenges faced by small businesses is finding the time (and money) to do everything themselves—marketing included. Fortunately, Bonsai explains there are now a number of great tools available that can automate some of the more tedious tasks involved in DIY marketing. Platforms like Hootsuite, CoSchedule, and SproutSocial offer users powerful capabilities like social media scheduling, content calendars, automatic reporting, and more—allowing small businesses owners to focus their energies on more strategic tasks.

Get Help When You Need It!

There's no shame in admitting that DIY marketing isn't for everyone. If after trying some of the tips above you find that marketing still isn't your cup of tea, consider enlisting the help of an expert. There are freelancers out there ready and willing to help you out, and endless online resources for finding them. 

Be aware that most marketing and design excerpts rely heavily on PDFs because of their stability and accessibility. If you find that you want to make small changes to a file you receive, you can convert PDF to doc easily using a conversion tool. Just drop in the file, select the new formatting, and click Convert. You can now make small changes that you send to the freelancer for official changes.

Get Help When You Need It!

Marketing can be an unnerving task, but it's important to remember that it doesn't have to be done alone. There are a number of great tools and resources available to help small businesses owners get the most out of their marketing efforts. And if all else fails, don't be afraid to ask for help! A little bit of outside expertise can go a long way in getting your business where you want it to be.

Access even more great resources to help your business grow and thrive in our community by joining the Tucson LGBT Chamber of Commerce.