7 Small Business Marketing Tips

Small businesses don’t have the same resources to execute projects as larger-scale firms. As a small business owner, you may be the founder and CEO who has also taken up the responsibility of a marketer.

Let’s talk about some small business marketing tips for bringing the ideal customer to your small business. Many businesses, big and small, use this; it can work for you as well.

Conduct Market Research

Although you may not have enough financial resources available, however, conducting market research is very important. It will help you in developing your market strategy. The vital information you collect will help you to:

know how your customers think
their buying patterns
their location

Also, market research will help you to:

undertake an initial sales forecast
monitor market trends
keep an eye on your competition

Whether you have recently started your small business or it has existed for years, you must find effective marketing strategies.

Know Your Personas & Target Markets

Trying to sell your product or service to everyone can be costly and ineffective. Know your target market and build your buyer personas. To form a customer persona, you can create a representative model of your prototypical consumer. It never hurts learning more about your customers. The more you know them, the better you can craft your message and marketing strategy.

In defining your target market:

narrow down your target audience
choose the correct marketing channels
define a buyer persona for messaging.

Grouping or segmenting potential customers are done based on some characteristics; this will help you to focus your marketing efforts. Generally, you can segmentation based on such factors as:

geography – location
demographics – age, gender, education level, income, occupation
behavior – loyalty, attitude, readiness to buy, usage rates
lifestyle – social class, personality, personal values.

Your target market should need your product or service and should have the ability to pay for your offer.

Identify Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Your USP makes your business to stand out from the crowd; it is the unique reason customers should patronize you and not your competitors. Define:

what your business does differently
convey that to your potential customers

Your USP may be to:

have a new or unique offering
providing exceptional service

Commonly, your USP reflects your special knowledge or skills. You can start developing your USP by providing answers to the following questions:

What do you love most about your products and services?
What special skills or knowledge do you have?
What makes your customers come to you instead of your competitors?
How do your customers benefit by purchasing your products or services?
Which aspects do you generally highlight when you describe your business to strangers?

Choose Your Marketing Avenues

Consider your target audience when choosing your marketing avenues. Available options include:

business website
social media
blogging
brochure and flyers
networking events
print advertising
word of mouth
cold calling and letter drop.

Set Your Goals and Budget

Marketing goals help to define your goals through marketing activities. Your goals should be SMART:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-based.

Allocate a budget for your marketing activities. Spend between three and five per cent of your actual or expected annual turnover on marketing. For a new business, you may need to allocate more funds initially to build your profile.

Nurture Your Loyal Customers

Customers are essential for your business success. Look after your customers and provide exceptional customer service that will keep them coming back; it will set you apart from your competitors. How to build customer loyalty:

communicate regularly through your social media, blogs or e-news
provide after-sales follow up
deliver on your promises
go the ‘extra mile,’ give benefits that exceed their initial expectations
use feedback and complaints as an opportunity to improve your services
listen to your customers
train your staff in customer service and basic sales processes

Monitor and Review Your Marketing Activities

Regularly monitor and review your marketing activities; it helps to determine if your desired outcome are achieved – such as increased sales. Initially, examine your marketing plan every three months to ensure the activities are supporting your strategy. But once you become more established, review your marketing plans each time you introduce a new product or service, a new competitor enters the market, or an issue arises that affects your industry.

Monitoring activities may include:

reviewing your sales figures regularly (monthly)
monitoring customer activity during an advertising campaign

Always access and review your marketing analytic tools to determine the effectiveness of your social media or website campaigns.

Our objective at Workaforce is to help you grow and build a successful business. Join us to get access to tools, top freelancers, and resources you need to grow your small business. We care about you and we are willing to go out of our way to support you.