Increasing organic reach is the only way small businesses can boost sales. Having a good marketing strategy becomes highly imperative if you are looking to scale and attract new customers.Â
Most business owners think this could be too tedious, but it isn’t!Â
So hold on to your seatbelts as we will be sharing a few simple tactics that will boost your customer base and help with marketing.Â
Marketing Made Simple: Step-by-Step GuideÂ
Marketing doesn’t have to cost you thousands of dollars! With the proper techniques and an intelligent approach, you can significantly cut down your prices while increasing your reach exponentially.Â
Due Diligence: A Must! Â
Knowing your argent areas and identifying where your competition is lacking is imperative when devising a plan. By doing so, you get the opportunity to understand your customer’s needs. In addition, the more you know about your target market, the better you’ll be able to connect with them.Â
You will also be able to show them how the products and services that your small business is offering are perfect for their needs. In addition, you can use consumer polls or conduct surveys on platforms like LinkedIn to gain detailed insights.Â
Once this is done, start grouping your customers based on demographics, age, income, lifestyle, and values. This will help you form a personal connection with your customers.Â
Identifying your PSP
Once you’ve told your target audience about your products or services, the next step is to earn their trust. For this, you need to identify your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). First, ask yourself some questions like:Â
- What makes your products and services better than those already exist on the market?Â
- What special skills do you have?
- What are some key advantages to working with you and not your competitors?Â
At this stage, small businesses need to think about upselling their service to their new customers.Â
Here are a few books that will help you with this.Â
Choosing a Marketing Avenue
Choosing the right marketing channel is not something that you can do randomly. First, you must know where most of your potential customers hang out!Â
Are you looking to engage with gen Z? Then platforms like youtube, Instagram, Twitch, and Discord might be better for you. On the other hand, if your product is targeted more towards technical industries, you can use channels like networking events, cold calling, blogging, and a business website.Â
Leverage Social Media and CommunicationsÂ
When starting a new business, remember that you need to work even when you aren’t. What we mean by this statement is that you should be on the constant lookout for potential leads, even when talking with your friends or family!Â
Another important factor is social media. With more than 4.62 billion people using social media and online websites to help with their everyday needs, this becomes the best way to present your business information to potential customers. So look into influencer marketing, learn to write an excellent cold emailing script, and reach out to as many people as you can in the starting months.Â
Setting Up a BudgetÂ
Your goals should be SMART: Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. Typically, businesses allocate about 3-5% of their annual turnover to marketing. However, the case is quite different for small businesses looking to set a footprint in the market.Â
Be wary of your limits and always keep savings aside if any unexpected need arises, take refunds, for example. Instead of exhausting the majority of your budget on marketing, you can also improve the overall legibility of your company by improving your website, and sales funnel.Â
We all are aware of the old-fashioned ways of marketing that used to include newspaper advertising or distribution of brochures around the neighborhood. However, these marketing options were less effective and difficult to manage and were very time-consuming and expensive.Â
Additionally, you will also need to set some money aside for things like:Â
- Web development and maintenanceÂ
- Design and SEO strategiesÂ
- Staff payments and hiringÂ
- Printing promotional banners like brochures, flyers, signage, etc.Â
Value Loyal CustomersÂ
Once your marketing campaign is successful, you likely lose track of older clients as you start to strengthen connections with new ones. Devise a standard protocol and make it a habit to reach out to all your customers regularly. Here’s how you can do so:Â
- Rolling out a newsletter, blog, or interacting with your community on social mediaÂ
- Following up after sals
- Taking their feedback into account
- Underpromising and over-deliveringÂ
- Providing unique benefits and discounts to existing customersÂ
Setting Up TrackingÂ
You can only know whether your marketing campaign worked for your audience by keeping track of the progress made. This is implied by the tracking tools you get when signing up on any marketing platform. Instagram, for instance, gives you insights into monthly/weekly impressions and even tells you how many people visited your profile recently. You need to ensure that your sales volume aligns with your goals.Â
Lastly, once you are done with a campaign, please make a note of the investment you put in and compare it with the volume of customers you brought in. It is crucial not to get discouraged if your plans do not show immediate results. Things even spread by word of mouth in the corporate world, so even if you have a small bunch of clients, work towards giving the best service possible.Â
Consider making modifications to your marketing approach based on your campaign results. Keep at it if it’s working for you. If not, analyze the data and see if there is a better web marketing strategy to pursue.
Parting Words Â
With so many innovative channels to help with marketing, small business owners stay confused about where to begin and remain on the sidelines, unsure of which path to take. We hope that this article helped you streamline your approach.Â
Thanks for reading!Â