Marketing. We all know about it. We’ve all seen ads on our Facebook account. We’ve all seen fliers and postcards. We all know we should market our business, but the question is: where do you start?
For small business owners, it can seem daunting. Big companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising campaigns each year – how is a local business supposed to compete? The good news is that local businesses CAN compete, and there are simple steps you can take to start marketing your business without breaking the bank.
1. Verify your business on Google
If you’re a business owner, verifying your business should be one of the first stops you make. This free tool allows you to register yourself as the business owner and update your listing information on Google. Set up your hours, verify your address, add photos or menus, and start collecting reviews. Not only will this small step help you appear on Google Maps, but it will also help your business rank higher in local search results. An estimated 77% of users rely on Google’s “near me” search functionality (source: searchengineland.com), and verifying your business will help you appear and gain vital traffic.
2. Always ask for reviews
Once you verify your business, it’s easy to manage reviews through your business listing. Google reviews can have an amazing impact on your business’s long term growth. Google search algorithms rank businesses higher based on review scores and review activity, and an estimated 91% of consumers turn to Google reviews when making a purchase decision (source: devdigital.com). Aside from this, reviews are an excellent and easy way to interface with your customers and gain a better understanding of what your customers love and where you might be able to improve. Positive reviews bolster your business, and negative reviews provide an opportunity to reach out to dissatisfied customers and make things right.
3. Start email marketing
Despite the fact that email marketing has been prominent for 15+ years, and is one of the oldest modern marketing channels, email isn’t dead! It’s still one of the most useful tools in your toolbelt. Email marketing has one of the highest ROI’s of all marketing channels, because it’s usually very inexpensive to maintain and doesn’t necessarily require outside resources to get started. Modern email marketing platforms are incredibly easy to use and manage, and small businesses can often find free or very low-cost solutions. Platforms like Mailchimp or Constant Contact have vast collections of premade templates that allow you to quickly and easily add content and photos without having to learn difficult technologies or coding.
Not sure where to start with email marketing? Start with a small, attainable goal. Don’t plan to send weekly emails right out of the gate; instead, aim for once monthly or quarterly while you learn the ropes. Promote a sale, advertise a special offer, share a newsletter, or invite customers to fun events. Make sure to gather email addresses whenever you can, by asking for email during your sales process.
4. Get social
Did you know that 74% of consumers report that they use social media in their purchase decisions? Whether it’s by reading reviews, checking out a business’s profile page, or by seeing friends and family recommend businesses, social media plays a large part in the buyer journey. Creating a social media profile is quick and easy and gives you yet another way to connect with your customers and learn more about their needs. Business Pages on Facebook also offer valuable insights on your post engagements and performance. Facebook and Instagram are great places to start for most businesses, and a business Facebook page can act as a great replacement for a website if you aren’t quite ready to stand up an entire site.
5. Create a referral program
If you’re just starting a business or just beginning to delve into marketing, it might seem counterintuitive to give things away for free, but word of mouth is a very powerful tool for local businesses. One of the best ways to encourage word of mouth is to create a referral program. Offer discounts or special products or services to customers who refer others, and make sure to tell people about your referral program whenever you can.
6. Pictures, pictures, pictures
If you want to do any kind of marketing for your business, you’re going to need pictures. Whether it’s a website, a pamphlet, a magazine ad, a social media post, a new menu, or a flyer, you’re likely going to need some kind of photo to demonstrate your product or service. Don’t wait until you NEED photos to finally take some. Always be taking photos of your work. If you sell any kind of product, take photos of your products regularly. If you work in any creative industry (graphic design, floral design, cake decorating, makeup artistry, interior design, etc.) take photos of every commission, client, or practice/trial run. Take photos of yourself, your staff, your building, your events. There’s a reason social media influencers take so many photos – images are influential, and the more you take, the higher the chance of having a few good (or even great) shots. Photos can help tell the story of your brand in an emotional and memorable way.
7. Run a contest or giveaway
Similar to creating a referral program, another great way to spread your name through word of mouth is by running a contest or giveaway. One very common strategy is to run a giveaway on social media and have anyone who likes and shares the post be entered to win. This will encourage customers to share your business with friends, and will grow your social media audience at the same time.
8. Create a rewards program
Getting customers in your door is great, but if you can’t keep customers coming in, you’re going to lose your business. In smaller towns and cities, your pool of potential customers can get small very quickly, and if your business becomes a place where customers only visit once, you’re going to struggle to achieve meaningful and sustainable growth. Look for ways to encourage repeat customers, and one of the easiest options is to create a rewards program. A rewards program doesn’t have to be complicated. Give out coupons at the end of a sale; create a rewards card with stamps or holepunches to give customers a freebie after a number of purchases; offer discounts to customers who sign up for several months of a service at a time. Remember a good rewards program has 2 goals: increase customer loyalty by delighting your customers, and get your customers to come back for more business.
9. Create a website
While a website is important, it doesn’t have to be the first thing you do. In reality, it’s better for a business to have a fantastic, updated, engaging social media profile and no website, than to have a bad website. If your business isn’t ready for a website yet, that’s ok. Standing up a website is going to cost money, whether you decide to try to do it yourself or whether you decide to pay someone else, and the cost of a website can vary wildly depending on your needs. However, there will come a point for many businesses where the only way to push your business to the next level is to have a website. A good website can become a lead generation tool all on its own, and can help create an endless stream of new customers. It will increase your reputation, help your business appear more widely in search engines, and allow you to share more information on your products and services than you could likely manage with just a social media profile. Before starting a website, make sure to research. There are dozens of website platforms with different features and benefits, and it’s important to find the right fit.
10. Be a part of your community
Small businesses are a vital part of the community, but to get your community to see you, you have to actively be a part of the community. Get your business name out into the community through activism, philanthropy and charity. Volunteer; sponsor local youth sports; sponsor local events; connect with local nonprofit organizations; connect with your local chambers of commerce; network with local business professional groups; find opportunities to speak at conferences or seminars. By being present in your community you demonstrate that your business cares about the community, that you’re passionate about your hometown, and that you’re devoted to the wellbeing of others. These qualities can help build further loyalty from customers and can cement your place as a community fixture instead of just another business.
Marketing takes time, but it doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive to get started. There are small steps that any business can take to get your name out there and start building new relationships.