You do everything for your small business, so when it comes sifting through all the new marketing options it can be both exciting and overwhelming. Given the lack of time to sort through all the options many small businesses just keep on doing what they know. Ideally, you can find a way to stay focused but also stay current with your marketing approach. The following are a few suggestions worth exploring and integrating to your marketing mix.
It’s A Mobile world
Nearly two-thirds of Americans own smartphones so every business needs to consider how customers will potentially interact via their mobile device. The most common small business oversight is failing to optimize their website for mobile. Often this is referred to as responsive design which dynamically adjusts how your website is displayed based on the specifications of the device. An easy way to solve for this is to use a responsive WordPress theme for your website which has this capability built in. These themes are typically also being updated on a periodic basis so they will stay current with best practices for mobile.
Customer insight
Knowing more about who your customers are and what they want and need can help virtually every facet of your business. A helpful and relatively easy exercise is to develop some simple buyer personas identifying a handful of common buyer profiles and then creating as much context as you can around those personas. Taking just a little additional time to understand your customers can help you develop more effective messaging, offers and marketing programs.
Pay for performance
If you haven’t explored this yet, there are a number of performance-based digital marketing programs worth looking into. Google adwords is the best know, but Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter also have pay per click options that feature detailed targeting criteria. It’s important to spend some time and do a little homework on best practices in each of these categories to maximize the impact. Also, be prepared to do some experimentation, one of the greatest advantages of these types of platforms is the ability to get rapid feedback on how different messages are performing and adjust your approach on the fly.
Partner up
Another unique thing worth considering is finding a good marketing partner, a business that may target customers with a similar profile but with a complimentary offering. For example a restaurant specializing in healthy food might partner with a gym, yoga studio or bike shop. The possibilities are endless, but the idea of joining forces and marketing complimentary offerings can create interesting opportunities and a new creative way to reach potential customers.
As a small business it can be easy to get overwhelmed by marketing options or get complacent with existing activities. Consider these options to continue to grow your business.
