Marketing a small-sized business can be an intimidating task. There are many elements, including limited resources (money) and growing competition, as well as the rapid evolution of digital media, that can cause one to lose money and time on tactics which may not yield positive results.
You should be happy to know that you do NOT require large amounts of funding to succeed. You do, however, need focused and time-tested strategies that yield consistent leads, revenue, and build long-term customers.
In this comprehensive guide, I will walk you through small business marketing practices which currently are successful in today’s competitive marketplace and how you can use these strategies to successfully implement your marketing immediately.
1. Establish a Distinct Target Market
Among small business owners, you will find that a common mistake is trying to sell their product/service to everyone.
If you attempt to sell to everyone, then you will not connect to anyone.
What to do:
- Conduct research so that you can determine exactly who your target customer is by identifying (demographics) their age, area they live in, how much money they make, what their interests are, etc.
- Understand their issues as well as the goals they wish to achieve.
- Differentiate your offerings from those of other competitors.
Create a simple customer persona. Then you can ask and answer the following:
- What issue/problem are they trying to solve?
- Where do they tend to find information online?
- What motivation do they have for making purchasing decisions?
The more defined your audience is; the more effective your marketing efforts will be.
2. Create a Robust Online Presence
Your website is like your virtual storefront, and if it is confusing or outdated, trust will not come easily for the customers that want to utilize your services or purchase your products.
Characteristics of Effective Websites for Increasing Sales:
- An appealing and concise headline that indicates what you do
- Easy navigation
- Website for mobile device (responsive)
- Speedy loading time
- Compelling call-to-actions (CTAs)
Web platforms such as WordPress, Shopify and Wix have made creating professional websites without any coding experience much less complicated.
The purpose of your website is to help direct the users to one specific purpose, whether it be making a reservation, spending their money or getting in contact with you.
3. Emphasize Local SEO
It is particularly important for small businesses that are service provider-based to have good local visibility.
When someone searches for “best plumber near me” or “coffee shop closest to me,” your business needs to come up in the first page of the results.
To Help with this:
- Enhance your Google Business Profile.
- Ask for satisfied customers to leave reviews
- Utilize geographical keywords in the content of your website
- Submit your business to local directories
Much like first impressions have been shown to affect consumer buying decisions, the same can be said about providing customers with an easy way to express their satisfaction.
4. Building Trust through Content Marketing
Content marketing is one of the most affordable long-term marketing strategies.
By developing informative blog articles, videos and other resources, you not only establish your business as an authority in your industry, but also as a source of value rather than just a place to buy things.
Examples of Useful Content:
- How-To Guides
- Commonly Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Case Studies
- Timely Industry Tips
- Customer Testimonials
Consistently delivering good content increases your website traffic and search engine result rankings over time.
Consistency in frequency is far greater than quantity when posting new content each week (you don’t need to post every single day or multiple times per week).
5. Maximise the Effectiveness of Your Social Media Marketing Campaigns
The majority of small businesses do their social media marketing without planning ahead.
Instead of going all-out on multiple social media platforms, select one or two out of the big four social media platforms where your target market hangs out the most.
Platform Breakdown:
- Facebook — Best For Local Multi-Shop Businesses or Community-Based Marketing
- Instagram — Best For Branding Or Product-Based Marketing
- LinkedIn — Using Your Business as a B2B (Business-to-Business) Services Provider
- TikTok — Creative Marketing Using Video Content to Reach an Younger Audience
You Will Want To Post the Following Types of Content:
- Behind-The-Scenes Content
- Social Proof of Your Business (e.g., traditional & non-traditional Marketing)
- Educational Value Content
- Promotions and Special Offers (Coupons, Discounts, etc.)
- User-Generated Content
Building relationships with your followers via social media can be far more beneficial than simply gathering followers. Building the relationship includes promptly responding to comments and/or messages related to your business and services.
6. Utilize Email Marketing
One of the highest return-on-investment (ROI) for digital marketing channels is email marketing. Utilizing services like Mailchimp or ConvertKit will allow small businesses to automate their email campaigns and nurture leads with ease.
The basic email marketing strategy includes:
- Create a lead magnet like a discount or a checklist or a free guide.
- After creating lead magnet, send an introduction or welcome series of messages that introduce potential customers to your company.
- Regularly send helpful content to your leads and existing clients.
- Include promotion of your company’s offers in your email series on a strategic basis.
- Reconnect with inactive leads (no longer engaging with your company) by sending a series of targeted offers to them via email.
Your email list is a owned asset whereas social media or other marketing channels are rental spaces.
7. Develop Targeted Advertising (Correctly)
Paid advertising can provide fast results if used and done in the correct manner.
Instead of boosting random posts on social media, create structured (and measurable) marketing campaigns around clear and specific goals.
Platforms that are effective for this type of advertising include:
- Google Ads: Capture high-intent search traffic
- Facebook Ads: Conduct interest-based or behavior-based targeting
- Instagram Ads: Visually communicate product offers
Start with small budgets and run multiple variations of your advertisements; scale budget based on good performance of your ads.
Remarketing advertising (retargeting) provides very high conversion rates; this is to show advertisements to people who have previously visited your website.
8. Encourage Recommendations and Word-of-Mouth:
Word-of-mouth is among the most effective marketing methods that small businesses can employ.
Friends and family members will trust recommendations made by people they know rather than ads.
How to Develop Referrals:
- offer referral discounts;
- establish a loyalty rewards program;
- give outstanding customer service;
- contact customers after their purchase.
When customers have received adequate motivation to refer others to your company, happy customers will become brand ambassadors.
9. Utilize Video Marketing:
Videos can create trust much faster than just text or pictures.
You do not have to use professional equipment – a smartphone and good light are sufficient to get you started making videos.
Video Examples:
- Product Demonstration
- Customer Testimonial
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Educational tips
- Live Question & Answer sessions
You can advertise widely on platforms like YouTube and TikTok organically.
Short-form videos will give you the ability to capture viewers’ attention quickly.
10. Keep and Track the Numbers that are Important to you:
If you are marketing without keeping a record, you are just kidding yourself.
You should keep track of the following items through Google Analytics:
- Your website’s traffic
- The percentage of visitors that converted to a customer (conversion rate)
- The percentage of visits where visitors immediately left your website (bounce rate)
- How Frequently Customers Browse Your Website
- Where the Visitors to Your Website Came From
Your primary area of focus when you monitor your marketing expenditures is:
- Cost-per-Lead
- Cost-per-Acquisition
- Customer Lifetime Value
Utilize marketing channels that generate the most revenue when creating your marketing budget.
11. Develop Attractive Proposals
There is no way to make an unattractive proposal appealing with your marketing capabilities alone. The more attractive your proposal is, the more noticeable you will be in a crowded market.
Ways to Improve Your Proposal:
- Add Bonuses
- Provide a Guarantee
- Offer Short-Term Discounts
- Combine Products/Services Together
- Provide A Tangible Result
- Customers pay for value not just for products.
Customers buy value — not just products.
12. Partner With Other Local Businesses
Working together with other local businesses helps to increase your business’ reach without spending additional money on advertising.
Ideas to Partner:
- Joint Promotions
- Cross Promotions
- Joint Events
- Shout Outs on Social Media
- Co-Advertising
Both businesses will benefit from the partnership because they will expose each other to new audiences.
Putting It All Together
Most successful small businesses do not depend on only one strategy to be successful, they utilize multiple strategies to achieve their overall success.
- A Strong Digital Presence
- Local Search Engine Optimization
- Consistent Content Creation
- Strategic Use of Social Media
- Continuous Email Communication
- Effective Use of Paid Advertising
- Referral Programs
You do not have to implement these all at once.
First, focus on:
- Website Optimization
- Building Local Visibility
- Building Email Lists
- Creating Consistent Content
Once you have these strategies working, start adding in paid advertising and partnering with other local business.
In Summary
Marketing for small businesses doesn’t need to be complicated and can also be affordable. Most importantly, you’ll need to provide clarity, consistency, and focus on the customer.
By doing the following:
- Know Your Audience
- Give Value To Your Customer
- Communicate Effectively
- Measure Your Results
- Adjust Quickly
You’ll create a marketing engine, which will produce consistent growth over time.
The strategies described above are easy to implement, work well, and can be expanded upon. Start with a small amount and keep doing it until you’ve learned how to improve as your company continues to expand.
