Running a small business includes a busy schedule every single day. There are a million things to get done on your to-do list. While doing everything day-to-day, it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to marketing your business. How do you make sure you effectively market your company and reach your business goals? In this week’s blog post, we’re here to help you understand the do’s and don’ts of small business marketing.
Do Know Your Target Audience
Understanding who your target audience is is the first step in marketing your business. This is how you determine how you will reach this audience. How do you get to know your target audience? You need to start will who regularly uses your products and services. Is it a family looking to take care of their home? Or a business looking to update its outdated system? You can find questionnaires online to help you create a profile of your typical customer. Once you understand who you are currently, it’s time to figure out what type of customer you want to market towards. Do you want to target property managers who have too much on their plate? Or maybe real estate agents who can recommend your home services? If you know your target audience you can now create a campaign to target those specific demographics.
Don’t Blindly Start Throwing Money Into Ads
One of the worst ways to market your business is by randomly promoting ads whether by social media, Google, or in print media. If you don’t have a specific audience in mind, these can cost you a lot and provide you with no ROI. If you use your target audience’s information, you can make informed decisions on what kinds of advertising work. Audiences look for a trustworthy, professional, qualified business. How are you going to show that your business has all of those traits? If you don’t make targeted ads to ensure your audience knows all of these are true of your business, you could be wasting your advertising budget.
Do Have A Professional-Looking Online Presence
Think about a time you were searching for a service, maybe it was a roofer or a local trash company. How many companies came up when you looked on Google? A dozen or more usually pop up. What’s the best way to make yourself stand out from the crowd? Your professional-looking website will help give curious potential customers peace of mind. They will know you’re a legitimate business rather than unsure if you’re still open. Even if you have a professional website, having updated social media is important too. Younger people tend to use social media as a search engine. If your business’s Facebook or Instagram hasn’t been touched since 2017, you won’t gain as much traction. People trust a more put-together website and social media.
Don’t Join Every Social Media Platform
There are plenty of social media platforms that are around. In advertising for your business and looking reputable, you don’t have to join every platform. Most businesses only have one or two platforms to best reach their audience. When you’re deciding which platform to choose from, you need to keep your target audience in mind. This will help you know which platforms will be the most successful for you. If you’re running a boutique and want to showcase your products, TikTok will help you reach a younger audience. If you’re looking for an older audience, Facebook would work. Now if you’re more of a home service company like a plumber, TikTok is not going to be the place for you. LinkedIn would help you reach more commercial clients. Facebook will help homeowners find you. Not all social media platforms are created equal, it’s important to find the one that best fits your business goals.
Do Engage Your Current Audience
While trying to reach potential clients is important, it’s vital that you keep your current audience engaged. They could easily choose another business that provides the same products or services. How do you keep your current customer base engaged? There are a few ways to retarget this audience.
Quality Content – One of the best ways to engage your audience is through posting quality content on your website and social media. You want to be able to answer questions that they may have about services. You also want to be the go-to for new products. If you create quality social media content and blog posts about your products, customers will reach out.
Email Campaigns – No matter what industry you are in, email marketing is one of the best ways to engage your audience. You can highlight new products or services, invite customers to events, and even direct the audience to your recent blog posts. If you have a sale, you can target a specific group of your audience with a campaign.
Reward Programs – You can reward your customers with a specific program to encourage loyalty. Some examples include a percentage off their next purchase, a gift card awarded for referrals, and a point system for money spent with your business. You can research what kind of program would work best for your company.
Don’t Have A Single Marketing Plan
Sometimes business owners will use what has always been successful. For example, some businesses rely heavily on word-of-mouth marketing. That can be very successful. There can be times when business slows down and the owners are confused, what do you do? Having one marketing plan and hoping for the best can hurt growth. Trying to build brand awareness through social media posts can put you in front of a new audience. However, if you only try to reach an audience through social media, you can hurt yourself by not engaging with other types of campaigns. Try to do a few different campaigns in a few different marketing channels to get the best results.
Conclusion
In summary, mastering the dos and don’ts of small business marketing is vital for success in today’s competitive landscape. Understanding your target audience, avoiding haphazard ad spending, and maintaining a professional online presence is key. Choose social media platforms wisely, engage your current audience, and diversify your marketing strategies to adapt to changing market dynamics and achieve your business goals. If you’re trying to market your small business and are unsure of where to start, contact Timberbrook Marketing. We work with small businesses to ensure that their marketing strategies are successful.
