You came up with a great idea and decided to open a business. You’ve thought about the pros and cons, tallied the figures and are ready to jump in with both feet.
But when you’re just starting out, you may not know how to promote your business to make the cash register ring. Understanding how to market your business, whether it’s online or it has a brick-and-mortar location, is the key to success.
Know Your Audience
Before you invest in marketing, you really need to know your audience. Although you might be tempted to say “everyone needs my product or service” even if that is true you will do better by choosing a smaller niche and conquering it first. So, while marketing to the masses is the goal, small business owners need to segment their target audience. Dig deep into the market and segment consumers into groups. You can then segment them into primary and secondary groups, which will allow you to then create a marketing strategy targeted directly to that group.
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Go Local
When just starting out, small business owners need to start small and scale over time. The best way to do this is with signage. If your business has a physical location, make sure your signage is entices people to know more. Choose a color palette that’s easy to recognize and also is visually appealing. You can also offer promos that people receive simply by mentioning a sign they saw while passing by.
SEO
Another way to get interested customers to be able to find you is by building solid SEO for your company. Google has created algorithms and programs to find websites that people trust, and it rewards those sites by ranking them higher in search engine queries. It will look at the effectiveness of your business’s website, any ads you have, and if anyone else is talking about your business.
SEO is quickly becoming more and more important for getting noticed online. However, if you aren’t confident in your ability to utilize it or if you’ve tried to improve your SEO but aren’t seeing the improvement you want, you can consult with a digital marketing company for help.
What you write on your website’s copy can increase your visibility. Take the time to research what keywords your competitors are using prior to writing your copy. Just make sure the keywords or long-tail keywords you use make sense.
Learn Social Media Advertising
After consumer segmentation, you need to go where your target audience spends most of their time online. Most everyone goes on social media at least sometimes, so it’s a good place to get attention for your business. Figure out which platforms your audience is most likely to use and start utilizing it. For instance, if your target audience uses Facebook more than Instagram, you need to learn to master Facebook advertising. Set up your social media accounts so that others can link to the page as well to leave reviews or give shout outs.
Google Business
In addition to online ads, you should also register your business on Google. Google Business lets you add your address, photos, and a description of your business. This can do wonders to boost foot and web traffic, especially for small business owners. It will also let customers leave reviews that can help draw in new customers. Since people are more likely to try a local business for their needs, it’s important that your business is easy to interact with. The more visibility and engagement you have the more likely you are to draw in clients.
Being a small business owner comes with a unique set of challenges. To make your climb to the top just a little easier, take the time to create a sound strategy for each step of the way. Slow and steady may be the longest route, but it’s usually the most profitable.
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