When it comes to running an online business, many will focus solely on the administrative tasks involved. This may include coming up with the product or service, choosing your business name, all of the necessary legal steps to ensure you're protected and compliant, and finally, setting up a website.
Often, a website is seen as a to-do in a long list to make the business "official." They view it as a necessary tool, but forget the crucial step of creating a personalized strategy to drive traffic.
There was a time when having a website was enough to stand out. It was easier then to rank on the first page of Google because there was less competition.
Now, you must have a strategy to ensure people are aware of you, can easily find you, and know what steps they need to take if they want to move forward.
It's a lot of work running a business. However, if you don't prioritize your marketing efforts, you will not have control over a key part of your business: lead generation.
Small Business Marketing Ideas for New Entrepreneurs and Experienced Business Owners
Whether you're just now starting your entrepreneurial journey or looking to revamp your marketing plan, so you have more consistent business, you won't want to miss what we cover in this blog post.
Let's explore 10 small business marketing ideas to inspire and guide you on your path to success.
1. Utilize Social Media Consistently
Nowadays, you've most likely heard all about the social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. BUT, do you post content that starts conversations with your target audience?
Most small businesses create a social media account and post every once in a while when they have a sale or something they want to promote. Their posts are focused on themselves and what they're doing rather than the benefits for their target audience.
Instead, develop a strong social media presence by sharing engaging content that educates and encourages participation. Interact with your followers, and post consistently so you can set expectations, and build a community online.
2. Create Compelling Content
Content marketing remains a cornerstone of successful digital marketing strategies. Produce high-quality blog posts, videos, infographics, and other content that educates, entertains, and adds value to your audience's lives.
Consistent, valuable content not only establishes your authority in your industry, but also helps to attract and retain customers.
As we touched on above, your content should be focused on your target audience. This means showcasing that you understand their frustrations, goals, and that your product or service solves their problem. Depending on your industry and offer, some might need to provide more education than other businesses.
Strategy for consistently creating content:
Pay attention to your competitors - what they post about, how they interact with their customers, and what differentiates you from them.
Notice what topics your customers bring up - if you're open to feedback, your customers will often tell you exactly what they want to learn more about, or wish they'd known before they found you.
Use audience research and search-listening tools to get ideas - there are great tools available like Answer the Public where you can enter a topic and see exactly what search terms people are using. This allows you to make specific, helpful content that should also help improve your rankings in search results.
Plan out your content and use a scheduler - block out time to sit down and plan your content for at least the week (you can eventually work towards the month), and use a social media scheduler so you can automate the process of needing to log in and manually post each day.
3. Optimize for Local SEO
Whether you're a small business with a physical location, you serve a specific geographic area, or you want to ensure you start ranking higher in search results, you'll want to optimize for local search engine optimization (SEO).
Your website needs to be optimized for local keywords, and you'll want to claim your Google My Business listing.
You'll also want to make sure you actively solicit and respond to customer reviews to improve your local search visibility.
By starting with your keywords + your location, you can begin to establish yourself in search results, and raise awareness locally.
4. Leverage Email Marketing
Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to nurture leads and drive conversions. Sure, we all get unsolicited emails, but the emails that actually address a pain point or meet a need at the right time are marketing done right.
Build an email list of interested prospects and customers, and regularly send targeted, personalized email campaigns with valuable content, promotions, and updates about your business.
Tips to building an email list:
Don't buy a list (it can hurt your deliverability rate - your messages will end up in spam or you can be blacklisted)
Offer a promo code or something of value for free (guide, webinar training, e-book, etc). in exchange for their email address
Place your email sign-up boxes in easy to access places (homepage, footer, pop-up, etc.)
Set expectations for how often you'll email, what they can expect from the contents of the email, and any other benefits for your target audience
5. Host Virtual Events and Webinars
Hosting virtual events and webinars is an excellent way to showcase your expertise, engage with your audience, and generate leads. Offer valuable insights, answer questions, and provide actionable takeaways that demonstrate the value of your products or services.
Nervous about hosting something on your own? Find a business that compliments your own and host an event together.
Not only will this help you build another connection, but it's a great way to encourage yourself to take control over how you come across to your community.
6. Collaborate with Influencers
Partnering with influencers in your niche can help amplify your brand's reach and credibility. Identify influencers whose audience aligns with your target market and collaborate on sponsored content, product reviews, or social media takeovers to increase brand visibility and attract new customers.
Don't feel like you need to approach influencers with massive followings. You'll actually have more success (and get more value for money) by reaching out to influencers with smaller followings that have active communities.
This can be something you work up to eventually. Start by finding and following people on social media who have audiences in your niche, and pay attention to the overall vibe of their community (how do they interact with their followers, how often does their audience participate, and are the comments positive).
7. Offer Referral Incentives
Encourage satisfied customers to refer their friends, family, and colleagues to your business by offering referral incentives such as discounts, freebies, or exclusive access to special promotions. Word-of-mouth marketing remains one of the most powerful tools, and often just needs a simple tweak in your process to better encourage it.
Start by mapping out your current process from onboarding through fulfillment. Note any key steps where communication could be improved and identify a clear breakpoint for when the product or service has been fulfilled.
Next, write out what your policies are and how to officially delineate this to the customer. This will be where you will want to make the referral and review gathering process as easy as possible for the customer.
8. Invest in Paid Advertising
While organic marketing efforts are essential, don't underestimate the power of paid advertising channels like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads. Allocate a portion of your marketing budget to targeted paid campaigns that reach your ideal customers and drive measurable results.
If you don't have a big budget to dedicate to paid advertising, that's okay! Set your monthly budget and experiment with different channels and advertising methods to see which give you the best return on your investment.
As your campaign gathers data, you'll be able to see what's working, what needs improvement, or if it's time you try a different strategy.
9. Engage in Community Outreach
Establishing a strong presence in your local community can help you build brand awareness and loyalty. It's also a great way to find out what your community needs, so you can better serve your target audience.
Sponsor local events, participate in community initiatives, and support causes that align with your brand values to foster goodwill and positive associations with your business.
Some business owners who are more introverted might find this challenging, but you can take a great first step just by joining your local chamber of commerce.
10. Monitor and Analyze Your Results
The data you gather through your marketing efforts is incredibly valuable! Make sure you install and track your efforts using analytics tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and email marketing metrics.
Data-driven insights will help you to identify what's working, what's not, and make informed decisions to optimize your marketing strategies for maximum impact.
There is no magic bullet when it comes to marketing, but if you keep at it, and pay attention to what the data tells you, you'll find the strategy that has be best return on your investment and efforts!
Small Business Marketing Ideas and Strategies
As a small business owner, you have many marketing ideas and strategies at your disposal to effectively reach and engage with target audience. The best thing you can do for your business is to pick a strategy, be consistent, and schedule time with yourself to check back on its performance.
By embracing a multi-channel approach, staying agile, and continuously experimenting and iterating on their marketing efforts, you can position yourself for success online!
Need Help with Creating and Implementing Your Marketing Plan?
Let's chat! Schedule a free strategy session today with our team to talk about where you are now with your business, where you'd like to be, and steps you can take to make it happen.
