Small Business Marketing Strategies for Big Impact

Are you seeking marketing strategies for your small business? What are the best mediums and channels for growth? Which clever tactics are the most cost effective, and why? How should you promote yourself to different age groups or ethnic communities in your area? These business marketing tips can help grow your business. 

Small Business Marketing Strategy Fundamentals

1. Market Research - Know Your Ideal Customer 

Understanding your target demographic is key when creating a successful marketing strategy. We have created a handy infographic for you to reference as you learn about your ideal customer and the communication mediums they prefer. The most common type of audience research method is focus groups, where a group of people meet in one room and discuss their thoughts on a particular issue or advertising concept. The moderator leads the conversation and records the findings. This type of research can be conducted face-to-face or over the phone and when conducted in small groups it's not overly expensive. Fortune 500 companies do lots of research before launching products and their methods include quantitative research, their own social media analytics and related surveys and questionnaires.

2. Utilize Direct Mail in your Marketing Strategy

Did you think direct mail was a thing of the past? Well, think again! 92% of Canadians read their direct mail, 79% of Canadians save their direct mail, and 71% of Canadians share their direct mail with someone they know. Using direct mail as a key part of your marketing plan will help increase awareness and convert potential customers into revenue. Even more, direct mail has advanced and evolved in recent years to meet the growing needs of businesses and consumers. Direct mail now incorporates cutting-edge technology like QR codes that bridges the physical with the digital.

3. Promote Value on Social Media 

Social media is a powerful medium which businesses can use to connect with their audience. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest are wonderful ways to communicate with existing customers and attract new business. Creating and responding to questions and discussion on these platforms in a great way to engage with your brand's followers and boost your presence. Having troubles on what to start posting? Download our small business marketing calendar to begin the brainstorming updates. 

4. Create an Email Campaign to Nurture Leads

Congratulations! You’ve converted a website visitor into a lead, but this doesn’t mean they are ready to buy yet. It’s important to stay top of mind and move them closer to a purchasing decision. Here are some ways you can ensure you are communicating with your leads without coming across as spam:

• Say Hello to new subscribers with a welcome email 
• Keep your customers in the loop of your small business with a monthly newsletter 
• Send out the latest specials right to their inbox
• Stay on top of abandoned carts and prompt action

5. Practice Local Search Engine Optimization 

Mobile phones automatically convert searches for dentists, pizzerias or plumbers into local searches.  The phone browser will enter “dentist near me”, or “closest pizzeria” into Google in order to provoke the local maps listing which was developed in accordance with mobile user experience.

Most consumers use Google to find solutions to their everyday problems. Having a streamlined business profile allows potential customers to find your solutions when they're searching for products or services available in their vicinity. The more Google trusts your listing, the wider the display area.

• Create and maintain a flawless Google Business Profile 
• Match your contact information on your website and provide links, accreditations 
• Ensure your website is mobile-friendly by checking its Core Web Vitals 
• Add local placenames, street names, and neighbourhood names to blog titles

6. Use a Business Blog to Share Your Expertise 

Nothing beats being the industry leader or the go-to for information and advice on your specific product/service. This can be done in a variety of ways such as sharing local industry gatherings, news, or educational content to your blog. A blog is also a great way to insert keywords and improve your organic search engine rankings! Remember, write for humans and consider SEO – not the other way around!

7. Measure your Marketing Performance 

Understanding how your marketing efforts are working is crucial for determining how to market your small business. We believe that measurement is the key to not only prove the value of your direct mail and digital campaigns but also for optimizing how your marketing dollars are spent to achieve the greatest return on your investment. Our Ultimate Guide to Campaign Tracking is a great resource to learn how to start. 

Start marketing your small business today 

Still, have questions on how to create a marketing plan that markets your brand/services for the highest impact and results? Contact your local Direct Response Media Group Marketing Consultant today to discover how you can grow your business, today.