15 Best strategies for small business marketing

As a small business owner, you know that marketing is essential to growing your business. But with so many options and limited resources. It can be difficult to know where to start, especially as a small business in the same market as large, already well-known companies. You don’t want your efforts to be lost in the noise of other companies’ marketing strategies.

Luckily, we’ve put together a list of the 15 best marketing strategies for small businesses. From online marketing to offline methods, there’s something on this list for every business owner.

1. Create a strong online presence.

If you want to reach new customers, you need to be where they are. These days, that means having a strong online presence. You can create a website, build a social media following, and use search engine optimization (SEO) to make sure you’re easy to find when people are searching for businesses like yours.

This is where you want your brand’s voice to shine. You want to make sure that your brand is coherent across all online platforms including social media, blogs, e-mail marketing, and paid advertising. Consider making a Brand Film that can be shared on your website, social media, and e-mailed marketing efforts.

2. Use content marketing.

Content marketing is a great way to attract new customers and keep them engaged. By creating helpful, informative blog posts, eBooks, infographics, and other forms of content, you can reach potential customers who are looking for answers to their questions.

You have information that can and should be shared with your audience. The more you share information, the more you’ll be regarded as an authority in your industry. People will seek your company out when they have questions about the industry or the kinds of products and services they need.

3. Get involved in your community.

One of the best ways to market your small business is to get involved in your local community. Attend community events, sponsor a Little League team, donate products/services to charity raffles, or volunteer at a local nonprofit or sponsor part of it. Anything you can do to make your company well-known within your local community and show them that you want to be a constructive part of it, will help create a positive view on your business at large.

To put it simple, when people see you supporting your community, they’ll be more likely to support you.

4. Make the most of social media.

Social media is a powerful marketing tool for small businesses. Not only is it a great way to connect with potential customers, but it’s also a great platform for promoting your content and building your brand.

Social media is free to take part in, but these platforms also offer paid promotions to businesses that are able to afford it. If you want to use social media to market your small business, make sure you’re using it strategically.

Read about How to Leverage TikTok for Small Business here.

5. Use email marketing.

Email marketing can be a great way to reach out to potential and existing customers. By sending newsletters, special offers, and other types of email content, you can stay top-of-mind with your audience and continue to encourage them to do business with you.

Email marketing can be done for free using a service like MailChimp, or you can use a more sophisticated email marketing service like Constant Contact. Why You Need Visuals in your E-mail Marketing Campaign.

6. Host events.

Events are a great way to connect with potential customers and create some buzz around your small business. You can host a grand opening, a customer appreciation day, or a seminar series. It doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to put on an in-store event! If you’re having a sale on big-ticket items, host an open house to show them off!

Whatever you choose, make sure you promote your event heavily so people will know about it. Use your social media, e-mail marketing, and physical flyers. Really market the event as much as possible and early so that people have time to make plans to attend your event. Events that aren’t well-planned will falter, so make sure that you have the event planned and marketed well in advance to the actual event date.

You can even bring livestreaming into your marketing strategy. Livestreaming will allow you to host online events instead of an in-person one. This type of event will allow you to save on having to host people in-person and give you flexibility to host your event anywhere with a wifi connection.

7. Get creative with your marketing.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing, so get creative and see what works for you. Try out new things, and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. After all, your small business is unique, so your marketing should be too.

Even just trying things that have been around but you haven’t been able to try yet will help you really bring out the creative side of your marketing. If you haven’t created videos for your marketing strategy then now is the time to do so! They can be anything from a brand sizzle, to a full documentary, and so much more.

8. Focus on your customers.

Your customers should always be your top priority, so make sure your marketing efforts are focused on them. Understand their needs and wants. Create content and campaigns that speak to them directly.

You want to make sure that they know you’re paying attention to them and listening to their wants, needs, and opinions to the best of your ability without compromising your business as a whole.

9. Make it personal.

People do business with people they know, like, and trust. So make sure your marketing is personal and approachable. Put a face to your small business, and let your personality shine through.

This is where your branding will come into play again. You want to make sure that your business’s personality is well-known and recognizable. Make sure that it’s coherent in every space that your business exists, in the community, online, and everywhere else.

10. Build partnerships.

Partnering with other businesses, whether it’s through joint marketing initiatives or cross-promotions, can be a great way to reach new customers and grow your business.

If you’re already participating in your community, look to other businesses that are doing the same thing. You might find a company that is complimentary to yours and willing to collaborate.

11. Make it easy for people to buy from you.

Make sure your website is user-friendly and easy to navigate. Include clear calls to action, and make the purchase process as simple as possible. The easier it is for people to buy from you, the more likely they’ll be to do so.

12. Use data to your advantage.

Data is a powerful marketing tool, so make sure you’re collecting it and using it to inform your marketing decisions. Track your website traffic, social media engagement, and sales numbers, and use that information to adjust your marketing strategy as needed.

Just make sure that you’re consistent with your tracking. If you’re missing any data, then you’re not getting the whole picture.

13. Test, test, test.

When it comes to marketing, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach. What works for one small business might not work for another. The only way to know for sure is to test different marketing strategies and see what produces the best results.

When you’re getting creative with your marketing, you want to make sure that it’s going to do at least as well as your previous marketing efforts and break even with how much money you’ve spent on the content. If you can test it with a small sample of audience or be able to try it out before you pay to promote it online, do so and track that data!

14. Be patient.

Marketing takes time, so don’t expect to see results overnight. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a successful marketing campaign. Stay the course, and you’ll eventually see the fruits of your labor. Stay consistent with your marketing while you’re waiting to see how it grows over time.

15. Hire a marketing agency.

If you’re not sure where to start with your marketing campaigns or if you simply don’t have the time to do it yourself, consider hiring a marketing agency. A good marketing agency will have the experience and expertise to help you develop and implement a successful marketing strategy.

Marketing agencies make it their business to know the ins and outs of the current markets and be able to predict what trends are going to take off. They’re also not afraid to experiment to find the next big trend. Professionals will already have the equipment they need to make your marketing campaigns a success.

Hiring an agency is an investment, but it’s one that can pay off big time if done correctly. Make sure to do your research and hire an agency that you feel comfortable with.

If you’re looking for marketing that is truly one-of-a-kind, consider hiring a company like C&I Studios!

C&I Studios is an idea agency. We like to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions that get results. We offer a variety of marketing services, including social media marketing, content marketing, and brand development.

We’ve worked with both small businesses that are local to our studios as well a big name brands like Coca Cola and Apple. If you’d like to take a look at our portfolio to see what types of projects we’ve worked on, click here.

We hope that this post has given you a lot to try out for your small business marketing strategy. If you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to C&I Studios. We’re always happy to chat about marketing!