Small businesses must develop innovative marketing strategies to stay ahead of competitors. Although conventional ways of marketing a product or service are still relevant, try using new ideas to reach your target market. Below are 18 of the best marketing strategies for small businesses.
Get Out of the Store
Establishing an online presence is critical, even if you have a physical store. Create an interactive, regularly updated site or blog and build informative yet informal profiles on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Share Your Expertise Freely
Let the public know what you are an expert in and use that to boost your reliability and value. Publish tips, share your expertise through public speaking, and even try pitching to the media. Make it easy for people to associate you and your business with excellence and expertise in your field.
Never Stop Growing Your Network
Expand your network of contacts and potential clients. Ask your best, most potent, and most influential friends or business associates to introduce you to five people they think you should meet to expand your business.
Twitter Giveaways
Give away your product or promotional item on Twitter.
Network your Networks
Network with friends, who then network with their friends. There’s power in numbers. Of course, do not spam, but utilize your network to get the word out to your people who know people who know people.
Maintain Relationships with Clients
The difference between a successful and mediocre company often boils down to an owner’s commitment to building (and sustaining) relationships with clients and prospects.
Listen. Listen Again.
Identify your ideal clients and find them on Twitter. Then start following them! Spend weeks listening to them; you will be amazed at what they tell you about their concerns, ideal products, and current frustrations with their vendors. It is a great way to get open and honest market research.
Leverage Linked-in
Join as many LinkedIn groups as possible related to what you sell and post a question or tips regularly.
Facebook it!
Your Facebook friends can be your greatest free marketing tools, so enlist their help! Use the NOTES application on Facebook to create a unique, limited-time “friends and family” promotion.
Tweet it!
Twitter is a great place to share photos, host contests, shout out to loyal customers, have scavenger hunts, and promote events.
Blog Tour
Blog tours are like book tours but without all the flying, cheap hotels, and fast-food temptations. They are a great way to get seen and discovered outside your usual niche, all from the comfort of your office or home.
Inspire Customers to Call You
Do something different. Send a monthly postcard instead of a hard copy newsletter.
Be Generous
To keep customers loyal to you, instead of a frequent buyer program, send your customers small “surprise” gifts.
Low Hanging Fruit
Turn to those in your field for the low-hanging fruit. Find larger companies or older, more experienced businesses and invite them to lunch. Ask them to consider referring their smaller cases or businesses they do not have time to handle to you.
Feed Them, and They Will Come
Anything involving food gets attention. Partner with local neighborhood businesses and a restaurant (or other service providers in a complimentary but non-competing industry if that is your gig) to throw a special event.
Help Other Employees
Offer employee incentives to various big businesses or smaller businesses in your hometown.
Online-Map Listings
Online map listings are essential for businesses with brick-and-mortar locations. They are the first thing people see on search engines.
Small Groups
It only takes one person to start a movement, so do not hesitate to create an informal group that can add value to the market in which you specialize.
Conclusion
These marketing ideas will help you promote your products or services among your target consumers. You must devote time and money to reap the benefits of these strategies.
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