Marketing Strategies that Every Small Business Can Afford
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As a start-up, you might face your fair share of challenges. You have to remember though that the biggest one you are probably going to face is keeping your business afloat. One way for you to do this would be for you to try and focus on marketing as much as possible. If you do, then you will be able to come out on top while also making sure that you are making the best decisions.
Referrals
One of the best ways for you to market your business would be for you to utilize referrals. Try and create a system that gives your customers the chance to do all of your marketing for you. Studies have shown that people are up to four times more likely to buy from a company if they have been referred to them by a friend and if you are able to capitalize on this then you will soon find that you end up putting your business in a much better position as a result.
Press Releases
People often read the news, so if you have something that’s worthy of reporting then make sure that you do. Press releases are a very inexpensive way for you to get your brand talked about and you may even find that you get some inbound links at the same time.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is available in many different forms. It doesn’t require a huge investment either. The simplest way for you to manage your marketing campaign would be for you to create an onsite blog. When you have done this, try and add new content a couple of times per week and also inform your readers about what you have to offer.
If you are stuck for ideas as to what you can post to your blog then this is understandable, but there are things that you can do to work around this. For example, you could create infographics, videos, podcasts, and more. This is a fantastic way for you to boost your brand reputation and you may even find that you increase your traffic flow too.
SEO
If you are spending a lot of time creating articles for your campaign, then you might as well invest in SEO. If you are new to SEO then you need to understand the basics. Identify relevant keywords and also make sure that you understand your competition too. When you do, you can easily tweak your campaign while also being able to make the right changes. It’s also wise to get help from the best SEO professionals if you can, as they can automate your strategy defined by your niche business, rocket-boosting your results without you having to worry about it during your busy day.
Social Media
Social media marketing isn’t something that you can do casually. If you do want to start posting, you have to make sure that you do on a regular basis. This is easy to do if you have a solid strategy, and you don’t always need to create your own content either.
For example, you could easily share the content of others and give credit or even take photographs of your business premises. This will give your customers the insight they need to really understand your company's ethics and structure.
PPC Ads
Pay per click advertisements can be expensive if you choose to target high-traffic keywords. That being said, there are niches and even platforms that are friendly to those who are budget-conscience. You just need to make sure that you target keywords that are not in as high demand or even that you use long-tail keywords. When you do this, you will be able to see results without compromising your business campaign or budget.
If you want to get the best result out of this then make sure that you combine your business campaign with your social media page. When you do this, you will easily be able to see results without having to worry about a thing.
Personal Branding
Personal branding works in a very similar way to corporate branding. The only difference is that you are going to utilize it as an individual, rather than an entity. If you want to do this, then you need to promote yourself across social media and you also need to share your expertise with people too.
When you do this, you will gain publicity and you can also advertise yourself in a completely different way. The value here is that a lot of people are more likely to trust other people when compared to corporations. If you are able to capitalize on this then you will be able to syndicate your content while attracting new leads. The best of it is that it won’t cost you very much at all!
Forums
You should never underestimate the power of public forums and even social media groups too. You might see someone asking a question and when you do, you will be able to give them an answer. You can then advertise your business, a breakthrough into new industries, and even show people that you do actually know what you are talking about. Of course, it should be noted that most forums are free to use so you are able to take advantage of a free advertising method without having to worry about a thing.
Tote Bags
If you have never thought about investing in canvas tote bags before, then now is the time for you to look into that. The best thing about tote bags is that they can be used time and time again and they can also be used to advertise your business. If you want to get the best result out of this then hand out the bags to your customers when they buy from you as a free gift. You might also want to give them out at trade shows too because they will last for years and unlike a personalized pen, it isn’t something that is going to be thrown to the back of the cupboard.
Customer Acquisition Rates
Knowing your customer acquisition rates is a way to gauge how well your marketing campaigns are performing. This can be done by dividing the number of new customers acquired by the number of marketing dollars spent. This ratio will help you understand how effective your marketing campaign is and whether it needs to be improved.
Of course, there are so many things that you can do to help your business and when you do take into account the above, you will soon find that it’s easier than ever for you to start seeing results.