6 Effective Small Business Marketing Ideas That Get Big Results
America is officially the land of the free and home of the brave small business owner.
Indeed, there are over 32 million small businesses in the United States.
That’s an enormous number of entrepreneurial individuals giving their business idea a go. However, working out at roughly 1 business to every 11 people in the country, it also amounts to a lot of competition!
Marketing is always crucial to business success. But in a saturated market, it becomes even more important. Business owners must find ever more ways to stand out from the crowd and attract custom. Alas, that’s often easier said than done. It can also get expensive!
Are you searching for some novel, cheap, and effective marketing strategies to drive results?
We wanted to help.
Keep reading to discover 6 small Starting a Business marketing ideas that can help you get big results.
1. Leverage Email Marketing
Okay, so email marketing is nothing new!
In fact, businesses have been using this approach since the dawn of the internet (and email) itself. However, it can still play a huge and helpful role in cultivating relationships and generating revenue.
That said, success email marketing looks very different from what it once did.
Generic, impersonal email blasts full of offers and discounts are unlikely to cut it these days. Instead, marketers must run campaigns that are highly relevant and personalized to each customer.
Get it right, and an email campaign can be a hugely effective (and cheap) marketing endeavor. Start building your email list today.
2. Publish Awesome Content
Small businesses simply have to develop an online presence these days.
The internet can be the holy grail of new leads and revenue.
Content marketing is one of the primary means of doing it. It starts with having a website and setting up a blog. Now, any content will do. But blog articles are traditionally a content marketer’s weapon of choice.
It’s your job to write insanely useful blog posts that answer people’s questions online. Of course, the content will relate specifically to your niche. By targeting particular keywords, optimizing for search engine optimization (SEO), and ranking highly in Google, you can attract internet traffic to your website.
Once there, they can learn more about your business. New to all of this? Start by researching content marketing and SEO topics. There’s a lot to learn. Master it though, and content can be the only tool you need to generate exposure, grow your brand, and rise above the competition.
3. Get On Social Media
Small businesses need a website and blog at a bare minimum.
Getting on social media is another essential arena to establish a presence.
Social media opens the door to hundreds of millions of potential customers. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter…They’re all platforms from which to reach your audience.
Now, the best platform for you will depend on your target demographic. Different ages and individuals spend time on different social media. For example, younger generations prefer Instagram and Snapchat. Older generations stick to Facebook.
With limited resources, it’ll be almost impossible to be everywhere. Don’t try. Instead, choose one or two platforms carefully that match your audience. Then double down on growing your presence on them.
4. Hold a Contest Online
Contests are epic ways of driving traffic and leads to your business.
The internet and social media make running them a breeze.
Again, it begins by establishing a presence online. Start a website, populate it with content, and set up profiles on the social media platforms that make sense to your business/market.
From there, think up a contest and advertise it online!
Giveaways are a popular choice. Put together a prize. It needn’t be extravagant. Free products (such as corporate glass trophies) and services usually go down a treat. However, generally speaking, the more valuable the prize, the more engagement you’ll get.
To enter, ask people to subscribe to your newsletter, follow you on social media, and share the contest with their friends…and so on. You get masses of new exposure in return for a relatively minor investment of time and money. The ROI can be huge on well-designed contests.
5. Network
Digital marketing is great.
It will undoubtedly be a vital component in your overall marketing strategy.
However, sometimes you can’t beat ‘old-fashioned’ face to face networking. Networking is the ideal solution for meeting the big names in your industry, spending time with prospective business partners and leads, and getting your brand out there.
There are few better methods of cultivating new business relationships and educating others on your business. Be sure to attend conferences, trade shows, meetups, and one-off networking events. Heck, even post-work drinks can be a prime means of marketing your product/service!
6. Hold an Event
Networking often takes you to the events of other businesses.
Why not reverse the situation and hold an event of your own?
This can be an incredible way to market your own small business. The event you put on and the people you invite will depend on your niche. Do some research! Learn what events already happen and where they take place.
See if there are obvious gaps to fill. For instance, the only industry event that currently happens could be a thousand miles away. Why not hold one in your neighborhood?
Equally, it doesn’t need to be anything huge. You could simply hold an open day. A restaurant could hold a cooking class. A hairdresser could offer a speed-dating and hair cut night! A bar could host a cocktail making event…and so on.
Get creative, advertise effectively, and get ready for greater exposure and new leads.
Time to Try These Small Business Marketing Ideas
There you have it: 6 top small business marketing ideas that can lead to big results.
The United States is awash with small businesses.
You can almost guarantee that your particular industry will have a host of competition in it. Getting ahead can become a challenge.
That’s where marketing becomes so important. After all, the best product or service will fail if nobody knows about it. New and effective marketing strategies are pivotal to growth and success.
Hopefully, this post has highlighted a selection of top marketing approaches to help you do exactly that.
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