Five Sure-Fire Small Business Marketing Strategies
Entrepreneurs know they need to set their business apart from the competition and they’re always looking for a new marketing strategy that will propel them above all others. There really is no one true marketing strategy that will do it all; savvy business owners know they need to have a well-rounded battery of marketing tools in their arsenal.
We’ve rounded up five of our favorites. When all working in concert, you will likely see your business grow!
- Blogging. We believe that blogging is the one thing every small business owner should either be doing or hiring someone to do for them. A blog is a perfect platform to let people know who you are and what you do and they also help up your search rankings when keywords are used judiciously.
- Request, and post, testimonials. If you have clients that are raving fans, ask for testimonials. Put them on your website and post them to your social media pages. Ask clients if they’d post their testimonials to Yelp; brick and mortar businesses benefit from Yelp comments.
- Online directories. Whether you’re brick and mortar or a service industry, look online for directories and claim your business name. Check out Google Places, Manta, LinkedIn, BranchOut and Yellowpages.com among others. Make certain you claim the name and that the information is listed correctly and that it’s optimized for key word searchability.
- Visibility is key. The founder of BNI (Business Networking International) is quoted as saying, “Visibility + Credibility = Profitability.” In business it is as much about who you know as it is about who knows you. You are more likely to make a sale to someone with whom you’ve interacted than with a stranger who happens across your website in a Google search. Connecting is key. Use your social media pages to amp up your visibility.
- Are you a winner? Just as first impressions count so too to accolades. Enter small business contests, submit your business name yourself or have a colleague submit your company’s name. Be part of organizations that recognize quality work, strive to be the best and accept awards that are offered. This information should be posted on your website for potential clients to see and should also be announced on your social media pages.
Being a member of Tradesource also increases your visibility and puts you in touch with like-minded quality business owners.
