Making and implementing marketing ideas for small businesses is not a piece of cake. With having to run the daily operations and making sure things are sailing smoothly as you make your business grow, creating a well-versed marketing campaign can be a burden. However, not doing any promotional activity for your brand can hurt your business badly and can even lead to its demise.
What makes it even harder is the fact that you may have limited resources as a small business. Your budget allocation for your marketing efforts is not as massive as those big and established enterprises. This situation is why every dollar you invest in any marketing idea for small business should bring profit.
Luckily these days, there are so many marketing ideas for small businesses available that can help you to promote your small business without shelling a vast amount of money.
The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.”
– Tom Fishburne
Best Marketing Ideas For Small Businesses
1. Build Your Online Brochure
When doing any business, it is crucial to have an efficient and professional-looking website that will be your online brochure. Having a business website is one of the best marketing ideas for small businesses that can turn into the most critical asset.
Building a website is not an overnight task and may require you to spend a bit; it will be one of your wisest investments. It is available anytime, and your prospect and generated leads can have access to it anytime.
Your site can do a lot for you. Your website can act as your online ambassador, let people know you are and what you can offer, making it a great marketing tool. If done right, your website can help you stand out against your competitor.
Read Out too – 10 Important Points To Consider While Website Redesigning
2. Venture into Social Media
Photo by Tracy Le Blanc from Pexels
Another great avenue to make your presence is through different social media channels. Though many companies have used this in recent years, social media remains one of the most effective ways to promote your business.
These days, social media boasts 3.8 billion users, comprising almost 60% of the world’s population. With this number of users where you can generate a pool of potential leads, the creation of a social media platform is still free.
Interaction with your customer using social media can be one of the most crucial business marketing ideas you can do for your small business. It not only allows you to reach a vast audience but also establishes your reputation and builds your online authority.
Should you wish to do intensive marketing where you can target a specific market based on your business, you also bank on paid ads on different social media channels. While this may incur costs, it is still cheaper than traditional marketing methods like billboards or tv placement.
“Social media is about sociology and psychology more than technology.”
– Brian Solis
3. Create Great Content
One of your primary goals in doing any marketing activity is to establish a relationship with your niche market. To achieve this, it will be more effective than creating great content.
Owning a small business does not give you the luxury to splurge on any massive marketing campaign like the vast and established enterprises. However, with the advances in technology, you can become on par with big companies when it comes to promotional activities.
Content marketing allows small businesses to expand their reach and grow your business while not going overboard your marketing budget. It is cost-efficient and gives high results.
Having great content for your business can help you grow your brand identity, and it gives you an edge to your competitors.
Content is the reason search began in the first place.”
– Lee Odden
4. If You Can, Refurbish Old Contents
If you have been in the business for quite a time already, you may want to visit your old content. It may be a past blog, an article, or old data that have generated engagement from your followers. Because it was written several years ago, the information in these contents may already be outdated.
You do not have to spend a budget on a research team for this. These data are freely available on the internet, and all you have to do is present it in a fresher way. But remember to add citations for your sources. Add infographics, videos, images, and other interactive content. Publish it on your most powerful digital platform to make the content gain traction again.
5. Launch An Online Contest
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
An online contest does not necessarily mean you have to provide a massive prize. It can be a discount coupon, a token, or just a simple but customized item that will become a representation of your business. However, if you have a budget to splurge, you can always go overboard.
Whatever your prize is, doing an online contest can be a great way to increase your reach and elevate your engagement. This method can also be a great way to find new leads and drive traffic to your website.
Doing a simple giveaway or full-blown contest can help with your online presence as it will have people talk about you. Social media is a great avenue to launch this online contest. Remember to set goals when starting an activity like this so you can measure if your strategy has been a success.
If you are aiming for a full-blown online contest, you can promote it further by partnering with influencers, running paid ads, or collaborating with a local business.
6. Develop A Referral Program
There can nothing compete with word-of-mouth when it comes to being a promotional activity. When friends of friends and family members make recommendations, consumers will trust this judgment and try any product or service on their own.
Doing a referral program can bring a lot to the table as it simplifies the recommendation process and can build a fort of loyal customers.
A referral program can also bring in brand awareness fast. As people start talking about you and recommend you to their friends, a loop can start. Word of mouth spreads quickly, and with social media, it can go even faster.
7. Customer Service Through Your Social Media
When owning a business, it is vital to keep open communication with your target audience. You should be able to answer your customers’ queries and provide assistance when they have any concerns.
While you cannot employ a dedicated team to act as your customer service representative, you can leverage your social media platforms for any of your customer service needs.
Maximize your social media account by turning it into your customer service as well.
Social media is a convenient way to stay connected with your target audience. So watch out for any comments left by your followers or any direct messages you receive from them. Do not leave these comments and messages unanswered. Whether it is a praise, a query, a suggestion, or even a complaint, you need to respond to your customers. This move will make them feel that they can rely upon and connect to you any time of the day. This strategy will make your brand authority grow and earn the trust of your audience.
8. Collaborate With Influencers
Photo by fauxels from Pexels
There are exceptional people out there who are capable of starting epidemics. All you have to do is find them.”
You’ve seen big brands do it in the past and still leverage on it these days. Influencer marketing has been one of the essential marketing ideas in these modern times. However, it is not limited to big brands alone.
As a small business, you can also lean on influencers to help you grow your brand, reach new audiences, and level up your marketing game with going overboard with your designated budget.
Find the right influencer for your brand that can embody your business. Since they have already established a niche following, it will be easier for you to target the right audience. If you are worried about the cost of getting your brand’s online ambassador, you do not need to spend a considerable chunk of money on your marketing influence campaign.
Search for a local and micro-influencer in your area. Micro-influencers are those that have 10k-100k followers. You can also look for Nano influencers who have even less following than the micro-niche.
These types of influencers have been the trend lately as people see them be more genuine than those with several followers. The relationship they share with their followers is intimate, which makes them more influential to a specific audience. Working with them can assure you that you target your desired audience without breaking any of your bank accounts.
Final Thoughts
These are just the marketing ideas for small businesses that you can incorporate into your business too. While the list goes on, it is essential to keep your focus and try not to do everything at once so you will not get overwhelmed.
The road to building your online presence may still be a bit steep, and you still have to travel a bit far to reach the ultimate success, but if you do any of your marketing ideas right, it can bring a significant impact on your business. It may not take effect immediately, but if you are consistent and patient with your marketing campaigns, it will give you an outstanding result that can even resonate for an extended period.
