If you’re a small business owner, you know that marketing can be a challenge. It seems like everyone is competing for attention, and it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! In this blog post, we will discuss 5 marketing strategies that are perfect for small businesses. These strategies will help you reach new customers and grow your business!
Best of all…these are all free to implement for you or a staff member.
Before a business can create an effective marketing campaign, they need to define its target market. The target market is the group of consumers that the business has identified as the most likely to purchase their product or use their service.
To identify their target market, businesses need to consider a variety of factors, such as age, gender, location, and interests. Once they have a good understanding of who their target market is, they can begin to create marketing materials that are tailored to that audience.
Defining your target market is not always easy, but it is important to take the time to do it right. Here are four steps that will help you identify your target market:
The last point in defining your target market can hit home. In the case of small businesses, we don’t always have a lot of extra budget to entertain to compete with larger businesses in our market. For example, if you’re in Grande Prairie there are potentially dozens to hundreds of businesses all competing for the same thing.
Thankfully, there are so many free options out there that can help. After all, it’s better to do something rather than nothing. We’ve listed our top 5 marketing channels for small businesses below in no particular order.
While there are many ways for small businesses to market themselves, the most overlooked tool is Google My Business. This free service from Google allows businesses to create a listing that appears in search results, maps and gives them a valuable way to reach potential customers searching within their locale.
Google My Business listings provide essential information like business hours and contact details, and they can also include photos and descriptions, making them an invaluable tool for marketing your business.
In addition, Google My Business listings appear on Google Maps, making it easy for customers to find your business when they’re looking for products or services in your area.
Whether you’re just getting started with marketing your small business or you’re looking for ways to reach more customers, Google My Business is a tool that you can’t afford to ignore.
Just remember…people use search engines like Google to find answers to their questions the instant their think of them. They’re not hoping in their car driving around looking for a billboard or bus stop advertisement.
By securing the top spot in Google and Google Maps you could potentially see explosive digital growth for your website.
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach and engage customers. It allows businesses to build relationships with prospects and customers, promote new products and services, drive website traffic, and generate leads. And because it is so affordable, email marketing should be a part of every business’s marketing mix.
Not only does email marketing cost less than other marketing channels like paid advertising or direct mail, but it also allows businesses to reach a larger audience at a fraction of the cost.
In addition, email marketing is highly effective in driving website traffic and generating leads. It is extremely easy to measure results and businesses can track their return on investment and make adjustments accordingly.
If you’re not sending email marketing campaigns to your business then you should consider starting today.
Today, more than ever, it’s rare to see a business without a social media profile. As a business owner, you’re always looking for new ways to reach potential customers and grow your brand. And with the rise of social media, there’s no better time to start using social media marketing to achieve your business goals.
Here are a few reasons why every business should be using social media marketing:
It’s cost-effective. Compared to other forms of marketing, social media marketing is relatively inexpensive. And with the ability to target specific demographics and interests, you can get the most bang for your marketing buck if you decide to tip into paid advertising on those platforms.
It’s fast and easy. With social media, you can quickly and easily connect with potential customers all over the world. In just a few minutes, you can create engaging content that will reach a large audience.
It builds relationships. Through social media, you have the opportunity to build relationships with potential and current customers. By engaging with them on a personal level, you can create a connection that goes beyond sales and builds loyalty and trust.
It generates leads. When used effectively, social media can be a powerful lead generation tool. By providing valuable information and resources, you can attract prospects who are interested in what you have to offer and turn them into leads.
It makes your business human. When done correctly any small business can be seen with a more laid-back and human approach. To many times businesses are focused on selling when they should be more focused on showcasing a behind-the-scenes or a how-to approach to faucets and services of your business. These tips provide an engaging experience for current customers and new ones alike ultimately exploding your brand to new heights.
Over the past few years, there has been a sudden and dramatic shift in the world of marketing. Consumers are now bombarded with advertising from all sides, and as a result, they have become increasingly resistant to traditional forms of marketing such as commercials and print ads. In order to reach their target audiences, businesses must now look to more creative and effective methods of marketing, such as content marketing.
Content marketing is a form of marketing that focuses on creating and sharing valuable content online in order to attract and engage potential customers. Unlike traditional marketing techniques, which interrupt and annoy consumers, content marketing provides value that consumers actually want. As a result, it is an extremely effective way to build relationships with potential customers and generate leads.
In addition to being highly effective, content marketing is also relatively inexpensive. For businesses on a tight budget, content marketing can be a great way to get the most bang for your buck. When done correctly, content marketing can help you attract more visitors to your website, convert more leads into customers, and ultimately boost your bottom line.
Similar to above with social media channels try focusing on questions your customers want to be answered…and create a how-to guide out of it. We recommend shooting a long-form video, short-form video, photos and a written blog post so you can provide your content marketing across all channels.
As any business owner knows, marketing is essential for attracting new customers and keeping the business afloat. However, many businesses overlook the importance of previous customers in their marketing efforts.
In fact, previous customers can be some of your best advocates, providing valuable referrals and testimonials that can help attract new business. Here are just a few reasons why every business should rely on previous customers for marketing and referrals:
First, previous customers already have a good relationship with your business. They know what you do and what you stand for, and they’re more likely to trust your products or services than someone who has never heard of your business before.
Second, previous customers are familiar with your pricing and quality standards. They know what to expect from your products or services, and they can provide valuable feedback to potential new customers about whether or not your pricing is fair.
Finally, previous customers can provide social proof that your products or services are worth investing in. If someone sees that their friend or a family member has had a positive experience with your business, they’re much more likely to want to try out your products or services for themselves.
For all these reasons, it’s clear that relying on previous customers is an incredibly beneficial marketing effort. We all expect previous customers to “just refer us” but truth be told many businesses aren’t proactive with their existing customer base.
Think outside the box here. A lot of businesses provide customer referrals in the form of cash or discounts but you can also provide an affiliate program as well.
On top of that urge your customers to leave you a review on places like Google My Business and Facebook. These reviews go a long way to building trust for your brand and can be the difference between someone picking up the phone or moving on to the next business.
Ask yourself, who would you trust, the company with 200 reviews and a 4.8 or a company with a 2-star rating and 3 reviews?
Small businesses (even our team at Sixo Agency) have to be creative and resourceful when it comes to digital marketing. There are a number of different marketing strategies that can be effective for small businesses, many of which are relatively inexpensive or free to implement. We hope we’ve helped outline five local small business marketing strategies that you may want to consider using in your own marketing efforts.
Which of these strategies do you think would be most effective for your business?
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