Marketing is important to every business for its survival, and as a small business owner, you probably have a small business marketing strategy. But marketing is always changing with new tactics and as marketing evolves, your small business marketing strategies should change too! Learning how to improve marketing for your organization and business can only benefit you down the line.
Marketing is a vital tool for all companies but for people who own small businesses it is crucial. Getting the name of your business out into the world – and to as many people as possible – will help it succeed, and in this digital age, that means combining old school methods with a strong online presence.
Marketing can seem expensive for a small business owner but you cannot neglect the fact that marketing is also one of the most important steps that you have to take for your business. You have a great idea, and when it is time to find customers, reaching out to the right people with your marketing efforts will be important.
Ideally, a small business owner wants people to recognize their name or logo immediately and associate it with good service, getting there may take some work, but the good news is, it’s possible. Some business owners may worry that it costs an arm and a leg to market your company, but that’s not true. There are many steps that companies can take to get the ball rolling without sinking a large amount of money into it.
An effective marketing strategy can help your business get the attention it deserves, and if you are a senior small-business owner looking to improve their market appeal, here are a few tips that may help.
1. Update Social Media.
We already know that social media marketing is important for small businesses, but, simply having accounts isn’t enough. There are always more innovative and new social media marketing tips for small businesses that can improve your presence on social media platforms.
First, make sure your account information is updated and accurate. Your website address logo hours and pictures should all be up to date and current. If something about your business changes, your social media profile should reflect that change too.
Secondly, make sure that you regularly post fresh content. Post about new products and sales to show your followers what you and your business are up to.
2. Optimize your Email.
While some may argue that email marketing is outdated, most small businesses use email to facilitate personal connections with their clients to this day. Email marketing is an important but tricky business and great content doesn’t guarantee that recipients will open your email. Here are some important ways to improve audience engagement, open rates, and conversions.
a. Sender address – your emails should come from a recognizable address, send a name – preferably a business address.
b. Call to action – what is your CTA make sure the recipients know what you want them to do and that it is easy for them to do it.
c. Subject line– this should tell the reader what’s next and if it is worth clicking on.
d. Design– Make sure your content is optimized for mobile viewing and that it delivers on the promise of your subject line. It should be visually appealing and easy to read.
e. Reviews and Testimonials.
People often look for reviews to validate their purchase before they buy something. They want to know that they are spending money on quality and that what you have to offer is better than what your competitors do. You can attract more customers by getting reviews from people who have already bought from you.
Customer reviews are a critical component of what makes a website effective and you can have them on a dedicated testimonials page or put them in multiple places for potential customers to see.
Ask your customers to leave reviews by prompting them with an email or social media post. You can talk to them in person and even direct customers to the locations where are you want them to leave the reviews.
3. Get out of the Store.
Whether you have a home-based business or stuff like that it’s important for potential customers to get to know about you and your business and for that we need to see you. You can develop your local marketing strategies by going out to local events.
Depending on your product or service you can choose which event you will attend – farmer’s markets, flea markets, local festivals, and fairs, or special interest events. Bring items to sell and information about your business and you can also hold a contest and have people sign up for your emails. Even if someone doesn’t buy something from you offer them a brochure, business card, or other information about your business so they remember you.
4. Learn from Competitors.
Don’t forget to look at your competitors when searching for ways to improve your marketing. Do some research and find out what they are doing to attract customers. For example, if yours is the only company in your industry still using cold calling techniques with little return, it’s time to learn from some other players in the game.
If you see that your competitors regularly run ads on Facebook, Instagram, etc., you might consider doing the same. Regular ads indicate that your competitors are seeing success from running those ads, and you might experience similar success with your ads and even cause some of your competitor’s customers to come to you. Your competitor’s tactics might work for you, especially since you are trying to attract the same kind of customers.
To keep up in this fast-paced highly competitive market place your small business needs an agile, innovative, and growth-oriented marketing strategy. From social media campaigns and email marketing to branding strategy and pricing, it can be quite demanding for many small business owners to excel at all this while also focusing on growing their business.
Hopefully, these five small business marketing ideas and tips will help you keep your business in great shape. Make sure you keep thinking about your business and customers, as both of them change, grow, and evolve. Keep your eyes open and you will find new ways to improve customer experience, making sure that your small business strategies are always current.
