Your small business is open! Now, how do you start bringing in new customers?
Starting a new business can be very challenging at times. With this guide, we aim to help you get started on the basics of small business marketing.
Website
Today, even a basic website can give you a huge visibility advantage when customers are looking for your product or service. Think about it, when someone needs a particular service they start with a quick Google search. They skim through the top results and pick what seems to be the best option. This leads the customer to either the Google My Business page or directly to the company's website. If they like what they see, they may actually give you a call or visit.
Knowing this, we highly recommend starting with at least a simple and easy-to-read website. With all of the available drag and drop website building programs available, this couldn't get much easier to accomplish. For those who are just starting out, we suggest wix.com for your first low-budget page.
Social Media
Nearly five billion people use social media!? That's right, nearly 50% of the human population! So why wouldn't you create a free business page? It's clearly a great place to start gaining online visibility for your small business. Just upload some profile images, fill out descriptions and you are all set! From here, you can start creating or sharing content that allows people to understand what you are all about.
Some must-have social media accounts:
Other Online Profiles
Besides social media accounts, we have also found success in several other free business profiles. Specifically, claiming your Google My Business profile has to be one of the most important steps to marketing your small business.
When you go to look for a product or service, what is the first thing you do? You pick up your phone and do a search. Look through the top results with good images and reviews, then pick the best one.
Other must-have business profiles:
Know Your Ideal Customer
"Your ideal customer is someone that gets their exact needs met by your product or service."
Knowing this information is vital when marketing to the right audience for your small business. All of the content you'll be posting should have this customer in mind. Think about why you are in business in the first place. You are providing a product or service to someone to avoid a frustrating, annoying, or time-consuming task. Knowing how you solve these issues and who your ideal customers are can be extremely useful.
Advertise
Boosting your posts can be a great way to start advertising your small business. Start by boosting a social media post that naturally gained a lot of attention on its own. This will allow more people in your area to see and interact with your post but with very limited options for targeting. With as little as $20 you can start advertising with content you may already be posting online.
As your business becomes more profitable, consider hiring a professional to create custom content and publish it for you! With a certified expert, we can use advanced targeting tools and use proven techniques to achieve far better results.
Get Local
What is local marketing? Local marketing targets an audience in the same town or region as your business. For example, you may set up a booth at a local event or even partner with another local business in your area. Consider putting up posters or business cards on local community boards as well!
There are so many ways you can get the word out about what you have to offer. Here are some of our favorites:
Engage with local audiences on social media
Put marketing material in public places
Host or join in on community events
Partner with other businesses in your area
Share Your Experience!
In the comments below, let us know about your success or failures while marking your small business! #growthmindset