If you’ve just started a small business, the hardest challenge you face is getting potential customers to notice you. Unless you are launching a new invention, most likely, you are entering into a market that already has competitors.
How do you stand out from your competitors when doing marketing for a small business? How do you attract new customers without spending thousands a month of advertising?
While there is no magic formula, there are a lot of methods you can try. And the more you try, the better your chances of finding one that works.
In this article, we will look at five small business marketing ideas that can help you grow and stand out in your market.
1) Google Business Profile Listing
There is no better way to get free attention for your small business than to get listed on Google Maps and Google Search. Google today owns 96% of all the search traffic on the web. It makes sense to go where people are if you want them to notice you.
Take an hour and set up your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) listing. This process starts with claiming your listing; you will need to request a postcard in the mail to confirm your location.
Next, add as much information as you can about the business, your hours of operation, your services, photos of your team, and more. If you have customers who already love you, then ask them for a Google business review. The more reviews you have, the more legitimate you look.
Once you are set up, remember to update the Google Business Profile page a least once a week. Google loves user-generated content, and so does Google My Business.
Regular additions of new content, blog posts, unique offers, or promotions can increase your traction. One recent study showed that improving your Google My Business page each day for a month increased site visits by 68%.
If you are looking for inexpensive marketing ideas for a small business, then don’t ignore your Google Business Profile. It will do wonders for your search engine optimization and brand awareness. Best of all, it’s essentially free advertising on the most important search engine in the world.
2) Community Events
If your small business works in a local community, there is no better way to grow attention than to get to know people. It might seem that most ‘marketing’ these days is done online, but remember that you, as the owner of a small business, are essentially the brand. This is especially true for a local business owner who wants to target their surrounding suburbs.
If you begin attending local events, meeting other business owners, sharing ideas, and offering to help others, you will find your business growing. There are a lot of local events through Meetup and Eventbrite that are happening in your local area every month. Try to attend one per month, and get involved as much as you can. You can also participate in events through Rotary, Toastmasters, United Way, and many others to improve yourself and help the community.
Being a part of your local community is a great way to market your small business, as people get to know you as a person, and for the services you offer. This connection naturally makes them want to support your business and help you succeed.
3) Online Forums
If you have a more virtual business, then you can also contribute through forums such as Reddit, Quora, and even specialized sites for your niche. Look at some of the topics you see online in these forums that relate to your business and make an effort to answer questions or contribute ideas.
If might seem like a waste of time contributing to online forums, but they can help people find out about you and display your knowledge and expertise. If you truly aim to help people, they will reward you with upvotes and follow you. Over time, this can grow traction for your website.
4) Video Marketing
There is no bigger boom online than the growth of video marketing for small businesses. It used to be that only larger companies could afford high-quality videos for their business, but today that has changed. For as little as the cost of a smartphone, you have a ready-made video studio in your hands.
Any written content you share on your blog can also be repurposed into videos for Youtube and shared on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.
If you have a business that provides a service, you can create videos sharing your insider knowledge, and showing people how to benefit from your service. These should not be advertisements as much as they should be helpful how-to videos. In fact, the less you talk about your actual business, the more likely the videos will do well.
If you have a business that sells products, then you can do in-depth video reviews about each item you sell. You can make comparisons to other brands, talk about how they are made. Most importantly, you should talk about the problem that your products that they solve.
Video content takes time to record, edit, and upload, but it can be magical for small business owners. You are speaking directly to your target audience, and this grows their interest in you. By showing your face to the public through video, you make your brand more approachable. You give people a feel for what it will be like to work with you.
5) Selective Social Media
You might already be thinking that social media doesn’t work for business. But tell that to Kylie Jenner, who built a billion-dollar cosmetics brand through marketing to her Instagram following.
Social media is one of the most confusing marketing tools, as each platform is incredibly unique. There is no instruction book for social media marketing. Conventional sales and marketing tactics don’t seem to work as well on there.
Choose one of the social media channels to work on at a time, and spend a month being more engaged on the platform.
LinkedIn is a great way to connect with other local businesses, add blog posts, grow brand awareness, and promote your business through sharing knowledge.
Facebook is excellent for letting your social circle know you run a business (without spamming them), joining groups that have similar interests, and staying up to date with news and trends.
Instagram is perfect for anyone who has products and services that have a visual appeal. Sharing beautiful photography and videos can make people want to engage with your brand. Best of all, by using hashtags, you can find potential clients and customers in your target market.
As a small business owner, you should think of your social media accounts as tools. Create a small marketing plan for each platform and pay close attention to your audience’s reactions. A few hours a week devoted to social media marketing can have a big impact over the long term for your small business.
The Only Risk is in Not Trying
As a small business owner, you have very little to risk in terms of trying out these methods. Worst case, they don’t work, and you learn something about doing cost-effective marketing. Best case, you find a marketing campaign that works and attracts new business for you. You can tap into new marketing channels that you had no idea about before.
Remember that customer loyalty is created over time. Before you can get sales, you much focus on building trust, and today that is done through smart marketing. All you have to do is keep trying new marketing tools, and persist until you find those that work.