These Small Business Marketing Strategies Are Killing It
You’ve got a great product, a good team, and a solid pitch, yet it seems as if your small business is still getting beaten by the bigger players out there. What gives?
The key lies in how well you communicate your product to your consumers. Are they buying it? Are they even aware that your business exists? If not, it’s time to consider these small business marketing strategies that can take your business to the next level.
- Network
It’s not easy to put yourself and your business out there. Networking can help your company put its best-foot forward in finding the right partners and potential customers.
If you have the budget and the time, why not create your own networking event? Your company will have control over the guests attending, plus this event can create big buzz for your product. Don’t forget to print your business cards!
- Send an Email
An email marketing campaign is a great way to get in touch with your customers and keep them updated with news, events, and promos. Create an email list composed of loyal customers, potential clients and community members and send out an email once a week.
- Giveaway Time
Giveaways are the perfect opportunity to get people talking about your brand. People always enjoy receiving a gift, no matter how simple. It is important to take note that the item should increase your brand awareness, recall, and have a positive impact. Consider freebies such as pens, mugs, caps or printed merchandise that can be given through contests, sweepstakes, social media, or events.
A great example of a company succeeding with a boost from free stuff is US-based t-shirt maker Qwertee. A business that sells affordable, unique, limited edition shirts created daily, Qwertee’s successful Facebook Sweepstakes campaign invited entrants to send their email and like their Facebook page for a chance to win a t-shirt. They gave away 1,000 tees every week and collected a fan base of over 300,000. Today, the company continues to use Facebook contests as their main medium of product branding and marketing.
- Go Digital
Go on and join the digital marketing bandwagon. Since more people are using the web for various transactions, take a hard look into your online and social presence. Is your website user friendly? Are you driving customers to your website? Are you active in social media? These are just some of the questions to answer in order to have a better digital campaign and can be one of your most effective marketing strategies.
The iconic Los Angeles and Orange County mobile food company Kogi BBQ amassed an impressive 120,000 follower base on Twitter by live tweeting where their famous Korean-Mexican taco truck would park next. By cleverly combining a good product with equal measures of mystery, anticipation, and spontaneous fun, Kogi BBQ is now a cult phenomenon and one of the best examples of a business that succeeded in large part due to its expert utilization of a social media platform such as Twitter.
- Referral Program
Word-of-mouth marketing is still one of the most powerful advertising campaigns you will encounter, not to mention, it’s free! Bank on this by offering existing customers a free product or service when they refer someone to your business.
- Partner Up
You don’t have to be alone in marketing your product. Learn the value of business partnerships with companies interrelated to your industry, but make sure they’re not direct competitors. Join forces for an event, promo, or webinar. This is a mutually beneficial partnership that creates twice the exposure for your product. Through a carefully forged alliance with another company, your brand can be introduced to a new audience that can turn out to be potential loyal customers.
This strategy works especially well with small businesses. For example, if you own a bakery known for its cookies, why not co-brand with a local ice cream shop and launch a limited edition special (or holiday) ice cream flavor that promotes both the ice cream and your cookie brand with equal (and delicious!) fanfare?
- Interaction is Key
Have a consistent customer service and review management approach. Do you have an online forum yet never take a look at any of the comments? Do you only engage customers who leave positive feedback but ignore critical opinions? That’s a big no-no. Regularly lurk in your company’s online message boards or in other forums or sites where your business is a popular topic of discussion. Be consistent and professional in addressing customer concerns and always have a follow-up response. Regardless of whether or not the commenter’s issue is resolved to his or her satisfaction, this level of B2C interaction and customer service will result in favorable benefits for your whole brand in the long run.
- Customer Savvy
Here’s a classic marketing tip that will always kill it – know your target audience. Are you promoting your business to the right type of customer(s)? How well do you know their demographics, likes and dislikes, or buying habits? Knowing your consumers is an essential part of any marketing campaign and ensures that you’re not wasting precious resources by sending them the right attention-grabbing messages all the time.
With these timely and proven SBE marketing strategies, it’s easier than ever to build your company from a garage level startup to a brand that’s marketed to and liked by millions – and has the potential to earn even more! All it takes is a dash of creativity, a lot of communicating, socializing and networking; and a bit of digital savvy to reach the right kind of audience who make up the core of your branding and- ultimately – your success.
