If you run a small business, then marketing is likely one of your biggest headaches, but it doesn’t have to be. You don’t need a marketing degree or to be an advertising expert in order to raise awareness about your brand, gain qualified leads and grow your sales.
Here are five marketing tips for small businesses that are easy to implement and scale.
- Social media advertising
The appeal of a product or service is dependent on the consumer’s needs and wants. But how can these be predicted? General advertising casts a wide net and can result in energy and resource expenditure in areas that provide little return. A great way to zero in on your target audience is leveraging information provided by individuals’ online accounts on platforms like Meta and Instagram. Social media is just that, social. Personal information is voluntarily shared on these platforms in ways that expose the user’s desires and preferences. What people spend time looking up on the internet can be used to gain insight to their purchasing behavior. - Email marketing
One way to affect purchasing decisions is a direct line to the inbox. It may be true that “spam email” is sent to the trash bin more often than not, but the fact remains that delivering marketing content directly to potential clientele can pay off. This approach allows for personalized promotion at low cost in a way that is easy to measure over time to gauge its effectiveness in different contexts. - Influencer marketing
An extension of advertising on certain websites is advancing brand awareness and sales through some of the types of internet personalities that demonstrate social media’s influence in the first place. Endorsements by social media users who have accrued a following can be an effective way to make sure your target audience is being reached in an organic way. The benefits here are that people in this position are able to build a personal connection with their audience. Companies marketed in this way establish a certain level of credibility with influencer audiences and encourage a heightened level of engagement. - Collaborate with other businesses
Collaborative marketing is a great way to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with another company that shares similar values and goals. Sharing client pools, data, and assets with other businesses can prove to be highly lucrative and act as a reinforcement to any company’s foundation. This type of mutualism ranges in terms of the investment each party brings to the table, from co-branding products to a simple endorsement of another company in an area where they aren’t advertising directly. This approach to marketing can also be useful in the sense that it reduces competition in a given market space. In short, friends help friends make money. - Sponsorships
Sponsoring a local event, charity, or sports team is a terrific way to connect with the public, increase brand awareness, and establish a positive association with your business. Getting out in the world beyond the reaches of online influence can put any company in the spotlight of the community. Securing a trusted relationship with clients in this way ensures repeat business and new leads no matter what your company provides. This form of marketing has great potential if implemented correctly.
