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Without marketing, getting a small business off the ground is nearly impossible. Taking time to learn how to market your business is the only fast and effective way to reach every customer and build a brand they can trust. These 5 key takeaways will help you market your small business today:
Build your assets
An asset is anything that drives positive cash flow. If you have a website for your small business, it's an asset. There are three digital assets that are essential to small business survival:
- Website: You need a place where people can find you, and that place is a website. It needs to be well-designed by a professional. When you sell products through your website, you're also selling design. Nobody wants to buy a bad design, so ensure your website is intuitive, user-friendly, and aesthetically pleasing. Also, make sure to include your BBB Accreditation seal on your website to let customers know that you are a trusted and vetted business.
- Drip sequence: You need to follow your sales prospects — keep your business top of mind by using a sequence of text or email reminders. Collect customers' data by issuing them a store club card, offering them a $5 off coupon on their receipt if they fill out a survey, or by offering them discounts when they sign up to receive emails. Customers are concerned about how businesses collect personal data, but 75% are more willing to give their data to a business they trust.
- High-quality media: You need to make a great impression. When it comes to a website, aesthetics and engaging content are everything. Use high-quality photos and videos and provide value to your audience.
SEO
One of the most important tools a small business has is search engine optimization (SEO). Customers are always looking for a way to fix their problems, and many go to search engines with the sole purpose of buying a solution. If they can't find you and the solution you're selling, then you're missing out on a huge section of potential customers.
Implement search engine optimization (SEO) to make sure your web pages, images, and videos focus on the keywords and phrases searched for by your target customers. Ensure that the searcher intent also aligns with how search engines understand queries. As you marry the two, your chances of showing up for specific queries will be higher.
Here are some statistics from Google’s research studies and analytics data:
- 50% of shoppers say that they used online videos while shopping in the store.
- 74% of in-store shoppers who searched online before going to the store said they searched for something in-store related (locations, in-stock items, hours, directions, etc.).
- 59% of shoppers surveyed say they use Google to research a purchase they plan to make in-store or online.
- 46% of shoppers surveyed confirm inventory online before going to the store.
There are several key takeaways from this data that can help you make your small business thrive. You can use these tips to create an actionable approach to establishing your brand online.
- Post videos on YouTube about your products or services. Hire a marketing service to make videos for you, so they're of professional quality. Every view is another sales opportunity that you don't have to pay a salesperson to pitch.
- Register your business with Google Maps. Provide links to your website and include your phone number, store hours, and information about different locations. Make a listing for each business location. It makes your business look more trustworthy.
- Link to your BBB business profile page. From there, potential customers can see your rating, read your reviews, and know that you’re accredited.
- Know the entire buyer journey. For instance, if nearly half of your website visitors are abandoning their cart due to shipping costs, then you can adjust to optimize sales goals.
Pay-per-click advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a lot like SEO, except you pay for it and get immediate results. Using PPC advertising doesn't mean you should stop your SEO efforts. It's simply an effective way to make sales and pull customers in immediately.
PPC ad writing information is available through Google's training program. Other search engines are worth looking into as well, such as Bing or Yahoo. You may end up paying less per click on these sites and ranking higher since there isn’t as much competition.
Social media marketing
70% of Americans are on social media. The main difference between SEO and social media is the intent behind the marketing. You want to connect with customers to learn about them, but not necessarily to sell to them. People go on social media sites to connect with their friends. They don't log on to learn about your products or hear your sales pitches.
Successful social media marketing focuses on valuable content that isn't product- or service-centric. Find out where your customers are hanging out, who they follow and why, what groups they belong to, and what they have to say. This research will tell you about your customers' goals and problems. With that information, you can create content that improves their lives. Share quotes, infographics, and results-oriented content. Share often for best results.
Paid social media ads
Social media ads are less effective than PPC ads on search engines. A few PPC ads are fine, and they might attract a few new followers, but they're expensive and not always effective. You really need to know your audience to reach them in social media ads. Ads need to create value, have headlines but very little copy, use emojis to portray emotions, and contain high-quality images and videos.
Moving forward
Marketing your small business and building your brand online is labor-intensive and requires learning new skills, but it's worth the investment of your time and money. Results aren't going to be immediate, but they will come in time. Keep learning, keep working, and keep growing.
Visit BBB.org/get-accredited to learn how trust, honesty, and integrity can play an integral part in your business’ success.
BBB of Southern Piedmont and Western N.C. contributed this article.