Marketing Strategies for Small businesses
Strategies serve as guides or templates for your business. If you are looking for a magic wand to show you the way, then you might have to look harder. The marketing world has been volatile in the past ten months of 2020 with some business not being able to survive the market from Covid-19 to the #endars movement.
For our small businesses to survive we must be flexible enough to adapt. Marketing strategies change from business to business. Just because company A who sells chips has decided to use affiliate strategies, does not precisely mean your business is ready or would work for you.
Step 1: Doing your Research
The first step to getting it right is doing your research, what marketing goals are crucial for you right now?”
- Getting new customers
- Increasing search engine views.
- Brand awareness
- Website visits.
Step 2: Creating your customer profile
- Who are my customers?
- Where can I find them?
- What is their interest?
- The type of content they need?
Step 3: Get a Brand persona
Brand personas are becoming ever popular among brands as it gives you a voice in the marketplace. Most marketers refer to them as brand archetypes; some include The Jester, The Hero, The magician, The caregiver e.t.c.
Content marketing plan
Content marketing is a tool and method for creating and sharing helpful information to your target audience consistently which would help drive the decision to purchase products. Every content plan differs from organization to organization, and it’s our sole responsibility to combine contents that work.
Content can be:
- Podcast
- Online Webinars
- Youtube videos
- Social media posts.
- Blog content.
Plan for Organic reach
If you probably joined the social media web some years ago, penetration strategies would have been easier. Today according to popular internet marketing superstar Gary Vaynerchuk, these are the only two platforms with massive organic reach right now in 2020.
This organic reach is on Tiktok and Instagram and you may want to consider it as you plan. However, not all platforms are beneficial for you. Suppose you have a product that has more visual appeal. In that case, you can choose Instagram, for example, if you are in the fashion industry against another who is into the software business.
If you are in the B2B then Linkedin or Twitter would be a great place to start putting out your brand presence.
Search Engine Optimization
Most consumers before making a purchase decision may have gone online to get information from indigenous forums like Nairaland to find out prices or what reviews people have said about a product.
If you neglect most things online, then google business options are not to be played around with because that could get you the big break you are looking for.
SEO is the use of strategic keywords relevant to your industry in your content online. The aim is to ensure that you end up within the first two pages of a google search, anything less won’t work.
Email Marketing
Most decision-makers prefer opening emails to the ratio of phone calls, and email marketing is a fantastic way to promote new products or even upsell new offerings to existing customers. A lot of businesses are generating millions through email marketing. Think of companies like Konga or Jumia who leverage this channel to send us promos and discounts.
Pay Per Click
This is also known as paid search marketing, especially on google, which, when appropriately used, drives people to your eCommerce store or your sales landing page.
PPC usually appears as one of the first options of search on google. It may be costly in the long run but you only get charged when a prospect clicks the link to your page. Organic reach would be quite difficult for small businesses today. The best option would be to go for a paid search.
Have a great website
Getting a website these days can be done solely by yourself till you have enough to upgrade to using a web developer. Businesses such as WIX offer options for website creations for non-coders. It must be user-friendly and well – detailed with all your contact information.
Facebook Ads
Facebook reaches a wide audience of more than 20% of the world’s population, imagine the possibilities for your business. Facebook has an ad manager that allows you to promote an existing post or new post to your target audience at a very minimal budget.
Brand Identity
Have a distinct brand identity by getting yourself a logo and a brand visual (colours). Your branding can be used on contact cards and email signatures, which gives a distinctive look among your competitors. Don’t forget it must be memorable (easy to remember).
If you are running a small or growing business; you want to test and select the mediums or channels that earn you more results in terms of your goals, whether it be driving traffic to your website or getting more views on google, or listing yourself on google my business.
Freelancers can be hired at a minimal cost to execute some of these strategies if you have your hands full of business activity and can’t do them on your own.
Many popular internet businesses rolling in thousands of naira started by testing out these strategies and taking into account our dynamic environment and making changes as required.
