Owning a small business is quite an exciting and daunting adventure. Effective marketing is often one of those deciding factors that might spell the difference between success and failure. In a highly competitive environment where means can be scarce, reaching out to your target audience requires innovative and cost-effective ways.
We have combined five such marketing hacks that will keep your small business thriving. These will give you practical and creative strategies to raise your brand and drive growth in your businesses.
Engage through Social Media
The growing number of online social media platforms has now turned into a boon for small businesses. It presents an avenue to reach out to the target audience and is free.
Start by identifying which of the social media platforms they spend most of their time on-be it Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn-and focus all efforts there.
Develop content that resonates with your audience. Anything from behind-the-scenes business insights to user-generated content and interactive polls can inspire, teach, and even entertain your audience.
Posting regularly, and creating interactions with your followers, can build up a good community around your brand. Use relevant hashtags every time to increase your visibility and reach out to new potential customers.
Email Marketing Done with a Personal Approach
Email marketing also happens to be one of the best channels through which you can reach out to your audience directly. Personalize your emails to stand out. Use subscribers’ names and tailor the content based on the way they previously interacted with your business.
You will find it much easier to target messages that drive better open rates and conversions once your email list has been segmented by interests or purchase history.
You can offer exclusive discounts, give early access to new products, or even send helpful tips related to your industry. Personal touches like these have a way of making your clients feel wanted and will have them wanting more.
Optimize Your Website for SEO
SEO will inherently drive organic traffic to your website. It all starts with knowing what keyword your potential customer is searching for. Place those keywords strategically into the content, meta descriptions, and title tags of your website.
Make your website user-friendly and responsive on mobile; a lot of web traffic arises from cellular devices. Good quality content that adds value to your audience will help in high search rankings, too. Keep updating your blog with relevant articles and add alt text to your images for better SEO.
Improve Customer Engagement
MMS messaging is an underutilized tool that can really amplify any marketing endeavor. Unlike the regular SMS, MMS will send images and videos, among other multimedia messages, directly to your customers’ phones. You can also run eye-catching campaigns with MMS messaging to drive more attention and engagement.
You can send a video with your new product, the picture of some special event, or even an interactive vote. Usually, MMS enjoys higher open/engagement rates in comparison with plain text messages, so it is worth adopting to enrich your marketing campaign-just remember to make sure you have appropriate consent so that you are not violating compliance laws.
Partner with Influencers and Local Partners
Influencer marketing may just prove to be a godsend for small businesses. Partner with influencers who have an enviable following in your niche, and this will expose you to an even greater audience. Choose influencers whose values align with that of your brand and whose followers seem to engage.
Also, look into cross-promotional opportunities with other businesses in the neighborhood. Suggest co-op events, co-branded promotions, or jointly run ads that drive business to your location and theirs. These will become mutually beneficial and will help you fortify your presence in the community.
Conclusion
Marketing doesn’t have to be such an overwhelming task for small businesses. In fact, with the help of social networks, email newsletter personalization, SEO, MMS messaging, and influencer and local partnerships, you will be able to make a strong, workable marketing system that drives growth and engagement.
All of the above-mentioned hacks take a different approach to reaching your audience and building a closer relationship with them. Use all these tips thoughtfully and regularly, and your small business will achieve great success in highly competitive conditions.