Small Business Marketing
Can you spare marketing from a business? The answer is no. Marketing is the backbone of a business. Be it a small business or an MNC, no business can function without marketing. The difference lies in strategies. The marketing strategy used by an MNC is going to be different from a small business based on various factors like budget, target audience, target market, location and many more.
Often, small businesses have these misconceptions that expensive techniques can promote their business better. But the reality is a mind-blowing strategy in a limited budget, if executed effectively can do wonders.
In this article, we have provided a complete guide to small business marketing. So, let’s begin with understanding what is small business and how it is managed.
What is a small business?
The size of a business is defined in terms of the investment it made and the number of employees they have. A business that is started with an investment lesser than 10 lacs is referred to as a small business. The number of employees could be lesser than 100.
It nowhere means that you cannot establish big businesses with a small investment. By making the right moves and using the right small business marketing strategies you can multiply the growth of your business.
What is marketing all about?
Marketing is all about what customer wants. You have to identify the problem your product is solving. Once you caught the problem, you can present your product as one of its solutions. The rest is on the quality of your product and after-sale services.
As a marketer, the real task is identifying the target audience, using the right method and selling your product. Marketing does not end with selling. The concept is broad, it includes after-sale services and much more. You can promote your business even when the customer is not thinking of your product.
In this complete guide to small business marketing, we have shared different strategies that can be used to tickle and leave lasting impressions in the minds of customers.
Let’s talk about budget
Many small businesses have a myth that digital marketing is an expensive affair. The reality is digital marketing costs much lesser than traditional marketing. All you need to do is put your hands on the right digital marketing technique and see the difference.
Let’s head towards the list of the best small business marketing strategies. Do not implement each and every strategy. Go for hit and trial! And then choose the strategy that works the best for your business.
So, before we head to the list of the small business marketing strategies, note a small pointer as I claimed this is a complete guide to small business marketing strategies and cannot afford to miss any point.
To know the performance of each strategy or technique you implemented, you have to keep a vigilant eye on insights. You have to notice engagement, response and difference a particular strategy is making for your business.
Small Business Marketing Strategies
A Website can add a lot
Getting a website is not an expensive affair. You can get an amazing website for less than INR 10000 from the right digital marketing company. It is up to you whether you want a business website or an e-commerce website. If you want to sell your products along with promoting, it is advisable to go for an e-commerce website.
While getting your website designed, you have to keep certain factors like design, appearance, fonts, navigation, responsiveness, loading time in mind. Your website should present the purpose of your business clearly. The content should be clear and understandable. The UX should be smooth and have easy navigation.
It should get loaded fastly as 70% of users leave a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. And it should be mobile-friendly. Mobile phones are responsible for generating maximum sales. Also, your website should be according to the theme of your business. It adds to your reputation and makes your brand recognizable.
Do not forget Social Media Marketing
While looking for small business marketing strategies, do not forget social media marketing. People are not only promoting but running their entire businesses from social media. All you need to do is choose the right social media to account for your business. For example, some businesses perform better on Instagram while others will catch a grip on Facebook.
So, you have to understand your target customer and check the platform where they are residing. Then you have to develop content according to that platform and promote your product. You can use LinkedIn to build networks and find like-minded people. You can use this platform to make B2B connections and hire employees.
Social media is one of the best small business marketing strategies. This is used by both small and big businesses creatively. You can show the utmost creativity using this method. Make sure you are engaging with your customers, replying to their comments. This adds to the reputation of your business.
Using social media, you can build connections directly with customers. You can organise quizzes, contests and giveaways to involve potential customers as well.
After choosing a platform, do not forget to check your performance through analytics. This will help you in knowing where you are lacking and where you can improve.
Email Marketing is a great option though
The list of small business marketing strategies is incomplete without email marketing. As it is one of the most affordable digital marketing techniques. Though it is affordable you have to prepare a strong strategy and execute consistently to get results.
All you need to do is collect the email id of potential customers and loyal customers. Prepare emails for both sets with the same content but change the tone. The mail for potential customers should be in an exciting tone while the tone for loyal customers should be warm and comfortable. This makes them feel connected with the company.
You can also try SMS marketing. Like emails, you can send messages to people. You must have collected information while signing in, use that data and send messages to people. Cold messaging is also a great idea.
Have you heard about Out-of-home Advertising?
You can always try hands-on offline marketing techniques. Small business marketing is not limited to digital methods. It is just that often small businesses have small budgets so digital marketing can offer more in less.
Trying traditional methods like Out-of-home advertising can work here. Posting about your business on billboards, street furniture, public transport, POS displays can create brand awareness.
You can use the purple cow concept as well. You don’t have to spend a lot. Do something in favour of your business to get noticed. Often, businesses use this concept to get noticed. Using this concept, you can excite people to enquire about your brand. This is a great way to get noticed.
Small business marketing has no direct relation with this concept but this can add a lot to your marketing campaign. This can be applied online as well as offline. For example, Amazon is a purple cow as it is the most convenient online shopping site. So, you can do something worth noticing.
Conclusion
So, you must have gone through these small business marketing strategies. Along with choosing the right strategy, it is important to keep track of your work. And to keep a track of your work you can use various tools that provide complete insights into your performance. As I already said, choose the strategy that works for your business. As different businesses have different needs and you cannot imitate your competitor.
What other marketing strategies can be used by small businesses? Drop your suggestions in the comment section.
