Five Marketing Tips to Grow Your Small Business

Your small business may not have the financial capability of a bigger company, but with the right approach to marketing, you can reach your audience in a cost effective manner. Social media and the internet have made it easier than ever to market your products directly to consumers and businesses. Conversely, though,if you do not market your product well, you could lose out against your competition in a crowded marketplace.

Here are some great tips for marketing your small business:

1. Create a Business Plan – A business plan will help organize your thoughts. The most important elements of a business plan to include are an industry analysis, customer analysis and competitive analysis. These three analyses will make it much easier to expertly complete the marketing plan section which will allow you to grow your business quickly and effectively.
2. Develop Consistent Branding – Good branding is essential if you want to thrive in the market. It makes your business instantly recognizable, which is why your branding should remain consistent. You should develop your logo, color schemes and your message so that your customers immediately know it’s you when they see your branding in any advertisement.
3. Build a Social Media Presence – For small businesses, social media is the perfect way to reach hundreds of new customers at just a fraction of the cost it would take to run a bigger advertising campaign. Different social media platforms have different approaches for selling a product on the platform. Your content on a picture-heavy platform like Instagram should focus on quality pictures, ads and content where you can visually sell your products. On Twitter, written content becomes more important. while Facebook gives you the chance to balance both the visual and the written word. You should not only post quality content that is relevant to your product, but also regularly communicate with your customers through social media.
4. Develop Loyalty – Returning customers are necessary for the success of any business. One way to make sure that your customer returns is by providing incentives such as small discounts, information on sales or items before they hit the shelves etc. Another strategy is to build a Loyalty Points system where the more the customer returns to your business and buys your product, the more benefits they receive. This could be in the form of small discounts or a gift once the customer hits a points milestone.
5. Call to Action – Whenever you advertise, you only get a few seconds to make an impact on your customers. A limited ad budget makes brevity particularly crucial. That is why a call to action, also known as a CTA, is an essential part of every advertisement you put out. A CTA lets your customer know what to do after reading your advertisement. Examples of CTAs include linking to your website, and directing audiences to click; or placing a signboard in a shop directing customers to certain products or offers.
6. Focus on Content – Good content can draw in customers and help you develop communication with them. Instead of focusing on a lot of content, you should develop quality content that is relevant to your business. You can also develop content that supports your business, such as a blog that tells your customers how to use your products.

With a good marketing strategy and a consistent approach to marketing, small businesses can thrive and grow.