A recent study from smallbiztrends.com found that the number one challenge for small businesses is marketing. In a survey with 304 business owners, 33% said that marketing was their biggest hurdle, while money and time were close seconds.
If you frequently feel that marketing is a major challenge for your own business, it’s time to reassess your marketing campaigns and why they may not be working. Remember, marketing is more than looking attractive. It has a job to do – attracting and retaining customers.
Here are a few ways to market more effectively and see a positive ROI from your efforts.
Create a Conversion-Focused Website
Your website’s design should complement its function – not the other way around. Be sure that your website is moving customers through the funnel and not just sitting pretty. Your home page should include a compelling headline, a clear call to action, social proof, contact information, visual content and relevant copy.
Optimize Your Site for Local SEO
Most of your customers will find you through Google. Make it easy to be found! To optimize your website for local SEO, add long tail keywords to your titles and meta descriptions, claim your Google My Business listing, encourage customer reviews and verify that all NAPs (name, address, phone number) match in the directories.
Create Valuable Content
Content marketing is an excellent way to drive relevant traffic to your site. Knowing what to write about can be tricky, though, especially if your industry is content heavy. Consider things from a buyer persona’s point of view. What do your customers care about? Aside from in-house content, don’t forget the power of user-generated content, guest blog writers, influencers and more.
Design a Nurturing Funnel
Not all customers will be ready to buy your product, and that’s okay. Keep customers in the funnel so they don’t forget about you. Typically, funnels are broken down into top (customer is looking for a solution), middle (customer is researching various products) and bottom (customer is ready to buy). Offer value by providing content and special offers for each stage of the funnel.
Leverage Social Media
Social media is an important piece of your marketing strategy. It generates brand awareness, builds stronger relationships and drives traffic to your site. Create content that your audience cares about and post it to your channels. Also, Facebook Ads are worth checking out. Thanks to Facebook’s targeting features, you can show your ads to a highly targeted audience without running through your budget.
Take Advantage of Partnerships
Small businesses shouldn’t underestimate the value in having partnerships. Partner with businesses that have access to your ideal customers. By promoting each other’s products and services, you can save on advertising costs while working toward your goals. When it comes to marketing, two are usually better than one!
Thanks to the internet, your small business can keep up with the big guys. You may have to be more savvy with your efforts, but it can be done. Keep in mind that marketing has a job to do and can’t simply look pretty. To ensure that your marketing is working for you, follow our tips above.
