The Top 5 “Marketing Musts” for Small Businesses

In this article, I introduce you to 5 key marketing strategies and tactics that small business owners must take seriously if they are to thrive this year.

First of all, we are in a very tough world, so if you are managing to keep your business going, look after your existing customers, deal with your children (if you have any) and still generally function every day, then hats off to you.

When there is so much to do, it can be difficult to know where to turn when it comes to your Marketing, so for that reason, I want to make it really easy for you, and give you the “heads up” on what I know to be a smart move for any small business in marketing right now.

Now, I’m not talking about niche customers, marketing messages, how you package your proposition and all that jazz… if you want to know more about that then you should definitely get involved in this free online training.

I’m talking about 5 core marketing stategies for you to put into the mix for 2021. So here goes:

(1) Video Marketing

So here, I’m talking about ensuring you are using video on your website, within your social media, a YouTube channel, and live videos too.

The wonderful thing about video is that not only is it highly engaging for your audience, but it is most certainly favoured by social media channels and of course google, who is the parent company of YouTube. That means, in general, you organic reach will be much better than a simple written post.

On top of that, videos can be used to explain to your customers and prospects so much easier and more efficiently too, which in turn increases your ROI.

Don’t delay, get involved in this!

You don’t need to get smart. If you’ve got a good mobile phone, then get shooting!

Start with a simple video that explains who you are, and how you help your customers. You can then advance onto explainer videos, how to videos and lots more.

(2) Email Marketing

Do you have piles of business cards sat on your desk?

Do you have your customer details sat in a spreadsheet, or within your billing system?

Do you have customer information just hanging around in your inbox?

All of this is the makings of your marketing list (a database of customers and prospects) that you can use to communicate with.

Of course, it needs to be GDPR compliant – so make sure you are using a reputable CRM system (e.g. Mailchimp, Infusionsoft, etc). However having a list of this nature helps you to stay in touch with those individuals, send them truly valuable information that enhances their life in some way, so that when the time comes to buy, they buy from you.

Believe no one that says Email Marketing is dead. For us and our clients, we know that a list of individuals that are your target market is just a pile of cash waiting to be converted.

But it will take time, and your job is to stay in touch to make sure they know you, like you and trust you. And when they are ready, they will choose you.

How frequently are you communicating with your customers and prospects through email marketing? What do you need to do to make this more effective?

(3) Befriend Google

There are so many strategies, tools and tactics that you can use when it comes to Google. They have so much to offer. So let’s start small.

If you haven’t yet got a Google My Business profile, then this is where you need to start. Google My Business will help you to get found when someone is searching for you, or a business like you, through a Google search and on maps. It basically gives you a listing for your business on Google.

Plus, this service is free. So it’s a good idea to start your listing and build a powerful profile now.

Just click here and you can get going.

Online Advertising

(4) Online Advertising

All of the core social media platforms are great for advertising, and an example of this is Facebook. It has a powerful, smart, intelligent system that sits within it, allowing for some clever targeting

Looking or parents with pre-school kids? No problem, you can target them.
Looking for anyone with the job title “HR Manager”? Yes, you can target on job title too.
Looking for those with a high net worth? Uh-huh. You can go straight to them.
Plus lots more, and of course, the obvious targeting such as location, age, gender.

You don’t need crazy big marketing budgets for this. You can start small and scale. So are you prepared to dip your toe in the water?

(5) Sales Calls

Sales calls can single-handedly help you to scale your business. Ask yourself this:

What customers have I not spoken to recently that might need more support?
Who in my database is very engaged, and would benefit from me speaking to them?
What leads have I got that I haven’t followed up on?
You don’t need to make a sales call per se; but what you can do is make a simple support call to ask one killer questions.

Examples:

If I’m a Virtual Assistant, “When it comes to managing your time, what do you struggle with the most?”
If I’m an Accountant, “When it comes to your business finances, what are you biggest concerns right now?”
If I am a skin specialist, “When it comes to your skin, what is it that you feel needs to improve right now?”
These questions open the conversation. You don’t need to sell, you just need to ask a powerful questions, and listen intently to what they need from you.

If it doesn’t result in a sale straight away, that’s fine. You just managed to have a good conversation, perhaps given some advice, and have just added a tick in the “know, like and trust” box.

Make sure you call them back to see how they’re getting on. Perhaps next time, they’ll be ready to buy!

So what will you do to get some important call time in your diary?

So these are my top 5 for now.

You don’t need to do them all, but out of these, what might make the biggest positive impact on your business. Do that!

If you would like to find out more about these, as well as lots of other fantastic ways to scale this year, why not attend our free Online Masterclass – “Kick-Start Your Marketing: Must Have Marketing for Success in 2021.”

LinkedIn for Small Businesses - Changes in 2024

Two LinkedIn for Small Businesses – key changes to chat about in February 2024:1. Removal of Creator Mode2. Enhancing networking and interaction In this article we look at both, and what it means to SME...

View Blog Post
How to use Blogs for SEO

When I started to write this article, it was not called ‘How to use Blogs for SEO’. You see, I knew what I wanted to tell you, dear reader, but the first thing I did before I decided on the title...

View Blog Post
Pricing Structures for Businesses

When it comes to Sales, there's no end to the pricing structures you can put in place, and it's an area you must get right....

View Blog Post