Competition between small businesses is becoming stiff, especially during the holiday season. Furthermore, the e-commerce industry is booming, and every small business owner is looking for ways to increase their online presence. Statistics show that internet sales are up, and thatâs why retailers are putting more effort into marketing their small businesses online.
Small business owners are hunting for the most effective idea and marketing strategies to enable them to boost their ROI. This article will explore and explain unique marketing strategies for small businesses to increase sales during the holiday season.
Here are 7 marketing strategies for small businesses:
Let's examine the details of these marketing strategies for small businesses together!
1. Blogging and content marketing
Content is always king. If ad marketing is the short game, then blogging and content creation are the long game. Create thought-provoking, informative content to attract clients for your small business. Every time customers watch your videos, read your articles, or listen to a podcast, your small business gains authority. Every piece of content increases the likelihood of a prospect running across your material. Although it might take more than 12 months to see the desired results đ, itâll be worthwhile in the long term.
2. Social media
Today, approximately 50% of small businesses in the United States rely on social media to market their products and services. Ensure you have social media goals beyond fans and followers. You can rely on the SMART technique to boost your sales. Do not rely on retweets and likes as an indicator of value. Use social ads to target the right people who would be customers. Use great content to engage them, and drive them in some posts from social to your website. A key these days is using short videos on Tiktok or reels on Instagram. đŹ
The key is to know your business demographics for your best customers and be active where they are. It may be Instagram and Twitter!
3. Email marketing
Email is the oldest and yet still one of the most proficient messaging channels. The study also reveals that about 93% of Business to Business (B2B) companies use email in marketing their products. The technique is to get prospects and clients to sign up for your website's email list and send them informative, engaging, and relevant content. Email is a top sales tool most of the time.
4. Use advertising opportunities on industry-relevant websites
There are many websites where you can connect with your target audience. These websites strive to make your content reach the customer promptly. Select a few reliable sites with lots of traffic, reasonable prices, and your demographic reads, and list your small business. More so, you can look into ad opportunities. Read the reviews about these websites to ensure your business is reaching out to a broader audience through a reliable platform.
5. Infographics
Sometimes clients might not read your great blog post. However, using appealing photos or graphics can capture their attention and earn you higher revenue. An infographic helps you educate your clients, create more leads, and rely on invaluable information in a simple yet powerful visual way. Ensure the infographics are relevant to the customers and prospects youâre trying to woo into your small business. An infographic will simplify difficult concepts for your peers, clients, and stakeholders. Ensure you customize the infographics to keep the readers hooked, and then seek out ways to promote the infographic and partner with others and influencers to share it.
Bonus: Infographics also help you get backlinks and increase organic traffic to your website.
6. Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing cannot exist without content or social marketing. The concept is to get a person with a strong following that is connected to your target demographic to endorse your products on social media platforms like Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. You can collaborate with a well-known fashion blogger, photographer, podcaster, or musician. The whole concept is to make some of their followers ultimately become your customers.
7. SMS marketing
We are living in a digital world where more than 90% of the United States population is reported to own a mobile device that can receive an SMS. This indicates that SMS marketing has a broader reach compared to other marketing channels. Text messages use an intimate and immediate channel of communication, which is preferred by most people.
Research shows that SMS messages have a 98% open rate and that they are read within the first 3 minutes of receipt. Most text messages are responded to in under 90 seconds! Compared to email marketing open rates of 20% and a much lower response rate of 6%, itâs a no-brainer why business owners turn to SMS marketing when looking to communicate with their customers on their mobile devices. This is all to say that almost 3 times more people are reading text messages than opening đŠ e-mails sent by companies.
Learn more: Is text marketing cost-effective?
To market your small business, you can use SMS marketing to text customers with daily promotions, weekly specials, price drops, BOGO deals, new items, and so much more! SMS platforms also have the added benefit of scheduling messages ahead of time and the ability to target specific customers on measurable data collected.
Marketing your small business has never been easier. Implement a number of the above marketing strategies, and your small business can begin to thrive!
Happy Marketing đ
The Pony Express HQ Team