You can tell how seriously we consider small company marketing because you read our site regularly. Whether it’s a mom-and-pop shop down the street or a multinational conglomerate operating on every continent, marketing is crucial to a company’s success. As a result of a small business owner’s numerous other responsibilities, marketing is often neglected.
Take Note of What Others Are Doing
Small businesses can learn a lot from observing the actions of their direct competitors. Investigate their customer acquisition strategies to see what works and what doesn’t. It’s time to begin or resume investigating the competition. For example, “if you’re opening a location-based business like a restaurant, that competitor research might involve visiting other venues in person to judge quality, service, aesthetics. You should also take this opportunity to meet other company owners in the area. However, if you run an internet store, you’ll be doing most of your research in cyberspace.
Keep track of your research; make a pie chart comparing your company’s strengths and weaknesses to those of the competition.
Establish a Powerful Web Profile
Having a strong brand presence is crucial in modern marketing. Since most of their customers are probably in the neighbourhood, you might not think your local eatery would profit from an online presence. However, having an internet presence will allow you to reach new customers in the area and beyond. It’s crucial to keep in mind that a whopping 78% of local-mobile searches lead to offline sales, and that one-third of all mobile searches are location-related. You want your company to come up in search results when people in your area are seeking for a service like yours on social media platforms like Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
You have a general concept of how other local businesses portray themselves online thanks to your investigation of the competition (see step 1). Inquire further by wondering things like, “Which businesses are featured in Google’s local pack. Which social media sites do they frequent? What sort of media are people uploading and sharing on the web? Learn from the mistakes of your rivals and then make significant strides forward.
Assemble testimonials and reviews
Online reviews are an integral part of your brand’s image in the digital world. If you want to rise to the top of local search results and attract more clients, you need reviews. A whopping 72% of consumers feel that positive evaluations increase their confidence in a local firm. Furthermore, 92% of consumers feel they are more likely to patronise a local business with at least 4 stars.
Including the solicitation of reviews from current customers as part of your marketing strategy is a smart move because positive evaluations add tremendous weight to your company’s reputation. Select the platform(s) (Yelp, Google My Business, Tripadvisor, Facebook, etc.) that you wish to emphasise to your audience.
Obtain Media Coverage
You may get the word out about your business without doing all the legwork yourself by contacting the local media. To begin, target the local media outlets in your area, as they are more likely to cover local news than Forbes or the New York Times.
Don’t be shy about telling your tale to the press. Many small businesses have touching backstories; it’s important to tell one that demonstrates who you are and what your company stands for. You wish you could add stunning images to go along with this fantastic tale. Having professional images taken is a great first step towards being included in news articles, and the photos may be used again in other contexts, such as on your social media pages. Sending out product samples to journalists is another way to gain exposure in the media.
Get Your Clients
You may save time and effort by recruiting your most loyal customers to act as unpaid brand champions. In fact, word-of-mouth is 10 times more effective than more conventional channels of promotion. The question then becomes how to initiate such viral marketing. The expectations of your customers must be surpassed!
According to the Missouri Business Development Programme, “all successful small businesses seem to have an edge.” They’ve figured out how to stand out from the crowd of competing businesses and really make an impression with their customers. To put it another way, your goal should be to have clients exclaim “WOW” with excitement.
Start an emailing list
Eighty percent of small and medium-sized business (SMB) retail experts surveyed by eMarketer said that email marketing was their most effective marketing strategy for attracting and keeping customers. Using email marketing to connect with your audience over time is highly effective. However, a sizable email list is necessary to reap the full benefits of email marketing.
An email marketing plan can be developed when an email list has been compiled. Make a decision on the content of the emails you intend to send, such as promotions, suggested purchases, and industry updates. Whether your email campaign’s objective is to build brand awareness, retain existing customers, or increase revenue is all up to you.
Final Thoughts
The aforementioned marketing approaches can all help small businesses attract new clients and keep the ones they already have coming back. Many of these overlap and complement one another to help your business stand out from the competition: for example, giving your business a “WOW factor” will encourage customers to leave favourable reviews, which in turn will boost your business’s online profile. You may increase your email subscriber base, gain exposure in the local media, and more with the help of a brand-new app. These are easy and practical steps you may take to promote your company.