5 Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses – Plus 1 BIG Mistake
The Top 5 Marketing Tactics To Help Your Small Business See Real Growth
Small Business Owners want to reach more customers, and they know they need a strong marketing plan if they’re going to make that happen. The bad news is – there is no perfect answer to the question “What kind of marketing does my business need?” There is no one size fits all solution that I can give you to solve your marketing dilemma.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The basic fact is that because each business is different -with differing clientele, products or services, and overall goals – each business’s marketing plan will be unique. What works for one local business may completely backfire on yours. The key is testing your strategy and using the data to make adjustments and move forward.
Marketing to potential customers will be a trial and error process, and you must budget for that. However, there are a few key strategies that tend to show the highest level of success with the least risk. We will be reviewing the 5 top marketing strategies for small businesses and the best way to implement them. Stick around to the end to learn the biggest marketing mistake small business owners can make when executing their marketing approach.
Google Search
In this day and age, anytime someone is looking for a product or service their first step is to do a google search. But how do you make sure your business shows up in the search results? Your first step will be creating a well put together “Google My Business” page. Once that is complete Google will be able to populate your business for relevant searches.
Additionally, using Google Ads (formerly called Google Adwords) to reach your target audience is a highly recommended step. Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising allows you to create highly specific targeted ads that are designed to populate when someone searches for the keywords you choose. This means you only pay for the people that actually click your ad! This method can be used for brand awareness or specific campaigns
E-mail Campaigns
Email marketing tends to be the most effective when used in remarketing efforts. Keeping up with past clients will ensure your company is fresh in their minds when it comes time to make another purchase. Capturing email addresses from your website and adding them to a marketing email list will make this job go a lot more smoothly.
It is vital to ensure marketing emails are thoughtfully created and personalized to avoid coming across as spammy. Make sure you are providing useful information that provides value to your customers. These emails can include updates on your products and services, a promotional code to use on your website, or even news relevant to your industry.
Webinars
Show the world your company is an expert in its industry by holding webinars on specific relevant topics. These web-based seminars are designed to allow you to provide high quality visually stimulating information to your customers. You will also be able to take and answer questions from your audience, which will build your overall authority on the given topic in your niche.
Holding a well-produced webinar will contribute to your brand awareness and help you stand out against competitors. Engage with your customers on a personal level by providing high-value information with education and training tools. You can even connect with other industry leaders to validate your authority. Webinars are a fantastic way to promote your products and services to a captive audience.
Social Media Marketing
Marketing on Social Media platforms has evolved in the recent past from a “throw it at the wall and see what sticks” method to a highly targeted community-based marketing approach. Combining your business’ social media presence with thoughtfully constructed ads aimed at carefully curated audiences allows you to build a real presence with your customer base. From Facebook ads to Instagram posts – social media can help you develop your company’s story.
It is important to know where your efforts will be most effective. Spreading yourself too think and creating an extensive network of profiles will get you nowhere. Take your business to where your customers are already at. Find out where your target demographic spends the most time and concentrate your efforts there. For example, in a business to business situation – Linkedin is the best option.
Content Marketing
Using your website as a platform to share your expertise and experience is a great way to market your business. Become a thought leader for your niche and provide high-value information to your customers. Regularly created blog posts can attract and retain a clearly defined audience – and drive customer action. Guest blogging can even draw traffic from another site to your own – boosting your overall website views.
It is important to create content that motivates your audience to act. Whether that is to use your services, purchase a product, or even simply provide an email address – driving consumer actions is key to a well-developed and effective content marketing strategy. When your business becomes a credible resource on topics that matter to potential customers, it is more likely to earn their loyalty and trust.
That BIG Mistake
The number one mistake we see made by small businesses when beginning a marketing campaign is actually quite simple. You may have a great website full of highly informative content with scheduled webinars, carefully structured google ads, and a strong Twitter presence – but if you send that traffic to an irrelevant or sub-par landing page it will all be for naught.
Well built landing pages are the missing link in many small businesses’ marketing strategies. Sending customers to your home page may work for what you need. However, driving them to a specifically engineered landing page with extremely relevant wording will have a drastic impact on lead generation and consumer action. Construct a landing page for each relevant link and ensure it the copy and content are informative and applicable to the situation.
Small Business Consulting
Abundant Returns provides small business consulting services to help you navigate this ever-changing environment and develop the right financial growth strategies to fit the needs of your small business. Our Growth Coaches are available to walk this path with you, side by side, and help to guide your business decisions. Reach out to Abundant Returns today with any questions you may have regarding our business consulting services.
Over 200 Years Of Collective Experience
A major benefit of choosing Abundant Returns as your full spectrum tax and financial professionals is you gain access to our full team of highly experienced CPA’s, Enrolled Agents, Business Consultants, Financial Experts and staff that can assist you. Our professional team members enjoy working with clients who are building successful businesses that concentrate on growth and development. We stand by our work and welcome further auditing and second opinions because we KNOW our team has covered all the bases to keep more money in your pocket. Our founder, Larisa Humphrey, built this company on a strong foundation of ethics, accuracy, and honesty. As an IRS Enrolled Agent she has earned the privilege of representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service by passing a rigorous three-part test on tax law for individuals and businesses.