It’s no surprise that a small business has a small budget. You have to use this limited sum of money to establish your business, grow your customer base, and one day turn a profit. Every penny should count!
Marketing is going to be the biggest drain on your budget. You have a lot to say and little resources to say it with; planning out a marketing campaign may end being the hardest thing you ever do.
However, you’re not out of luck here. Some marketing strategies are more cost effective than others. Now you just need to use these methods to your advantage during the early days, although that is easier said than done! As such, let’s go through a bit of guidance down below.
Understand Social Media Algorithms
The algorithm of a social media platform is hard to understand by design. We know a few things work, such as posting regularly and at the right times, but the real formula is hidden from us.
After all, there’s an issue of forced virality across social media at the moment. Many people, and companies, try to ‘game’ the system to get their content seen by millions. And 9 times out of 10, this isn’t going to work – or at the very least, it’s going to be slow going.
But social media is free and organic reach is too. Share something people want to talk about, whether it’s a left field idea or something done time and time again with a bit of a twist. Whatever it is you have to share, experiment with it and see what works for you. A/B tests are crucial for this.
Pick a Proper Brand Name
Your brand name is you, more so than your website, your product, or even your own face. Make sure you keep this in mind when you’re tapping in some potential domain names. What do you want your company to say? Because the conversation starts from the moment you choose the name that represents you.
Really, the importance of a brand name cannot be understated. take your time putting one together, and play on different kinds of naming schemes to find the personality snapshot you’re looking for. It’s free to think!
Encourage Email Sign Ups
Repeat custom is just as good, if not better, than new custom. Don’t forget this. When you want to expand your business it’s best to chase up new sales leads, but you need to remember the people who have already shopped for your product in the past too.
Mailing lists tend to be free to make and free to sign up to. This is their main selling point; repeat customers are going to be treated with the respect they deserve entirely for free. From here they’re going to receive exclusive deals right in their inbox, and be the first to hear any news.
But to make the most of repeat customer interactions (which is what every business needs in the first place), then you might ideally want to look into something like Evolve Bank BaaS since they can help small businesses like yours provide a smoother, more efficient payment and communication experience. Plus, with the right systems in place, you can pretty much ensure customers feel valued, making it even easier for them to stick around and engage with your brand.
Inject SEO into Your Content
Search engine optimization is what makes the online world go round. If you want people to find your content, you need to write it with SEO in mind. A lot of SEO happens naturally, if you’re producing relevant content that makes sense for your website’s name, mission statement, and the audience you’re building.
But from time to time, you’ll have to put a concentrated effort into both on page and off page SEO. This will take some practice, but it’s worked time and time again.
Place Your CTAs Well
A call to action, often known as a CTA online, is the wham line at the end of your blog post or social media caption that invites your audience to take part. You can also pepper CTAs throughout the body of the content, if you want a potential customer to really focus on the fact that you’ve got the solution they need.
Although, the best CTAs are practical but emotional, and play on a person’s need to fix a certain issue in their life. In general, don’t focus on what you can do for them as a company. This will just be boastful! Instead, focus on what the customer is going through and how much they want that trouble to go away.
Marketing strategies can be used by any and all businesses. However, some are going to be far more cost effective (and provide a proper return on investment) than others. Do your research, make sure your marketing efforts make sense for the business you are, and test things out time and time again.
(Disclaimer: This content is a partnered post. This material is provided as news and general information. It should not be construed as an endorsement of any investment service. The opinions expressed are the personal views and experience of the author, and no recommendation is made.)
