You want your business to stand out from the crowd, right? Well, that won’t happen when your marketing is so cliché. Generic ads and forgettable posts won’t cut it. To truly stand out, your marketing needs to be as special as your small business!
The good news? There are creative and accessible ways to make your brand truly shine among competitors and attract loyal customers.
So, do you want to make your business the one customers can’t forget? Of course, you do! Let’s dive into proven strategies that build a strong brand and make a lasting impression.
Contents
1. Use Traditional Marketing Smartly
Digital marketing is a must, but conventional techniques still play a key role in building a solid reputation. The secret? Blending the best of both worlds for great results!
Let’s understand this with an example. You can place an ad in the local magazine for your small business. But this time, you can add a QR code that can offer customers a discount when scanned. Or you could host a special event, such as a sidewalk tasting, and boost it with targeted ads.
The key to modernizing traditional marketing techniques lies in being updated with the latest trends. Sometimes, this means that you must step up your marketing skills, whether it is mastering social media meta-analysis or other marketing tools.
Luckily, there are many flexible options out there to help you improve your marketing skills. One such option is enrolling in an online digital marketing degree at a reputable institution. Such courses allow you to stay current with the latest marketing knowledge while running your business without hindrances.
2. Email Marketing
If anyone’s been telling you that email marketing is dead, they probably need to get their facts straight. Why do we say that? One survey revealed that 64% of small businesses still choose email marketing to reach out to their customers.
Want to keep your best customers in the loop and ensure they stay loyal? Email marketing is the perfect tool! Send newsletters packed with value, personalized offers they’ll love, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
There are tools out there to help you to design amazing emails with drag-and-drop methods easily. This means that you can design email campaigns yourself without having to hire professionals until you can. You can keep your audience engaged with questions and humor while also marketing your business.
3. Partnering with Micro-Influencers
Small businesses can greatly benefit from partnering with a local micro-influencer. This could be your local blog owners, community leaders, or creators. They have amassed a local audience and are trusted by them. Partnering with them can boost your credibility and help you reach a bigger audience.
A small restaurant, for instance, could invite a local food blogger to review their food. Or a new pet shop could invite the neighborhood dog-walking Instagram account owner to host a dog-walking event.
These micro-influencers can help small businesses increase their website/ social media traffic. They can also provide valuable feedback to help businesses improve their services.
4. Make Online Listings
In today’s modern era, it is super important to list your business online. Why, you ask?
Think about what you do when you are looking for a service. You search for it online, correct? That’s what your customers are doing as well. And if your business isn’t listed here, they will go with whatever relevant business is.
The most important listing is going to be your Google listing. This is where you’ll be posting your business’s visiting hours, contact details, address, and other information. This will make it easier for the customers to learn all about your services.
Don’t limit yourself to Google. It is also worth listing yourself on different review platforms, such as Yelp or other industry-specific platforms.
As an example, a restaurant can list itself on TripAdvisor and Yelp. This also helps boost the local SEO. So, let’s say a user was to search for “restaurants around me”; they will be more likely to see your restaurant in the search results.
Businesses can also encourage their customers to leave positive reviews on these platforms. A simple “Please leave us a review” at the checkout counter can go a long way. As people read your positive comments, they are more likely to visit your small business.
5. Get Creative With Content
Traditionally, businesses post their product descriptions and special offers on social media. While they have their place, they aren’t going to make you stand out. To truly resonate with your audience, you have to put out unique content. This means adding humor, values, or some other unique perspective.
This will help you create a connection with your audience. People buy from businesses they love.
So, what are some ideas for content? You could make quick time-lapses of behind-the-scenes in your business.
Is there a trending meme? You can integrate it into your post to click with your audience.
You can further connect with your audience by creating some tutorials and how-to videos relevant to your business. For example, a restaurant can start a weekly session of cooking tips, make small videos, and upload them!
6. Experiment With Paid Ads
A quick way for small businesses to reach a big audience is through PPC (pay-per-click). This is a model where you pay to place your ad on famous search engines such as Google or social media platforms such as Facebook. However, you only pay when someone clicks your ad.
Unlike SEO, PPC instantly showcases your business to potential customers. Another advantage is that PPC allows very precise targeting. That means you can show your ads in specific areas, interests, demographics, and more. So, let’s say you own a sports equipment shop. You can target athletes and people interested in sports.
PPC can also track your results. You can review these and decide for yourself if your current strategy is working or if you need some changes. You can set daily or overall campaign budgets so you don’t have to worry about overspending.
7. Local Networking
It is always a good idea to contact other small businesses in your neighborhood. As more people see you being active and engaging with the community, it will increase your local visibility.
Other local businesses can also share their experiences and provide valuable insights, which can be super useful to you. Networking with local businesses can also provide you with exciting opportunities such as partnerships and other ventures.
Conclusion
As is evident from this article, effectively marketing your small business is extremely important. So, go ahead, pick one or two strategies, and implement them before moving on to the next. The key is to keep testing and finding the right fit for your business. As you go through these strategies, you will find your business growing and prospering! Good Luck!
