7 tips for marketing your small business
Small businesses often face additional difficulties when trying to promote their goods and services, especially compared to big firms with huge budgets. It’s hard to increase brand awareness (or even product awareness) when you’re competing with less cash. Still, there are some easy ways to effectively market your small business.
1. Throw a block party
If you work in an area shared by other small businesses, now is your time to network! That’s right, you can partner up with surrounding small businesses and throw a fun event together. That way, all of your customers or other passerbys get to see what your companies are about. Not only is it a way to support other small businesses, but it’s a way to promote yourself and your goods and services. The best part? You may be able to find some new customers.
2. Email Marketing
You may be thinking that email marketing is outdated or ineffective. Marketers used to rely on TV marketing. That is, until the market became too saturated and customers would essentially tune out whenever a commercial played. Everyone then turned to the next revolutionary method of marketing to customers – email marketing. It was extremely effective until, again, the market became too saturated. Over the years, more and more marketing companies have been abandoning email as one of their methods in pursuit of the next best thing. This means the door for email marketing is slowly opening again and you can be one of the firms to take advantage! Grow and nurture your email list, offer blog subscriptions, share eBook offers – nurture both short term and long term relationships with customers at the same time.
3. Guest posts
A guest post is a way for you to promote your company on an entirely different forum, one you may not naturally have access to. This tip works especially well for businesses that boast some creative writing skills. Find your best writer, reach out to local media outlets or publications, and show them what you can offer! This is a great way to not only reach a wider audience, but also to establish your company as a thought leader. Thought leaders have reputations for being innovative, intelligent, trustworthy, and experienced. Do you think your brand could benefit from this type of publicity?
4. Demos
Demonstrations are the best for business owners who offer amazing products or services. Set up a demo and let the people experience for themselves how sensational they are! It’s much easier to market a good when a potential customer is able to interact with it personally in real life. Additionally, putting together a demonstration gives you a chance to meet face to face with individuals who are interested in your product. Humans, being as sociable as we are, are much more likely to do business with someone they can talk to (rather than a standard web page). However, demos don’t have to be done in person to work. You can film a demonstration and post it to your site or social media accounts. For even more transparency, you can go live to viewers to show them how your product works. Just show the people a tangible experience so they know what they stand to gain from your company.
5. Get involved
Another surefire way to market your small business is to get involved in your community. Find a charity that you or your business feels passionate about, and carve some time out to volunteer. The best charity partners are ones that are local. You also want to make sure to involve your employees – this needs to be a company wide endeavor. Businesses that give back to their communities oftentimes have a branding advantage over the competition. Read here for more ways that charitable activity can benefit your business.
6. Update your info
One of the easiest (and most important!) things you can do for your company is to check all of your online information and make sure it’s up to date. Customers who try to reach out to you and end up with inaccurate information may become irritated and associate those negative feelings with your company. Check your phone number, address, hours of operation, and even website links to make sure all accurately reflect the current position of your business. Don’t just stick to one search engine – comb through Google, Bing, Yelp, etc. Think of all the places that could list your company info. Once you find them, check them out and, if necessary, update them!
7. Create a referral program
Referral marketing is great because we naturally want to tell peers about our experiences with things. This holds true for both positive and negative encounters. Creating a referral program is a great way to amplify the positive experiences your customers enjoy and to simultaneously reach more potential customers. Essentially, a referral program just encourages customers to share affirmations regarding your good or service. These referrals benefit you because customers are much more likely to make a purchase based on a recommendation from someone they know. Additionally, if you incentivize your current customers to make referrals, they stand to save on future purchases and are delighted when they do so! Referral programs are a great way to offer a higher level of customer service while still expanding your reach.
And there you have it. Seven easy ways to up your marketing game as a small business. If you’re looking for a more comprehensive approach to your marketing, browse some agencies here to find one that works best for you. If you’re looking to incorporate your business, start your journey with us today!
