How to develop a sound marketing strategy for your small business.
Owning a small business comes with a huge set of challenges, but few are more perplexing than learning how to create a digital marketing strategy that will properly grow your business and speak to your target audience. While there isn’t any magic potion, there are plenty of steps you can take to help ensure success. We’d like to get you started by giving you some of our favorite tips on digital marketing for small business.
Understand Your Target Audience
One of the most important aspects of digital marketing for small business is to identify your target audience. You want to create buyer personas that are based on a variety of relevant factors such as gender, age, income, online habits, hobbies, culture, etc. This is sometimes even more vital for small businesses because a lower marketing budget necessitates more focused campaigns.
Create a Google My Business Page
If you don’t already have a listing on Google My Business, then drop what you’re doing and get it finished right now! This is an easy way for you to provide simple yet essential information about your business such as address, hours of operation, phone number, website, etc. You may discover that someone has already created a page for you, and all you need to do is claim it and make any necessary changes.
Start a Business Blog on Your Website
What started out as a personal trend has become one of the most useful SEO optimization tools for businesses of all sizes. Blog posts using proper keyword research has proven to be a very effective content marketing strategy. If you don’t have the time or desire to write the blog yourself, that’s perfectly fine because there are plenty of professional marketing services and writers who will do it for you.
Choose Proper Social Media Platforms
Social media marketing is another effective strategy for small businesses, allowing you to build your brand without it costing too much. You simply want to choose the social media platforms that are right for your business. If your business is visual-heavy, for instance, then you want to have a presence on Instagram and possibly Pinterest. To share your blog posts, Facebook, and Twitter are probably your best options.
Audit Your Website and Redesign It
If you already have a website but haven’t touched it in a while, you’ll want to perform a full audit of each page – proper spelling, making sure images aren’t out of date, links that still work – and fix any problems you find. If you want to redesign the site from the ground up or need to create your first site, there are do-it-yourself options, but a professional web designer can do it more quickly and effectively.
Spend Some Time Marketing Locally
Due to the access provided by the internet, many small businesses get so focused on creating a national online presence that they forsake their local community, which can be a lost opportunity. The Google My Business listing will help, along with local search directories such as Yelp and Bing, but we’d also suggest using social media ads that target your geographic area, creating locally targeted direct mail campaigns, and either hosting or participating in community events.
Hire a Professional Marketing Team
Small business owners have tons of work to do, often putting in 12 hours or more on a regular work day. Getting home after a hard day’s work and putting in even more hours to market the business is probably the last thing you want to do.
In many instances, it will be a lot more cost-efficient and effective for you to hire a professional marketing agency that can handle all of the nitty gritty of digital marketing for small business. They’ll also be able to create a marketing plan that shows real results.
Optimize Your Website for Mobile Devices
Although millions of consumers still use desktops, mobile devices are used far more readily to access the internet and make purchases at a much higher rate these days. This is why it has become absolutely essential for businesses to build a website that works properly across all mobile devices. there are many online website building tools that only use pages that are mobile-friendly, or you can put it in the hands of a professional.
Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews
The importance of online reviews probably hasn’t escaped you. The problem is that people are much more inclined to leave feedback when they have a negative experience than a positive one, which can quickly skew how you really do business. First, find your business profile on review sites like Yelp and Trustpilot, and claim them just like you can do with Google My Business. Next, encourage your customers in emails and other communication to leave reviews, especially after they’ve ordered a product or service.
Send Out Weekly Marketing Emails
You may feel inundated by emails arriving in your inbox at times, but this is still a very effective, non-intrusive marketing technique. You should always be trying to cultivate a reliable email list and then sending out weekly marketing emails.
The trick here is to not overdo it. Sending out multiple emails a day is a surefire way to get on a person’s bad side. Instead, try for one or two per week.
Put a Big Focus on Customer Service
You’d be amazed at how important good customer service is for small businesses. Whether you have any trouble competing with the big box stores or possibly even Amazon, the truth is that customers will come back time and time again – even willing to pay a little more – if you deliver friendly, exemplary service every time. This includes monitoring online reviews and social media comments, and addressing customer concerns right then and there.
Contact P3 Agency for Digital Marketing for Small Business
To paraphrase a well-known saying, digital marketing for small business takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. The P3 Agency has spent years mastering the marketing techniques needed for businesses of all sizes. If you have any questions about web design in Clearwater or would like a free marketing assessment, give us a call at (800) 515-9422 today.
