Running a small business can be a challenge right? You have a lot of hats to wear to keep everyone happy. Most business owners usually go into business because they’re really good at being the “technician” – just think why you went into business?
You felt you could provide your product or service better than someone else or you felt that the market needed your particular product or service as you were able to supply this niche.
Having the technician mindset though is not always great when it comes to marketing your business effectively. Marketing a small business (which usually doesn’t have much if any money allocated to marketing) can be a small business owner’s’ biggest challenge. Businesses are quite often silenced by their ability to market effectively.
Marketing itself is different for every business and it’s definitely not a one size fits all approach. Small business marketing requires lots of testing to find out what is the most effective method to attract new customers.
We also know that most small business’ and start-ups don’t have a lot of money to spend on marketing and most business owners have a marketing disaster story (or two) to be shared with how they chose the wrong agency, spent way too much on a website or never got even close to the return on their marketing investment.
We spend a lot of time working with many small business’ and try to take the risk out marketing by carrying out various tests, running campaigns to see what works best, whilst connecting and partnering with quality providers to make sure they get a good return on investment.
We’ve put together 8 really easy ways to market your business that won’t burn a hole in your bank account, but when done right a small investment of your time will more than likely see your business grow.
1.Get blogging
Blogs are a great way to entice inbound traffic to your website, provide a knowledge base for prospects looking to buy and also add credibility. A well presented and structured blog will also give you something to talk about on social media (so you can link them back to your website) as well as plenty of great organic SEO opportunities.
2.Host a introduction Webinar
Webinars are a great way to introduce people to your business and begin nurturing your prospect to get to know you, ask questions and connect with you. Most webinars are free to run and you can promote them through social media or email marketing.
3.Get networking
There are a multitude of networking opportunities out there. Spend some time researching what networking group is going to be best for you and your business. Networking is all about building connections trust and leveraging each other’s network. Remember though that it needs to be a 2 way street for it to work effectively.
4.Ask for referrals
90% of business owners never ask for a referral. Although most business’ say that most of their business comes from word of mouth. So imagine that power of asking for a referral from your client and asking them to refer you on. There’s plenty of great ideas and ways to inspire your customers to ‘share the love’. Don’t forget to reward them or say thank you.
5.Talk to your database
Business owners are always on the search for new clients, but the true value can actually exist in your previous (or current) clients. A great way to market your business and generate sales is to re-engage with previous clients, reach out with a special or call to action.
6.Leverage Social Media
Social media is a very powerful platform, that is free for you to use and promote yourself and your business. Choosing the right platform and the right message is important – so get clear on who your client is, what platforms they use and what they want to hear from you. You can use social media for branding and awareness but you can also use it as a knowledge base for your clients. Your posts and content needs to be relevant and consistent!
7.Case Studies
If you already have happy customers, why not create a case study based on their experiences?
Case studies can help build credibility of your company and get you new customers because they are able to relate by seeing real examples. Use the case studies to show prospects how you helped a customer who used product or service to help benefit them. It’s always good to use some facts and figures so that people see the results for themselves
8.Collaborate
Working with another complimentary business to your product or service that you can affiliate, partner or joint venture with is an excellent way to market your business whilst adding value to your customers experience. Take time to find the right partners and be really clear on expectations and how your collaboration is going to work. It’s always great to find a more well established business to partner with to fast track your growth.
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