You run a small business and you are the CEO, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Bottle Washer. The perennial question for the small business owner / operator… How do you focus your marketing efforts to get more qualified leads and make this business into the money making power house you always wanted it to be? These small business marketing tips are a great place to start.
You’ve been told that you need to be involved in social media so you have setup your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram accounts and diligently manage all of them multiple times throughout the day posting images, comments and everything else you’ve been told to do. Yet… the leads are not flooding in. Now what?
Often times, taking stock of the information and resources you already have and utilizing that in a more focused effort is the best place to start.
1. Talk to your clients
Targeted EDM (Electronic Direct Mail) or Email Marketing is a great way to interact with people that are already familiar with your brand and have a propensity to purchase again from you. Take that database of names and email addresses you’ve been collecting over time and start a monthly newsletter to send to past clients or purchasers. Recent survey results from Constant Contact indicate that 44 percent of small businesses say repeat business is the primary reason for email list building. This is your opportunity to grow your percentage when others aren’t looking. Reach out to your past clients – they know your product/service, they know who you are, now give them a reason to return. It’s much more affordable than getting that new customer.
Key Tips
- Keep it short and focused – develop a template, keep in consistent and keep the content focused on your end result – making a sale.
- Build your relationships – understand your clients relationship with your product and find ways to expand on that. Offer your insight/expertise, create a value-add for being part of your newsletter.
- Build your list – always be adding to your database. People will unsubscribe over time as their needs/desires change. Keep your list fresh with current contacts. A great way to do this is through signup forms on your website.
- Track what works – Almost every email service provides statistics. View your analytics reports and get to know what your engagement metrics look like.
2. Network and Connect
Get out of your office and make your presence known. LinkedIn is an awesome resource and community, but there are great opportunities to get back to the original social media and go out and meet with people. Chamber of Commerce events are an excellent place to start as there are number of business minded individuals doing the same thing and they are more likely to offer referrals of people they know in person. If the business environment isn’t your thing, check-out Meetups in your area or if you’re a Twitter fanatic – go to a Tweetup. There are lots of options, the important part is to get out there, you never know who you’ll meet.
3. Share your Expertise
Develop a blog, create a video resource library, be recognized as the expert in your field. You may think the information your have in your head to be common knowledge, however that knowledge may not be so common. Share the non-proprietary items with the world. (Save the really good stuff for your clients) Answer the common questions you are always asked. It will do two things for your business: 1) when people are searching for answers to those basic questions – you have a better chance of showing up on those searches. 2) you don’t have to answer the same question over and over. Just direct people to your website, saving your time in the long run.
Resources:
- Free blog platforms like WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr are great ways to start. It is important however to connect your blog with your website to increase your authority rankings with the ever present Google.
Have you got some Marketing Must Haves that you find successful? Please share them with the world.
Do you need help with figuring out your marketing strategy? The Web Advisors can help you find the right marketing solution to drive more revenue for your business. Give us a call or drop us a line. We would love to hear from you.