Government needs to help small business with marketing

For 3 years, a company I founded, Robotic Marketer has been developing a technology to fast-track, automate and use data to create marketing strategies for small businesses. The traditional method of developing a marketing strategy relies on gut instinct and the experience of the marketer. It also may rely on minimal research and a few tools. Our technology is only limited by the internet digging deep into competitors, the market conditions and best practises for marketing to deliver desired results attuned to a companies goals.

We need to deploy fast a program to help small businesses in Victoria and around Australia rethink their marketing, adjust what they are doing and go forward with preparations for a 'new norm' in their business. For some businesses they can pivot quite successfully. Others just need to survive. The rest need to rethink their strategy and work out what the market is looking for with the conditions not expected to change for some time.

I have been incredibly saddened by the number of business owners struggling to survive and the psychological issues associated with that. I say to everyone, "give them a break". No-one has training on how to prepare for a pandemic and we are all learning as we go, quite often from our mistakes.

Business planning and marketing strategies are pivotal to survival and whatever strategy a business had in place prior to the pandemic is not relevant to today. Businesses cannot afford the mistakes of gut-instinct and need to rely on data, best practices and creativity.

I plea to Government to up the support for small businesses - because they need it to keep alive.