It’s not easy being a small business owner, but it’s also an extremely rewarding endeavor.
It’s even harder to own a small business in 2023. Inflation has impacted the business plans of small business owners and limited the budgets of potential clients. THE American Chamber of Commerce recently reported that 52% of small business owners rank inflation-related costs as a top concern.
On a more positive note, the report concludes:
72% of small business owners are optimistic that their business will survive over the next two years89% of small business owners believe their family atmosphere helps retain employees and 82% believe the direct connection between owners and employees gives small businesses an advantage when it comes to hiring and retaining employees. good employees.
Why Small Businesses Need the Best Marketing Strategies
Overall, this data suggests that small business owners could make the most of their time, budget, and employees by studying digital marketing strategies and perhaps hiring a third-party vendor to manage their efforts digital marketing.
Because you can’t stay in business or grow your business without marketing your products and services online. And if you don’t know what you’re doing (and honestly, unless you have marketing training, how would you know?), you’ll make your employees happier and save more money by hiring a third-party vendor like us. at SEO Design Chicago. But that’s not a selling point.
The Best Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
Some of the best marketing strategies for small businesses include developing a strong online identity, regularly publishing new content on your website, email marketing, investing in search engine optimization and online advertisements, and partnership with local influencers.
Tip 1: Develop a Strong Online Identity
Even if you work in a face-to-face industry, like auto repair, have a strong online presence is not negotiable. You can start by creating a user-friendly website that reflects your unique identity and provides essential information, like pricing, about your products or services. You want to allow your site to make everything simple for the user. This means giving people the opportunity to purchase products, reserve time slots if you provide services, and provide them with important FAQs.
The next step is to ensure you have a presence on social media platforms relevant to your target audience. You may not want to post regularly on all platforms, but make sure you claim your business name on all platforms. Ideally, you want to post engaging content regularly, and interacting with your followers can help you build brand awareness and cultivate relationships with existing customers. You can even enable social media to make it easy for your followers to purchase your products through the platform.
Don’t give in to the temptation to think that creating a website or maintaining social networks are things that every young person can do. Doing these things well is an art. And if you expect too much from employees or interns, you will burn them out.
There is a difference between doing it and doing it well. Younger employees may be able to post content on your social media, but they may not be posting the right content that engages people. This is actually a task that experts, like us, can accomplish faster and will bring you better results.
Tip #2: Publish new content on your website regularly
It’s important to Support your brand with content marketing. Google rewards businesses that regularly publish content on their websites. This is why you want to continually add new content to your site, not just social media. Create a blog on your website and post valuable, relevant content that addresses your audience’s problems and explains how your products or services provide solutions. By positioning yourself as an expert, you improve your website’s ranking in search engines. And when it comes to results on Google, you want to do everything you can to appear on the first page of Google search engine results pages (SERPs.)
In addition to blog posts, consider creating other types of content like videos, infographics, and podcasts. Not everyone wants to read online, and it’s easier than ever to create photo slideshows, videos, interactive graphic designs, and podcasts. But if you want that media content to be awesome, not just fair, a third-party provider like us at SEO Design Chicago is essential. We produce better content, faster, than you can yourself.
Tip #3: Email Marketing
Email isn’t as old school as social media makes it out to be. Email is the fundamental way people communicate for business reasons. So you might as well get into people’s inboxes when they’re at work with email marketing. Building an Email List by offering something of value in exchange for subscribers’ contact details, such as a discount with a promo code or exclusive benefits. Once you have a list, send regular newsletters using MailChimp or another email newsletter generator and promotional emails to keep your audience engaged and top of mind.
Make sure your email campaigns are segmented based on customer preferences, geographic location, and behaviors. This allows you to send targeted, relevant content to different groups, increasing the likelihood that people will actually do something after reading your email.
Tip #4: Keep Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in Mind
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website. to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Improving your website’s SEO can eventually lead to increased organic traffic and ultimately more interactions with them, whether that means they send inquiries about your services or purchase products. products.
We offer a free SEO analysis to all interested businesses. This will tell you how you rank in Google for certain keywords or keyphrases, which are words and word combinations that your customers actually type into Google.
Once we agree to be partners, we begin by conducting keyword research to identify the words and phrases your target audience uses when searching for products or services like yours.
There is a technological side to SEO that many small business owners don’t have time for. These elements include meta titles, descriptions, and a web page structure that highlights relevant titles and keywords. Don’t know what we’re talking about? This is why we have been in business for over ten years. We, along with a team of experienced content producers, create high-quality original content that includes your chosen keywords. We constantly monitor and adjust your keyword strategy, which is essential for maintaining and improving your rankings over time.
Tip #5: Pay (not too much) for online advertising
Even though some marketing strategies, like SEO, are free, investing in online advertising can generate significant results for small businesses. Platforms like Google Ads and social media advertising (e.g. Facebook, TikTok and Instagram ads) allows you to reach a specific group of people interested in your products and services.
You should be willing to test different ad formats and targeting options to see what works best for your business. How do you know which is best? By monitoring data analysis. If you don’t like the word “data,” that’s when you need a third-party provider like us at SEO Design Chicago. We monitor your ad performance and adjust your budget and content accordingly to maximize your return on investment (ROI).
Tip #6: Make sure you are recognized by local customers
If your small business serves a local customer base, especially one that people need to physically interact with, local search optimization is crucial. You need to make sure you are recognized and listed in Google My Business, which is managed through the Google Business Console. If you don’t know how to handle this, we can do it for you. The next step is reviews.
Encourage customers to leave reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp and Nextdoor. Positive reviews can boost your credibility and attract more local customers. At the same time, you want to make sure the reviews are authentic. If they come across as “fake,” it will deter local customers. People are very good at recognize fake reviews. We therefore ensure that you seek feedback at regular intervals. If they’re all released on the same day, that screams “fake.”
Tip #7: Partner with influencers and other local businesses
Collaborating with other local businesses, and we bet you already have these connections, can be a great way to expand your reach and customer base. Look for companies that complement rather than compete with your products or services. For example, if you own a nursery, why not let a local bakery sell produce in your store in the spring when you have a lot of customers? Better yet, send free seeds to social media influencers. We can manage logistics for you and identify the right partners to increase your brand visibility.
Small Business Marketing at SEO Design Chicago
If it all becomes too much, and it often does with small businesses, a third-party provider like SEO Design Chicago can save you time and money in the long run. In fact, it doesn’t even take that long to see results for most businesses. You can read some of our success stories to see how we have helped small and medium-sized businesses grow.
FAQ:
What are good ways to market small businesses?What can marketing providers do that I can’t do alone? Can small businesses benefit from email marketing? Do small businesses need marketing? How do I develop a strong online identity for my small business?
