7 SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING STRATEGIES

This video shows 7 small business marketing strategies every business owner should be implementing into their business today, according to our source.

These 7 small business marketing strategies were designed to help owners of small to medium to sized businesses grow their sales and profits. Often business owners have one thing in common. Although they may be very good at delivering the products and services their company provides, the problem they have is ensuring enough people know about it!

So the common problem is how to improve their Sales & Marketing!

From defining your niche, showing your customers proof that your business is the company they should choose, to building a personality into your business. These are all simple and easy to implement small business marketing strategies that every business owner should do.

The success of a small business has a lot to do with its marketing plan. Marketing is used to attract the customers needed to keep a business viable and operational. Marketing strategies are used to help a company achieve sales goals and branding initiatives. Through a variety of tactics, marketers work to attract the right customers to the business.

When business owners write their marketing plan, they need to consider what makes sense for their small business? What is working in the marketplace? And where should they start?

Our other source adds 1 strategy. So, here are 8 marketing strategies to set your small business up for success, as stated by freshbooks.com.

1. ESTABLISH A BRAND

For a small business’s customers and potential customers to know what their company is, does, and stands for, they need to have a clear brand identity. Once they have decided on their company’s identity, they need to match it with a suitable name, logo, colors, and imagery that conveys their brand to customers.

Small business owners might decide to establish a brand look with the help of a freelancer or by collaborating with an established agency. This process can be costly, but in the end, it is worth it. Think about recognizing established brands like McDonald’s or Starbucks and how that recognition is tied to their brands, logos, and colors.

Once a company has its logo, it should put it on everything: advertising, business cards, website, envelopes, and email signatures.

2. KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER

There is no such thing as a one size fits all marketing strategy. Each business caters to a different niche in the market, and therefore each company requires a marketing plan is specific to their goals and needs.

Before deciding on tactics and a strategy, small business owners need to understand better who

their target customer is by asking these questions:

• What is their demographic?
• How old are they?
• Where do they live?
• What online services do they use?
• How do they look for products?

Knowing these things about their target customer will help a business develop a targeted and effective overall marketing strategy that will focus on the channels that will produce the best results.

3. CREATE A WEBSITE

Websites are the modern-day business card. It is the first thing potential customers see when the Google company name and the first chance a company makes an impression. A website is the foundation of a marketing plan. Companies can use their website to provide their customers with more information, grab free traffic via search engines, drive people to their social media and establish themselves as an authority in marketing through helpful content.

If your company doesn’t have a website yet, it is easy enough to get one.

Buy a domain name: Choose the name you want, see if it is available and pay a monthly or annual fee associated with owning that domain.

Sign up for web hosting: this is where another company hosts a company’s web page on their servers and manages serving it up to their customers. This is often available through the same company where the domain name was bought from.

Get a content management software (CMS): This is used to both create and update the website over time. There are several free templates, but if a company wants something more unique or customized, they can $50-100 for premium themes.

4. USE THE POWER OF SEO

The most prevalent way traffic is directed to a website is through Google searches. As Google algorithms change, a company needs to make sure to keep their page keywords optimized to make sure they are ranking high on searches.

Having a site show up on the first page of results hugely increases the chances of that website getting clicked on, so a company should do everything in their power to make sure that’s where they are in a Google search.

5. GET LISTED ON GOOGLE

A helpful tool for local businesses with local customer bases is Google My Business. When people in the same area search on Google for a product or service the company provides, the company will appear in the top searches.

When potential customers see a business’s profile and are accompanied by a good review or find the listing at the top of their list, the business gains credibility. People will be more willing to trust the business.

6. ADVERTISE ON FACEBOOK

One of the best ways to target a specific group is using Facebook Ads. A business can focus on demographics such as age, sex, location, interests, online habits, and more.

Setting up advertising on Facebook is easy and relatively inexpensive. It is a great way for a business to reach a maximum number of potential customers in a short amount of time.

7. EMAIL CUSTOMERS AND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS

There are many advantages of using email as a marketing strategy. It is easy to do, can be automated, provides instantaneous communication, costs very little, and can reach many potential customers.

Once email addresses are added to an email list, a business must provide engaging, valuable, and relevant content to their list. The emails get opened and not just merely diverted to spam mail.

8. USE GOOGLE ADWORDS

Remember, the key is for people to find you when they search on Google, and by using Google AdWords, you can significantly increase your chances of people seeing your name.

Google AdWords is more expensive than other marketing tactics we have discussed here but should still be considered a powerful marketing tool. The key is for people to find you when they search on Google, and by using Google AdWords, a business can significantly increase the chance of people seeing their name.