Small businesses have a number of challenges ahead of themselves, and figuring out the most effective marketing mix is definitely one of them. A good product or service does not mean a lot if you don’t have a clear plan of how you’re going to let the world you exist. In today’s competitive market, marketers need to realize it’s not enough to place a few ads in order to draw in customers, beat the competition, and create brand loyalty. You need a solid strategy, as well as an agile mindset capable of embracing the trial and error approach. Here are a few marketing strategies to help your business grow.
Focus on the Content Strategy
Having a company blog is essential for building authority in the industry, as well as attracting more traffic to your website and eventually – generating leads. According to the Content Marketing Institute, producing content helps brand recall, especially if it is personalized. To really ace your blog posts, think about varying the form of your content. Implement visuals and videos, make every text easily scannable, and think of the topics that would be of interest to your target group. You can use tools such as Google Analytics to find out more about your audience, then segmentize it into groups, and craft your content to suit their profiles. Always have in mind your content should provide value to your readers and help you position your brand as a thought leader.
Invest in SEO and Social Media, Too
In addition to high-quality content, search engine optimization and managing social media profiles are your most powerful weapon. They should align together as they make the core of inbound marketing techniques. Relevant keyword research is elementary in order to implement SEO practices that will help your business rank well on Google SERP, but there is much more to it. As for social media, it allows you to tap into a wider audience pool, raise brand awareness, distribute your content, interact with your followers, and provide customer support instantly. If you’re not certain how to handle your inbound marketing, you can turn to experts for consultations. Many marketing firms now choose to focus on a narrowed niche such as small businesses. Take Kapok Marketing for an example: they have recognized how specific the needs of SMBs can be, so they’ve dedicated their entire work to serving this particular type of clients.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Real Events
The fact we shifted towards the digital marketing practices does not mean you should neglect the traditional methods. Join local business organizations, work on networking, create or join a charitable event. Depending on the industry you operate in, showrooms and conferences might be the best choice. Small businesses are probably concerned with the expenses, but that’s where creativity steps in. Guerilla marketing has proven to be a low-cost, yet very effective way to catch the attention of potential customers.
Specifically, because most businesses gave up on offline marketing, you have room to “impose” your brand in the real world. It’s true: these marketing methods are based on interruption, but if you set your strategy right and focus on measuring results – it can bring an amazing return of investment for your business and help you scale.
Whatever strategy you choose, it’s crucial it includes all the necessary steps: defining your target audience and marketing goals, deciding on the image of the brand you want to communicate and working on actual campaigns. In addition to your online efforts that are truly mandatory, try incorporating offline interactions as well in order to get the most of your marketing and boost your business growth.
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