Do you run a small business? If so, we’re sure that you are constantly looking for ways to help your business thrive, grow or even just maintain its current exposure levels?
In the grand scheme of things, you’re probably wearing multiple hats, including your marketing activity. Understandably, marketing a small business can take up a lot of time and effort, especially with the constant churn of new trends, digital marketing platforms and resources.
Yet, even for the busiest business owner, there are some effective ways to market a small business, some requiring little maintenance, while others needing a little more ‘tlc’.
At Maxweb Solutions, we are all about supporting small businesses, helping them harness the power of digital marketing. To support your current goals, here’s 5 effective ways to market your small business, utilising some of the most engaging and populated platforms across online and offline marketing.
If you require any support when marketing your small business, reach out today.
The importance of marketing for small businesses
Marketing as a whole is very important, no matter the size of your business. Yet, for smaller companies, forming and executing an effective marketing strategy is very important, helping to boost awareness, exposure, trust levels, engagement, conversions and growth.
No matter your business goals, marketing activity can have a direct impact on them. If you’re looking to grow your business, expanding your reach across social media platforms is wise. Aiming to grow your local awareness, selecting Google maps advertising will be recommended. If you’re hoping to increase your credibility as a small business, a blog platform will be advised.
By ignoring the powerful resources, some freely available to you, there’s a chance that your small business will be overtook by larger, actively marketed companies. Yet, by harnessing your marketing capabilities, you can aim to build trust, brand recognition, a steady stream of purchases or orders, and local support, whether your business is a hobby or a livelihood.
To ensure that you can battle against your competitors, here’s 5 effective ways to market your small business.
Here’s 5 effective ways to market your small business
Understandably, you may not have the largest marketing budget, you may not have the availability to maintain your activity on a full-time basis, yet through the below strategies, you’ll learn the best ways to market your small business, whether that’s online or through traditional channels.
Social media
Social media platforms are the most populated, far reaching tools available to small businesses. They stand as a cost-effective way to market your small business, as most features are free for use.
You should start by making strong and consistently branded profiles across the most relevant social media platforms. Please remember that quality over quantity is the case when marketing a small business via social media. For example, LinkedIn is great for corporate clients, while Instagram focuses greater on aesthetically pleasing and visual brands.
Once you’ve formed your profiles, it’s time to share engaging content, it’s time to build small communities around your company. Whether that’s utilising the review tab, churning over user-generated content, or simply advertising your latest project, social media can help you reach far and wide audiences.
As a small business, it’s important that you keep active on social media, sharing your true values, your personality as a business and your day in the life, helping your audience connect and resonate. Paid social ads are also another way to increase your exposure as a small business, providing a quicker return over organic content marketing.
A business website
Websites are commonly overlooked by small businesses. This is mostly down to their attached cost, the complexities of web design and the necessity of ongoing maintenance. Yet, having a strong and user-friendly website can elevate your small business.
Most companies have an online storefront; whether that’s to actively sell or to promote their intangible offering. The benefits of a website is that you can boost your rankings over search engines, you can target your local area, you can link your social media accounts through to your website, and you can add a touch of professionalism and trustworthiness to your small business.
Luckily, websites can be formed on a budget nowadays. Yet, to utilise one of the most effective ways to market your small business, it’s important that you do still select a quality, functional, and fit for purpose website.
A blog
Blogs are undervalued when considering the digital marketing world. However, having a blog is a clever way to promote your company, through a non-salesy, discrete strategy. The main purpose of a blog is to inform, to inspire and to help customers. Whether that’s top tips within your industry, or inspiration when purchasing, your aim is to make the decision-making process easier for your customers; also benefiting your small business.
There are other benefits of a blog, such as its ability to boost your SEO results and your position in the market, making it one of the 5 effective ways to market your small business.
Yet, before commencing your blogging activity, it’s important that you grasp the art of copywriting and storytelling, ensuring that your blog can influence marketing conversions.
Influencers
As a small business, you may believe that influencer marketing is out of your reach. Yet, micro-influencers currently carry greater effects, in comparison to Instagram stars. This is down to the fact that audiences prefer reliability and the ability to truly engage with influencers.
You can send free products, in return for a post. You can opt for a paid collaboration, helping to increase exposure of your small business through a stream of networks. Whatever works for your small business concept when considering influencer marketing will be advantageous.
Offline marketing
Although the world has turned digital, offline marketing is still just as important. It is however important to be clever when marketing your small business via traditional routes, ensuring that your investment is worthwhile.
Having a comprehensive marketing strategy, touching on online and offline platforms is a great way to build consistency, brand recognition and localised exposure. Through branded flyers, through industry focused events, through merchandise, you can attract attention towards your small business, helping to target an offline demographic.
Alongside these top 5 effective ways to market your small business, there are a wealth of other options, including email marketing campaigns, video marketing, SEO strategies and copywriting. By embracing the most fitting strategies for your brand, you’ll soon have the capabilities to work towards your marketing goals.
Enhance your small business by utilising a mix of marketing channels, tools and trends. At Maxweb Solutions, we can help you pick out the most effective ways to market your small business, catered around your goals, your customer base, and your vision.
Posted on Friday, August 28th, 2020 in Digital Marketing.
