Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) often struggle when it comes to marketing.
Depending on the situation you may feel that you lack the budget or the time to engage in a full-on marketing campaign. The truth is that you can’t afford not to take marketing seriously. In fact, the sooner you begin following these marketing tips the faster your business is sure to grow.
Stay Authentic to Your Target Audience
If you’re not sure who your target audience is, now is the time to define the audience who is most likely to BUY your products or services. Identifying the people most likely to buy from you will help you create marketing campaigns designed to gain their attention. It is, perhaps, the single most important SMB marketing decision your business can make.
Give Free Product Away
It sounds a little counter-intuitive to people who are interested in making money by selling things, but few things grab the attention of the buying public like getting something for free. Inc.com recommends it as a way of providing customers with a “small taste of what you have to offer” that will whet their appetite leading them to buy even more.
Engage in Social Media Marketing
Some small and medium sized businesses believe that social media doesn’t have much to offer them. Nothing could be further from the truth, according to Social Media Examiner who points out that small businesses have the most to gain by engaging in a solid social media strategy. The following revelations were discovered during a recent survey of study of SMB owners.
- 66 percent of SMB owners strongly agree that social media has been important to their businesses.
- 88 percent believe social media has provided them with increased exposure.
- 72 percent of SMBs report increases in traffic and subscriptions thanks to social media marketing.
Track Your Results
The final recommendation is that you measure your marketing successes, and failures, for yourself. The more you know about what works and is effective for your SMB the better able you will be to prepare increasingly effective marketing campaigns.
It isn’t necessary to start with complex algorithms and large scale battle plans in order to create an effective marketing strategy for your SMB. These great tips will help you get started with an effective plan poised for growth today and into the future.
by Bruce Worrall, Aug-18-2015