If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur, then you need to use your marketing resources to the fullest effect. If you waste money, you could end up getting pushed out of your marketplace by competitors who eat up marketshare. Instead, focus on what makes your business unique and use the resources below to help take your small business marketing to the next level:
PPC
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising is that which you pay for only when users click on your ads. Your ads can appear on Google, Facebook, or elsewhere on the web. The upside of a PPC campaign is that you don't waste money on ads that people don't engage with. You only pay when people are likely to be a prospect for your business. This helps businesses who are on a lean budget and don't want to empty their pockets with expensive "exposure" campaigns.
Social
If you aren't using social media in your business right now, you are missing out on a free opportunity to grow your brand. Social media, whether it is Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, is a communication tool to stay in tune with your marketplace. You can hear your audience's opinions, share your own, and promote your brand with coupons and special events. If you aren't savvy with social media, don't worry. Just hire someone who is an expert and let them handle that aspect of your business.
Email
Email marketing is alive and well and it is showing no signs of slowing down. If you have a list of customers, you should be emailing them regularly to get them to visit your website and become repeat buyers. Don't ever let your email list sit stagnant, as there is always money in emailing them.
SEO
There are two ways to be found online. The first way is that you can be found online by paying for traffic to your website. This is what PPC is. However, there is a second alternative that you can also use in addition to paid traffic. The second way is SEO. This stands for Search Engine Optimization. With SEO, you build out unique content on your site or blog. By writing great content and including a few keywords that your market is likely to search for, you can eventually rank higher for natural searches, such as when people type a query into Google. While you may need to invest time into writing content or money into hiring a writer, the content is purely profit after that.
Grassroots
If you run a physical brick and mortar business, don't hesitate to reach out to your local market. By getting out and about in person in your neighborhood, you can build good will quickly in the eyes of your customers. For instance, you could sponsor a local event by getting with your local chamber of commerce and asking about opportunities to provide food and drinks for a networking event.
Local Marketing
With new technologies like geofencing marketing, Google's new local search changes, and more, you can leverage your local area for your business like never before. If you take full advantage of being able to send text messages or emails to people in select geographical areas, you can save money on ad costs while getting hypertargeted results for your market. Mix it up with promotions, email blasts, coupons, and surveys for the best results.
When it comes to small business marketing, you are competing with the big businesses out there too. You need to be smart in how you use your marketing materials. If you make the right investments you can see your business and profits grow. If you fail to utilize your strengths, your competitors could take over faster than you realized. So make the most out of the marketing tips above and bring your marketing for your small business to the next level.
