If you’re like most small business owners, then you have at least a few marketing tactics that you like to use to drum up business. However, in today’s competitive marketplace, it’s important to find new ways to market your business. If you need some ideas, then take a look at these five marketing strategies.
1. Content Marketing
Over the past 10 years, internet marketers have crowned content as the new monarch of marketing. If you haven’t jumped on content marketing, you should. Here’s why.
The Internet Age empowers people to start the buying process early. This means by the time they show up at your shop, they’ve done extensive research. They’ve checked out your competitors. They’ve priced new and used versions of the items they want to buy. Their research told them, rightly or wrongly, wherein the rankings of your business should be compared to your competitors.
In other words, they’ve educated themselves. Savvy business owners understand this and create content accordingly. That is to say, they answer the consumer’s questions and concerns, addressing these issues in blog posts, YouTube videos, and social media. Done correctly, these pieces of content position you as an expert and often put you ahead of your competition when it comes time to purchase.
2. Appreciate the Customers You Have
No business can exist without customers. If you’re like most business owners, then you spend a good deal of time trying to acquire new ones. However, it’s to your financial benefit to paying attention to the customers you already have. As HubSpot points out, it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than it does to sell to your existing customers.
That’s why it makes sense to develop more products and services within your existing line. These products and services become upsells and add-ons to sell to your current customers. Research shows that if someone buys from you once, they’re more likely to buy from you again.
Additionally, you already have these customers’ contact information. This isn’t the case with a potential customer. This contact information is your personal goldmine. Every time you add a new product or service to your line-up, you can send out an email alert or an automated text message to your existing customers to let them know of your new products. Do this and watch your sales numbers increase.
3. Don’t Forget SEO
Here’s a thing about sales and marketing that too many business owners forget. It’s easier to sell your wares to a customer who is already looking for what you’re selling than to try to convince an unqualified buyer to buy your product or service.
So, what constitutes an unqualified buyer? An unqualified buyer is someone who isn’t in the market for what you’re selling because they either have no need for it or they have no money for it.
That’s where SEO comes in. When you load your website’s content up with solid search terms (without keyword stuffing), you align yourself with people who are ready or will be ready to buy what you sell.
You know these people are in the market for what you sell by the search terms they use to find your site. The obvious ones are search terms that include words like “for sale” or “near me.” Other indicators include searches for specific brand names, like Nike or iPhone. Your website’s analytics will tell you the search terms people used to find you.
By including these keywords in your product pages, blog posts, and more, you help potential customers find the products and services they’re looking for. You also make the sales process easier for you because you’re not chasing after people who don’t need what you sell.
4. Interact on Social Media
Social media has equalized the playing field for small business owners. Those who are good at engaging with their customers via sites like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook build brand loyalty. It is improtant to have a good number of followers to prove that your brand is socially recognized. Check famoid.com to get instagram followers.
They also hear about issues that customers are having with their products or services in real-time. While this may feel like a pain in the neck, it’s actually a blessing for the smart marketer. Problems can be addressed and solved as they happen.
Aside from this, a solid social media presence offers you and other small business owners another advantage. It’s a great way to introduce a new promotion, build a soft-sell campaign for a new product, and increase your website’s domain authority.
5. Hire Influencers
You may not yet have clout in your industry, but there are people who do: influencers. If your business needs a quick boost of credibility, you may benefit from hiring an influencer.
Having the right influencer promote or use your product puts your business in front of an audience that might not hear about you otherwise. Often, it doesn’t even take very much to make a difference.
For example, the Instagram influencer who photographs themselves wearing a sweatshirt you designed and then tags you in a post introduces you to all their followers. Suddenly, you find that your own follower count jumps exponentially in the process. It’s an instant way to share customers without competing for them.
Final Words
So many ways exist for you to grow your small business. These range from hiring an influencer on Instagram to sending out text messages with information about flash sales. The key is to find a few marketing tools that you like and that you’re good at and employ them regularly. Once you do, you’ll see your business grow steadily.
