When it comes to promoting or marketing your small business, it’s easy to think that because your marketing budget is small, your marketing activity should match. Wrong! Although larger organisations have more to marketing dollars to play with, there are lots of ways you can leverage your activity to get the most out of it.
Website
Every small business should have a good website. If you still rely on people finding you and your business through the Yellow Pages or word-of-mouth, then perhaps think again. Even if your business is focused on serving local customers, you still need to have a website for people to find you.
Once you have a website, look at ways of optimising traffic. This can be through SEO, Google Adwords and many more ways. Again it depends on budget, but there is always something you can be doing when it comes to driving traffic.
Google Local and Maps
One of the best features of Google that small businesses should take advantage of is Google Local. This feature allows businesses to put up their business’ location on the famous Google Maps and is optimised to be searchable to internet users who are near that area, or have searches regarding that particular area.
Go Social
As well as being a place for chatting and posting selfies, Social Media is the community hub where everyone seems to hang out.
Social Media is a great place for businesses to advertise and promote their products and services. There are billions of people who are using social media now, which can translate to more customers if you use it correctly. There are also ways to optimise your social media accounts so that it caters only to your target audience (i.e. people in your locality).
If you’re just starting, some of the social media platforms that you should consider using for your business includes Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. There are others, of course, but these by far are the most popular and have the most users.
Blog It
If you have a knack for writing, then you should consider starting a blog for your website. Here, you can write anything about your products and services, and even include images to further entice potential customers. Having a blog can be a great Marketing tool for small businesses
Forums and Communities
Look for chat rooms, forums, and discussion boards that are related to your small business. Once you do, be a member and contribute as much as you can by sharing your experiences and knowledge. You can advertise your small business, but be sure not to overdo it. People visit forums to have their questions answered, and are not looking to be marketed to.
Paid Advertising
Lastly, if you have a nice budget set aside, you can consider paid advertising. This will certainly increase your brand exposure to more people, and will, therefore, increase your chances of making more profits. Paid advertising can vary between online and offline, depending on your Marketing Strategy.
The most important point to make when it comes to Marketing a Small Business is make sure you are active and consistent and ensure you have a strategy in place to assist you.