Smart Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

It is no secret that marketing strategies you choose can make or break your business. Particularly if your business is a small business.

No doubts here.

So, make sure to implement effective marketing strategies that actually work – the smart marketing strategies.

Keep in mind that the marketing strategies that you select should be those that get the most bang for the buck. One of the biggest dangers is spending too much money on strategies that do not bring in customers.

Doing things in a smart way helps you to meet these goals. With smart marketing strategies, you increase your chances of getting the best results for minimum investment.

Here are 5 super smart marketing strategies for your small business that will help generate results while not breaking the bank.

1. Website

This is a complete no-brainer. You already know that website is an unbelievably effective marketing vehicle, don’t you? Do you know how many websites are there?

Billions!

People all over the world utilize the power of websites for their businesses. However, not all websites are equally effective. Some of them barely deliver any significant result from the marketing perspective.

So, what you want is a website operated in a smart way.

While traditional media outlets such as radio, television, and newspapers still play an important role, your website will be the foundation of your marketing success. This is because more consumers today use the internet to find the products and services they need. Your website must provide a place that consumers can use to find information, research your product or service line, and make the purchase.

Your website is the center of your presence on the web, so it needs to be more than just attractive, it needs to:

• get regular traffic;
• be easy to navigate and;
• encourage visitors to become your customers.

The good news is that building a strong website is possible and not that expensive nowadays. But, be prepared to invest enough time and energy to make it work.

This is a time consuming process.

However, once built it will work for years to bring in potential customers and help your business thrive.

2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Now that you have a good website, it should be optimized for search engines. SEO is arguably the most powerful passive marketing strategy on the web. By using keywords or key phrases, consumers using search engines will find your website when looking for the products or services you offer. By localizing your SEO, you can get more foot traffic through the front door.

You can add to the SEO by signing up your business in local high-quality directories (make sure you avoid low quality directories) which allow consumers to find you through their computers or mobile devices. Keep in mind that more people today use smartphones and tablets to find what they need on the web, so your SEO should be geared to bring them to you.

Although SEO is perfectly smart marketing strategy it’s super tough and challenging. However, it’s usually worth the effort and pays off eventually.

3. Content Marketing

Closely interconnected with SEO, Content Marketing is one of the most effective (and smart) marketing strategies out there. From updating your website to writing articles about your business and industry, the content you create (if the quality is high enough) can build a strong customer base with little in the way of expense.

Consumers are not only looking for products and services. They look for information as well. Making the best decision means finding the right information, so if you can provide that through your content, you are one-step closer in turning a visitor into a customer. You can augment your content with SEO, using the right keywords that draw in those interested in what you have to offer.

Plus, you can incorporate social media sites that your customers use to stay in touch and to spread the word about your business. A single “like” on Facebook to one of your posts may mean bringing in dozens of interested consumers. In case your Facebook publications do not get enough traction, try to boost them and make sure you do it in an effective way.

The smartest marketing strategies for small business do not have to be expensive (Entrepreneur Nigeria has more topics about this), but they are geared towards long-term success. By building for the future, you can grow your small business to reach and exceed the goals you set when starting up your company.

4. Branding

Building up your business brand which also boosts your identity is arguably the smartest of all business strategies. Your branding will consist mostly of the following;

• Business Name
• Logo
• Imagery
• Colors
• Specific Graphic Elements

In other words, how your business communicates to consumers will be mostly based on your brand and identity. All the elements must work together if your company is going to succeed. This means that your logo, colors, and imagery must provide a tone and feeling that compliments how you reach customers. So, if you run a security company, then your branding should reflect by how it communicates to the public.

This will mean researching and spending a little money getting the right logo, colors, and imagery for your business. It is worth the effort because what you spend now will pay off in the years to come. When you think of the successful businesses that only make minor changes to their branding over the decades, you can see how important it is to your success.

5. Email Lists

Although this may sound like a cliché, the email list is indeed one of the most tried-and-true of all marketing strategies out there. Around the world, companies both small and large compile lists of emails from those who visit or purchase from their site. The purpose of the list is to send more information at various times which helps turn interested consumers into customers.

List building goes back several decades and is one of the few traditional marketing strategies that is perfectly suited to the Internet. By building up a list of interested consumers, you can inform them about new products, provide coupons and discounts, and offer useful information that they can use and appreciate.

Perhaps the best news about building an email list is that:

– You can do it for free;

– You can monetize your email newsletters;

– You 100% control it (which is not the case with social media profiles where you heavily depend on the platform).

Being in control of your marketing stuff (like your email list) is a super smart thing to do.

Depending on your business, you might be able to purchase a list, but you are better off starting one of your own. It will take time, but it will be well worth it thanks to the repeat business you will generate.

BONUS STRATEGY: Freebies

You may think that giving away things for free such as reports, checklists, or e-books might be wasting money. However, when it is done correctly you can build up a loyal customer base and bring in new customers as well. An informative e-book that offers valuable information that is related to your company or industry costs next to nothing to produce, yet it can be used as a lead magnet to draw in potential customers.

What you give away can be something simple, such as a one-page checklist that guides customers in using a specific product, or it can be a report or e-book about something of interest in your industry. Whatever you choose, it’s something that can draw people to your company for very little cost, and needless to say, it’s a great example of smart marketing.