From Facebook adverts and newsletters to traditional print and PR, there are so many ways to promote your small business. But how do you know which is best?
1. Media relations
Also known as PR, media relations is simply getting articles about you and your business in publications and their online websites.
Perhaps you’ve won a new contract, launched a new product or service, appointed new people or achieved record results. It might be that something quirky has happened within your business or you’ve reached a milestone, such as an anniversary, or you’ve sold a significant number of items.
Another way to get coverage is by giving advice or having strong views about a subject and being prepared to openly state them.
2. Social media
Social media plays a critical role in marketing your business if used effectively. With over 45 million active users reported in the US and 1.3 million users joining in 2020 alone, the opportunity to reach and engage with such a huge audience is not to be missed.
Social media is a great way to connect with people who already engage with your brand and introduce the business to people who are yet to discover you. Recent research revealed that 58 per cent of consumers visit a brand’s social pages before visiting their website – that’s an 81 per cent increase from last year.
3. Digital advertising
Targeting specific audiences, executing data-led strategies and delivering measurable results are only a few of the benefits of marketing your business via digital advertising. The main digital advertising channels are PPC (Pay-Per-Click), display and paid social. All of them run across mobile and desktop devices.
Digital advertising can be a minefield, but it’s completely transparent and accountable – you will be able to see, down to the penny, where your budget has gone and which aspects of your campaign have been the most effective.
4. Press advertising
To be effective in magazines and newspapers, your advertisement needs to be both big and bold.
If your advertisement doesn’t stop someone in their tracks and make them take notice, then you will have wasted your money on buying the space.
5. Direct mail
Direct mail can be wonderfully effective, provided you follow three key rules:
Use good quality data. If you manage your own database, make sure it’s clean and up-to-date. Alternatively, consider buying data from a reputable data broker – it’s far more affordable than you might think.
Send content that is relevant to the recipient. It’s pointless promoting a children’s nursery to a database of over 70’s.
Make sure your mailer piques interest by standing out and featuring intriguing messages that resonate with the recipient.
6. Search engine optimization
SEO has established itself as one of the key practices to market your business online. It has become essential for most companies to have a well-optimized website and this is where SEO is crucial. If you’re new to SEO, our beginner’s guide takes you through the simple things you can do to boost your strategy.
In order for your webpages to show up for relevant search terms or ‘keywords’ in search engines like Google, they need to be optimized across three different areas: technical, on-page and off-page.
Technical SEO ensures that Google understands and can easily and quickly access all pages you want to rank. Having a technically sound website is only one aspect of great SEO.
Ultimately, users want to read about your product or services, so you need high quality, engaging content that’s optimized in order for Google to rank it.
7. Email marketing
The key to generating great sales is being able to communicate clearly and in a timely manner to your target audience. Email marketing is great for creating short-term urgency and adding incremental revenue as part of your regular marketing activity.
You can use emails tactically to drive a limited time offer, end of season sale or to promote a new service.
Email marketing is:
Cost-effective
Measurable
Immediate
Scalable
Efficient
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