Small-business marketing strategies have evolved over the years. While in the past, running newspaper and radio ads used to be a great option to draw customers to your store, the internet has made it possible to share your name and brand with people all over the world, and if you don’t take advantage of it, you risk losing out to your competitors. So here are four strategies to improve your marketing and increase your sales:
Make Your Website Work for You
Static business websites are a thing of the past. If you want to bring in new clients to your company and retain existing customers, you need to have a high-quality site that is easy to navigate, with an eye-catching design that aligns with your brand. As more and more people use their smartphones to access the internet and shop online, make sure your new site scales well on mobile devices, with easy access to product information and purchasing options. So use a responsive website builder to create your own site, or work with an experienced web design and hosting company to make the most out of your online presence.
Focus on Your Target Market
With new digital and cloud technologies such as data analytics, it’s easier than ever to dig deep into your customers’ spending habits and identify your ideal customer persona. And this knowledge is invaluable when it comes to tailoring your ads, blog posts, and other online content for a particular target market. Additionally, you may conduct surveys and see if you can uncover pain points that your products or services will solve within a segment of that market and develop a niche strategy for your company by highlighting how different and unique you are from your competitors.
Offer Free Samples and Discounts
Being able to sample a product is a big draw for customers who are on the fence about making a purchase from your company, especially if they’ve never heard of your brand before. So if you think offering samples would deliver a good return on investment, implement this strategy to grow your business. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, free sample marketing, discount coupons, and free-gift-with-purchase offers are all excellent ways to introduce new products and encourage shoppers to buy in-store. And if your business is strictly online, use your existing mailing list to reach your past and current clients, and send samples or coupons to potential buyers by getting their contact information via your website, asking them to fill out a form if they want to know more about your goods or services.
Use Free or Low-Cost Online Tools
If you’re working with a team to create your marketing campaign, online collaboration tools will allow you to communicate faster and more effectively by eliminating email back-and-forth and updating all files, documents, and data in real-time. And when you’re collaborating on a project, you can use a PDF merging tool to keep all your documents in one file that you can easily share with your team members. Everyone will then be able to edit, move or split pages to come up with the most effective advertising campaign.
The internet has opened up a new world of opportunities to market companies’ products and services. It’s also made it a lot more cost-effective for small businesses to advertise and build brand recognition. So take advantage of it, and develop a marketing strategy that will improve your sales and grow your business.
Sharon Wagner, a former bank manager, now spends her time helping seniors reach health and well-being goals. When she’s not helping others, Sharon spends time traveling with her husband, Dean. Sharon uses her site Senior Friendly to offer advice geared specifically toward seniors to help them make healthier choices and enjoy their golden years. You can contact her at: sharonwagner@seniorfriendly.info.
