Outlines 15 simple and smart marketing ideas for small business to promote their profile and brand.
The world of marketing has evolved greatly over the last few years due to digitalisation and the rise of advanced information tech thanks to automation, artificial intelligence, AR/ VR, and the likes. And while the tools, trends and technology will continue to grow and flourish, and create more opportunities in its wake, it’s important for businesses to stay familiar and up to date with them in the first place so as to take advantage in their marketing campaigns.
However, unlike traditional marketing which was limited to pen and paper, or a phone call; modern-day marketing ideas for small business — aka digital or online marketing — has spread in the digital world like a virus. A good virus perhaps, but a virus nonetheless, which is everywhere, from a search engine like Google to social media giants like Facebook, from online communities and review forums to emails, blogs and newswires, and from instant messengers to all kinds of gaming, dating, and shopping apps that you could think of.
The point is, using and keeping tabs on such an overwhelming number of channels is quite challenging in itself. And that’s why business owners need to be at the top of their A-game when it comes to marketing ideas for small business, and at all times.
15 marketing ideas for small business
Keeping that in mind, here’s a list of 15 easy and creative marketing ideas that you can use in your marketing plan right away:
1. Take your SEO game up a notch
Search engine optimization — or Google as we know it — is where marketing ideas for small business begins for most internet wayfarers. It’s where 93% of all our online activities take place. And this is why it’s of utmost importance to optimize your online content including sites, web pages, apps, and social media profiles on par with the search engine ranking criteria of Google. The more you align your SEO with Google’s bots and algorithms, the better the visibility and the higher the rankings you can get.
2. Be active on social media
After Google, social media platforms may very well be the second most common place for hangout. It’s where people meet, talk, and spend a good amount of their time on a daily basis. With over half of the world’s population already on social media, it’d be a blunder to turn your eye off it and not use it for the purpose of marketing ideas for small business.
3. Use Videos to explain and promote
Videos are known to increase the conversion rate by 86%, say the sources. It’s an effective form of marketing ideas for small business that you can use for a number of marketing goals. Be it a new product launch, or presenting a demo, be it an explanatory video or a promotion clip, videos can get your message across in an appealing and impactful manner.
4. Don’t forget TikTok
Speaking of videos, it’s impossible to miss the newest member in the 1 billion active users club- TikTok! Along with the videos and short clips, it also lets you advertise and market your products using TikTok Ads.
5. Integrate automation
Marketing automation can save both time and money with any marketing ideas for small business, all the while sparing your employees to focus on more critical tasks at hand. From chatbots to emails, from workflows to social media presence, and from mobile marketing to personalisation, there’s a lot you can achieve by integrating automation into your daily tasks.
6. Take advantage of extended reality (XR)
Extended Reality, which is the umbrella term for AR (Augmented reality), VR (Virtual reality), and MR (Mixed reality), is the technique of immersing viewers or users into a completely virtual environment by engaging our sense of taste, sight, smell, touch, and hearing. More and more businesses are opting for it as one of the growing marketing ideas for small business to provide a more realistic view of their products and services to their consumers, and so should you.
7. Personalize your messages
Personalisation is yet another astounding method of targeted marketing ideas for small business. First, it can make you understand your target audience, and second help customize the content according to different likes of people.
8. Leverage UGC (User-generated content)
User-generated content has been playing a big role in the digital marketing ideas for small business of late. And that includes everything that users say about you via commenting, posting reviews, feedback and other ways. So pay close attention to it because social listening could help you gain the very opportunity you might be looking for.
9. Reward your loyal customers
Rewarding customers from time to time using referral programs, hosting contests/ questioners, discounts, free coupons, cashback offers, and giveaways are a great way of getting them to do your bidding or market on your behalf. Giving free product samples is also a great one of the marketing ideas for small business in relation to retaining unhappy or dissatisfied customers.
10. Affiliate with other brands
Brand affiliation is a win-win one of the marketing ideas for small business for a reason. Firstly, it can get you more consumers and business opportunities, and secondly because it can help you build partnerships with other businesses in your area, thus establishing authority within the community.
11. Connect with online influencers
Believe it or not, celebrities and athletes are not the only ones with a huge number of followers. There are plenty of independent influencers whose words can make the right impact, and whom you should be in touch with when you need someone famous to vouch for your brand or products.
12. Post new content
Content is the undisputed king of online marketing ideas for small business and will remain so for years to come. So don’t hold back or feel tired of coming up with unique and original content if you want to keep getting the attention of your audience.
13. Get creative with e-mail marketing
Email marketing is still the most productive type of online marketing ideas for small business there is when it comes to generating higher ROI (44%). And with techniques such as automation and personalisation, it is sure to earn you more leads as well as conversions than ever before.
14. Focus on mobile optimization
Mobile optimization is the end-all of online marketing ideas for small business — and businesses as a whole. You have to have mobile compatibility in all your online pages, stores, websites, social networks and so on so as to be able to connect with a wider audience base.
15. Manage your online reviews
Last but not the least, online reviews play a rather larger role in your online reputation than it seems. Therefore, you need to have someone empathetic and friendly to deal with and manage your online reviews in your favor.
Conclusion
Remember, marketing ideas for small business in the modern day are all about using all the channels and means of communication to your advantage by mixing them up a little with advanced technologies like automation, personalisation and virtualisation.
