Small Business Marketing 101

Marketing for a small business can be tricky. While larger companies have to fight huge turf wars to maintain customer loyalty and achieve brand recognition, small businesses are often in a daily struggle to simply make sales. Especially if your company is new or has been under the radar for the general public in the past, it can be hard to simply let new clients know that you are out there and that your product or service is worth their time, money, and attention.
You can overwork yourself and your marketing team (if you are lucky enough to have one) if you overextend yourself by following strategies that work best for corporate giants, spread yourself too thin in every available online marketing platform, or exhaust your budget on costly ad campaigns. We offer you a few tips to reach new customers, maintain existing ones, and develop a marketing strategy that works best for your small business.

Get Online

If you do not have a company website, you need to get one…fast. The contemporary customer expects to be able to research products and get to know a company before interacting with them. Websites are the perfect way to introduce yourself to potential clients, post positive reviews, or provide insights into your product, service, or company. Gone are the days when you could have a simple website to direct customers to your physical address or display your contact information. If you have the money to invest in a web programmer or advisor, you should do so to ensure that your online image does the most work for you that it possibly can. If you do not have the budget for expensive programming or advising, there are many platforms, such as WordPress.com that allow you to build intuitive, easy-to-manage sites.

Social Media

Having a website is no longer enough; you need to find a way to drive people to your website. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest have become some of the most popular and effective ways for businesses to reach the consumer. Facebook and Twitter allow you to stay in touch with loyal customers and to generate interest among new ones. You can do this by posting special offers and interactive contests. By interfacing these social media platforms with others, such as Pinterest or YouTube, you can promote your product and educate customers on what you do. Be thoughtful in your approach to social media, though. Trying to use all platforms can get time-consuming and may oversaturate your market. Try to pick one or two social media outlets and use them really well.

Partner Up

Find a potential partner in an industry that complements your own, and pair up with them for marketing efforts. Perhaps they can include your business card in a future mailing and you can let them have a banner ad in your newsletter in return. This will introduce you to a new client base and will save on the costs of doing the marketing all by yourself. Your partner business may already have access to a mailing list that you cannot afford or they may have additional corporate contacts that can drive your B2B sales.

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This is a guest post by James, an occasional blogger, full time music promoter using press kit template at sonicbids.com.