In need of some marketing inspiration to help get your business going? From social media marketing and understanding analytics, we’ve got you covered with these 8 marketing tips to help your business stand out from the crowd.
1. Consistent branding and messages
Having strong branding and logo’s is one of the powerful ways you can stay in the mind of your customers. Spending some time to plan and understand what your key messages are, where your branding is used is a worth-while exercise.
If you are a business that’s in the health industry for example, you want to ensure your sending out the right messages that align with your brand values (like sharing health tips, related products, healthy recipes etc). Your messaging needs to be clear to your customers so they know exactly what you do, how to get in contact and any other relevant details.
It’s also a good time to assess where your branding and logos are being placed and that they are all the same. If you have undergone a change in logo make sure they are all updated to avoid any confusion and to maintain a professional look.
2. Get help with apps and tools
When you are trying to manage everything running your own business, it can feel overwhelming and hard to do it all. Luckily, there are thousands of apps out there which can help when it comes to marketing your business.
From helping with graphic design to scheduling your social media, these apps will help free up time and get the creative juice going. Here are a few to check out:
- Canva – helps to create stunning marketing collateral things like social media posts with ready made templates and the tools to create your own designs.
- Hootsuite – is a social media management program that lets you schedule posts, monitor and manage your social media accounts. It can also be integrated with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube accounts.
- Dropbox – a cloud based app that you can store photos and files in, allowing you to free up storage on your devices and access the files anywhere.
- Buffer – is a social media tool that lets you schedule posts directly to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
2. Analyse the data
Taking the time to understand the analytics and metrics behind your website and social media channels is vital. These details give you a direct insight into how your customers are interacting with your business, valuable data that can be used to steer your marketing decisions.
Looking at data like the demographics of your customers allows you create more targeted marketing campaigns. With the help of platforms like Google Analytics, you can see details like what time of day people are visiting your site, what pages they are looking at and for how long.
4. Start a blog
A great way to drive some traffic to your brand is by having a blog. Not only is it another avenue to be reach out to potential customers, it’s a tool that can help build your business’ credibility as a knowledgeable resource in your industry.
You don’t need to spend a fortune to start a blog with many inexpensive and free website templates and tools available online. Once you have selected your blogs format, aim to publish once a week to assist with building your business’ online visibility.
After time as your blog starts to build up an audience, include call-to-actions within your posts, prompting your visitors to subscribe to your blog, receive newsletters or follow your social media accounts. Having these leads of potential customers is another way to easily build your business.
5. Optimise your website for mobile
With most Google searches coming from mobile devices, it makes sense to ensure your website is optimised for mobile viewing. You want your website to be easy to navigate, clean and appealing to customers. Having a mobile site can also help with your ranking with search engines like Google who rewards mobile sites with a higher ranking.
For those of us that aren’t so tech-savvy, fear not! Many platforms already have pre-built templates to create a mobile-friendly sites without having to go to too much hassle.
6. Encourage customer reviews
We all know how powerful word-of-mouth is in the business world, so when your customers share their good experience it’s important to get the word out there for others to see. There are many channels your customers can share their opinions. For example, social media, reviewing sites and directly on your website.
Put those rave reviews to good use by publishing them for other potential customers to see. Purchase behaviours are heavily influenced by the recommendations and experiences by other customers, so get the good word out there!
7. Invest in a customer relationship management system
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems help to capture important information about your existing and potential customers like their details, interactions, and sales history for example. These details can be used to help craft personalised and tailored marketing campaigns.
These campaigns can be things like social media adverts and email marketing and can be integrated with other programs, once again making your marketing activities a little bit easier!
8. Don’t be afraid to try new things
As a small business owner, you’re always looking for ways to boost your business. Sometimes thinking outside the square, being brave and trying new things can be the best thing you can do. If you feel things are a bit flat, why not try some of these ideas?
- Run a contest- this can help grow awareness of your brand and drive more followers to your social media channels
- Offer a new product or service
- Collaborate with other small businesses
One of the best ways to get ideas is to ask your customers and your staff what they think the business could be doing better, what new products you could offer, and what may need to change.
Got a hot tip? We love hearing from our small business community, so if you’ve tried and tested marketing tip that’s worked well for your business, leave a note in the comments below.
