Starting With The Basics
Marketing your small business can be a scary thing when you don't know what you're doing, how much to spend, where to spend it, what to do yourself and what to have others do for you.
Luckily, small business owners looking to reach a local audience have some easy, inexpensive and creative ways to advertise that don't involve doing too much work!
First, if you haven't already formed a plan, consider the stages of marketing, sometimes referred to as a funnel, with the customers starting at the top of funnel and eventually making their way down to the bottom of the funnel, where the sale occurs.
The Marketing Funnel
- Brand awareness
This is where your prospects start their customer journey, going from "who the heck are you?" to learning your name and what it is you do! - Interest
At this point, the customer is thinking of a problem they have that you could help solve, learning about different options you offer, and comparing your business with similar ones. - Desire
Now ready to buy, the prospect just usually needs a few extra steps to get more assurance. Trust is key and this is the step when you need to build it, using testimonials, guarantees, a free trial, or maybe just a phone call to answer some questions. - Action
Finally, the bottom of the funnel! This is where your prospect is ready to commit to action, click the "buy now" button, or sign on the dotted line. Bring out your best call to action here.
Now that you know how your marketing funnel works, what are some things you can do to bring more people into that funnel?
Filling Your Funnel
I'll lay out a few easy steps to get your funnel flowing, using digital and social media marketing.
- Get social
Social media is key for small businesses! Even if you don't use Facebook or Instagram much in your own personal life, it is a must-have in order to establish your brand, image, communicate with your target audience, and it's free! This is perfect for spreading brand awareness.
If you can't think of things to post, even sharing a meme or two will get some eyeballs on your page, and may even get some likes, shares and comments, which leads to getting more and more views on your posts.
Don't be afraid to put your personality into your posts! If you are a solopreneur, don't try to act like you're a big business. Say "I" instead of "we." (It's hard to do, I know!) - Put good content out there
Possibilities are almost endless: blog posts, social media pictures or videos, infographics, a how-to video on Youtube, etc.
Whatever your business does, make content about it! If you make products, show them off! Make behind-the-scenes content about how it's made. This is going to build interest and desire in your product and service. Just be sure to give it time, stay consistent and you'll see results slowly but surely. - Put an offer out there
Your website and your social media pages are a great place to entice people with an offer. It could be anything really! Get creative and put something enticing in front of your audience: a coupon, a freebie, a digital product like an e-book, or a giveaway are just some ideas.
Make sure you have a way to capture contact information and create an email list or allow people to opt-in for text messages in order to get a special discount. - Craft a compelling call to action
To be effective, your call to action should have a deadline. Be as specific as possible stating how people need to act and when!
Instead of a "buy" button, use "buy now" or even better, "enter your email to get 20% off now!"
Make it seem exciting, limit the time available to act, and limit the number of items available. This creates urgency and scarcity.
Even if you feel like a total beginner, the best thing to do is just get started with your marketing and the best time is now!
Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any questions or want some local marketing ideas!
.jpg){kind=logo}