Marketing A Small Business

Many small business owners know they need to market their business effectively in order to grow. The problem comes in when the small business owner gets bombarded with sales calls and emails about “the next best thing to grow their business 1,000%”…in a month…and for $299 per month. Sounds too good to be true right? Well, it is. Creating an effective marketing strategy starts out with identifying who your target market it. Then a small business owner needs to identify what their value proposition and core benefits are in relation to their competition and marketplace. Benefit-oriented marketing is key when marketing a small business.

Marketing A Small Business Tips

Focus on your core message (needs to be benefit oriented)
Know your target demographic
See what your competitors are saying
Create on a promotional offer
Create a referral program
Know where your target customer searches, shops, and spends time (Google, Facebook, Pinterest, Amazon, etc.)
Determine the best vehicles for getting your core message out to your target demographic
Determine your marketing budget
Be prepared to change your marketing strategy if you see your strategy working or not working
Do not spend ANYTHING unless you are tracking each marketing campaign to determine a true ROI (Return On Investment)

Most small business owners are entering the online marketing space in droves. Being frustrated with high print and advertising costs of the “offline” world, small business owners love the transparency of online marketing. They know where each dollar is spent and can track their marketing spend in free analytical tools such as Google Analytics. Online Marketing usually has a cheaper entry point than traditional marketing/advertising platforms. The most common online marketing strategies are outlined below.

Online Marketing Strategies For A Small Business

Search Engine Optimization
Pay-Per-Click / Online Advertising
Social Media Marketing
Email Marketing
Online Press Releases

Marketing a small business does not have to be expensive. There are some online marketing strategies that a small business owner can deploy that do not have any hard costs (except for their time). Small business owners can market themselves on Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, Blogs, and other online social media networks without spending any capital. Know what to say and where to say it is the key when using social media platforms. Small Business owners can collect email addresses of their customers and start a monthly or quarterly email marketing campaign to keep their customer’s abreast of any specials or promotions that they may be launching.

Each small business owner will have a different outlook on marketing a small business. An IT services firm will market to their target customer differently than a florist. They will have different messaging and promotions but the online marketing platforms that they use may be the same. Knowing which online marketing platform to use is key. If you have any questions then please feel free to contact a member of the Conversion Pipeline Small Business Online Marketing Team at 877-877-0542 or send an email to [email protected]. Happy Marketing!