Businesses spent $1.7 trillion on marketing across all channels in 2018. Your business budget might not be this big, but you still need to invest in your marketing strategy.
Creating a successful strategy doesn’t need to be rocket science either. With these tips for small business owners, you can craft a better strategy to help you get the word out about your business.
Know Your Audience
Before you begin your small business marketing strategy, get to know your audience.
What does your average customer look like? Knowing who buys your products or services informs everything from marketing channels to the messages.
You can learn about your audience in a few ways. One is to ask customers to fill out a survey. Another is to use analytics to find out who is signing up for your newsletter or clicking on your ads. Don’t skip this step. This knowledge is the basis for all of your other decisions.
Marketing Budget Tips for Small Business Owners
The next step in crafting a marketing strategy for your small business is looking at your budget.
Most businesses spend a relatively low percentage of their income on marketing. If you’re a small business, though, 7 or 8 percent of your budget may not be much.
You need to think about how best to send the budget you have. You’ll want to invest in the basics, like a great website and good content creation. You may want to hire freelancers to help you with tasks like website development or SEO.
If the budget is still feeling a little tight, you may think about the old adage “you have to spend money to make money.” Learn more about financial options with this link.
Don’t Forget Social Media
One of the best free options you have for marketing is social media. You can pay for ads, but organic posts often drive results.
You can use social media to boost your other paid marketing efforts. A good social media presence helps you reach your audience, as well as build a brand identity. Finally, you can even use these channels to provide customer service for your audience.
Power in Numbers
If you haven’t thought about co-marketing for your small business, now is the time to do so. Co-marketing involves your business joining forces with another business that offers another complementary service or product.
Your audiences overlap, so working together to promote each other can help you both succeed.
Influencer marketing is another option you may want to consider. Social media stars with dedicated followings may help you reach your audience.
Great Marketing Takes Time
The last of our tips for small business owners is to stick to your strategy. Content marketing and SEO take time to work.
It may be tempting to change If you put in the effort, it will pay off.
Review Your Strategy for 2020
With these tips for small business owners in hand, you can create a better marketing strategy.
Looking for more great marketing advice? You’re in the right place. Check out more great tips and tricks with our articles.