75 Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses (Part 1)

Marketing / March 12, 2019

Whether business to business marketing or business to consumer, you need a marketing plan that fits your goals and brand. Marketing services come in all shapes and sizes. No industry is the same and neither are the individual companies within that industry.  All small business marketing needs to be unique to your brand culture.

1. Aim Your Ads for the Heart, Not the Mind

Small business marketing is about playing to people’s emotions; giving them a reason to click, share, like, etc.

2. Review Marketing Materials Multiple Times for Errors

Silly errors can be costly and you want your marketing campaigns to run smoothly. Why risk losing a potential sale because of a spelling mistake?

3. Update Your Ads Regularly

Customers don’t want to see the same advertisement over and over; it gets stale and diminishes return on investment.

4. Know Your Target Audience

Not everyone is a potential customer, make sure you know your audiences demographics, likes and dislikes, job titles, etc.

5. Be Consistent, Create Unity

Whatever your message or brand, use a unified strategy across all medias.

6. Create a Sense of Urgency

When someone believes there is a limited time to act on an offer it can grab their attention and provoke them to make the purchase now.  Eg) …this week only!

7. Be Unique With Your Content

Don’t try to copy the corporate identity of a competitor. Stand out and find your own unique target audience to market to.

8. Develop a Branding Strategy

Your company/organization should have a clear, consistent theme and message for all of your marketing efforts.

9. Do NOT Use Self-Aware Ads

Calling yourself #1 or the best is a strategy that is overplayed. With today’s global communication most prospective clients aren’t going to believe you, at least not without a quick Google search.

10. Advertisements Should Contain Only 1 Contact

Whether it’s a sign, vehicle wrap, commercial, radio ad, etc. you don’t need to tell them to call, click, email, and visit. One contact is more than enough; you don’t want your advertising to be overloaded with information.

11. Update Your Website

Make sure your website is constantly being updated with new content and innovations like responsive web design for a mobile friendly site.

12. Don’t Be Too Creative With Word Play

Keep your copy simple and to the point. You want your audience to understand and remember your message.

13. Let Consumer Desire Shape You’re Marketing

Your marketing plan may have been to target Males aged 30-40 but females aged 20-30 seem to have the most interest in your services, roll with it.

14. Don’t Use Annoying Marketing Tools

If you find yourself annoyed by certain marketing/advertising strategies, like door knockers or flyers on car windows you have to assume your audience will find them annoying as well.

15. Create a Marketing Budget

Have a plan; know how much you want to spend, where you want to spend it and what you want to spend it on.

16. Create a Tagline That Includes the Customer

Use something that is a declaration of the customer. Eg) McDonalds – I’m Lovin’ It

17. Get to the Point

Grab your audience’s attention in the first 5 seconds. Viewers want fast, short information, don’t get too wordy.

18. Use Social Media for Making Friends

Don’t try looking for customers; it’s easier to convince a friend to become a customer than a total stranger.

19. Seek Objectivity

Have your marketing strategies and advertisements reviewed by an outsider.

20. Publish Great Content

We shouldn’t have to say it but with small business marketing, content is king. If you can create it yourself, even better!

21. Create ‘How To’ Videos

Video is a valuable marketing tool and there’s nothing wrong with doing it yourself to keep costs down with your small business marketing strategies.

22. Find What Your Great At

You don’t need to be everywhere, use the platforms that you do the best on and get even better at them. Eg) Facebook, Instagram, and E-mail Marketing

23. Use Infographics

These are very powerful marketing tools, easy to digest, visually pleasing, and people love to share them.

24. Breathe New Life into Old Ideas

You might not always have the budget or ideas for something new find something that already exists and breathe new life into it.

25. Link Up On LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a major social media tool for business networking but you can also join groups, enter conversations and share industry related content. So you can promote and build your brand while also sharing ideas and learning new things.

Excuse me… Where Are The Other 50 Small Business Marketing Strategies?

Thanks for reading Part 1 of our 75 Marketing Strategies For Small Business.  Click here for our next 25 marketing tips. Be sure to leave us a comment and share your thoughts and strategies for marketing a small business.

Develop A Marketing Strategy That Works!

Marketing strategies for any small business should be unique to that company’s brand.  Since every business is different, some might benefit from Social Media Management. However, other industries might favor Automated Marketing or need a marketing agency to help build or re-build their website. Contact Strand360 today to receive your FREE Marketing Consultation.