As a small business, a huge part of your job is to attract customers; obviously, without any customers, there’d be no more company. Makes sense, right? The key though is to understand which customers and then how to most effectively reach them and subsequently promote your business. This goal may seem simple, but there are a few moving parts involved…Identifying your target demographic. Understanding their behaviors both online and off, and then devising a strategy to make an impact with whatever promotional measures you decided to take.
This is not to say that there is one magic marketing tactic or campaign that’s going to work. In fact, it is probably going to be a combination of things that you do which will be most effective when it comes to promoting your small business. From digital strategies to the more old school channels, the best approach to business promotion is often a blend of what works best for your company and is consequently aligned with your overall goals. Below are a few ways that you might more effectively promote your company.
1. Facebook
Facebook has become a definite go-to for many small businesses looking to increase their reach. Because of how Facebook allows you to target users, it makes finding and promoting to your demographic super easy. Not to mention, the way in which you’re guided as far as creating your ad is also quite an easy process. The ability to test ads is certainly helpful here as well—when something’s not working you can tweak and adjust accordingly.
2. Google Adwords
Google without question is the king of the search engine world. Thus, having your business appear on Google is generally a must for most. But getting to the top of the list organically does take time—sometimes a lot of time. Enter: Google Adwords.
The thing with paid advertising such as Adwords though, is that you do have to be cautious. Expenses can mount quickly if left unchecked. This is why for many small businesses the goal is usually to start with Adwords but then over time, segue to more strategic SEO and therefore come up on the list without having to pay per click.
3. Content Marketing
Basically, content marketing involves creating and distributing relevant content so that users are attracted to your company and hopefully willing to buy from you. Disparate from Adwords, this is a strategy that’s cultivated over time. So yes, while it may take a little longer to realize results from content marketing, the cost of this particular promotional tactic is often a lot less.
Among the elements of a sound content marketing game plan: high-quality content, topics that are regularly searched but are still germane to your business, integrated SEO strategies and keeping content consistent and regular.
Content can include a variety of components; everything from blog posts to videos, to webinars—you name it.
4. Social Media
Almost seventy percent of digital users are on some form of social media; you, therefore, cannot ignore this method of promoting your company. After the website, people almost will always go to the various social media platforms to find out more about you. If you’re not on them, you’re probably going to lose out to a competitor.
So what exactly do you do on these platforms in order to have an impact as far as business promotion goes…This really depends on your audience. How do they like to be approached? What type of people do they follow? And how can you leverage what you’re offering on the channels out there? There definitely will be some research involved, but this is without question one important way to attract users interested in what you sell.
5. Coupon Sites
Sites such as Groupon have taken off recently. People are always on the lookout for a great deal. And so with these types of platforms, users pay for a coupon in order to get a discount on a product or service. Sounds ideal…the user gets a savings and you get your business out in front of more people. The way that sites such as Groupon work is they will take a percentage of whatever is sold—generally in the neighborhood of fifty percent or more. Plus, they do require that you heavily discount whatever promotion you are offering through them.
You absolutely want to be careful here. You could end up losing money because if a deal takes off and it’s not structured properly, you could ultimately lose out in the end.
6. Email Marketing
Collecting email addresses is important to any small business. Having users subscribe to a list thus begins the start of a relationship between you and a potential customer. You need to then nurture this lead. Once you do get that user to sign on to your list, you have a chance to engage them. And this will ideally end up with them becoming an actual customer. The great thing about email marketing is that it’s relatively inexpensive, you’re able to reach a large audience quickly and it is easy to run and maintain.
7. Webinars
Offering something of value to potential customers is a great way to promote your small business. A webinar is essentially an online course or demonstration of some kind. The nice thing about a webinar is that it can be a stand-alone piece or many companies present a series of webinars addressing topics relevant to their industry.
Creating a webinar for your company is not as hard as some assume. You will most likely need to invest in webinar software. And potentially buy some new digital equipment to ensure that the result is a professional-looking video with which users can easily engage.
If you’re ready to amp up your marketing and promotional strategies, then we’d certainly like to help! With a variety of commercial lending programs, First Union Lending can get you the cash you need to help build a buzz around your brand.
Call 863-825-5626 or click here to speak with our funding specialist today and find the best business loan to fit your company's needs.