Your clients are your business’s top priority. But without the right marketing approach, you’re missing out on new leads and customers.
Finding new ways to connect with your customer base will help you grow your business. Small business marketing continues to change with the latest digital marketing trends, new technologies like automation, and new platforms and media outlets that consumers are engaging with.
So how do you improve your marketing strategy to stand out in your industry? Here are a few ways:
- Recognize how marketing has changed
- Use email marketing
- Improve your social media presence
- Make content SEO-friendly
- Integrate personalization
- Join a vendor platform
Let’s take a deeper look at each of these marketing tips.
Recognize how marketing has changed
Trends like remote work and automation have changed the way that small businesses market to their audience. When was the last time you updated your strategy to respond to some of these trends? You should definitely be focused on digital marketing, for example, which requires a strong online presence, a user-friendly website, and a method to track leads.
Speaking of tracking leads, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, is basically a database of client information. A CRM helps you track and manage your leads, improving your ability to connect with people who have shown interest in your business.
The year 2020 has been a significant challenge for most people in one way or another. Brands are now sending messages that are more supportive than persuasive. Remember to read the room and try to let your clients know that you’re here for them as the new year begins.
Use email marketing
Email marketing is a very effective way to connect with your audiences. Using a CRM will help you track leads that will then turn into subscribers. Create exciting, original content for your email newsletters. For example, you could include:
- Company news and announcements
- Product and service highlights
- Employee or customer profiles
- News and articles related to your industry
Effective email marketing can help you grow your online presence and increase awareness about your business, connecting you with your audience in new and engaging ways.
Improve your social media presence
More than ever, social media is a way for people to connect with their favorite brands and businesses. As a small business, these outlets give you unique opportunities to monitor customer behavior and connect with them on a more personal level through posts, comments, and direct messages.
Improve your social media presence by posting new forms of content. For example, create a short video about your business showcasing a new service or a company milestone. Ask a question or create a poll for your social media audience to answer. These ideas will help your followers engage with you in new ways, which builds community support and loyalty.
Make content SEO-friendly
When you’re posting online, your content needs to be ready for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This requires keyword research, which helps you understand what your ideal audience searches for online. Google has sophisticated algorithms that identify legitimate websites and pair user searches with what Google thinks is most relevant.
As a small business, focus on mixing keywords about your products and services with your location since people in your area will be looking for services near them.
Another point to remember is that Google can also recognize when you include too many keywords in your content, which is known as keyword stuffing. Make sure your posts and website copy are well-written and authentic. Post regularly, use a spell check, and send out content that will actually interest your audience.
Integrate personalization
How well do you know your audience? Identifying your particular niche in the market is a must to reach the right people. Questions to ask:
- What do they care about the most?
- What are their biggest pain points?
- Where do they find information about businesses and brands?
Create a buyer persona so you can really start to think like them. Then, integrate personalization tactics to create more customized experiences. This requires gathering data about your customers (for example, by looking at your website or social media stats) and targeting customers based on their behaviors and motivators. Create personalized content that will appeal to the specific customer persona you’ve created.
Join a vendor platform
Using an online vendor platform can also help you connect with clients in need in your area. The online VendorSmart database allows you to showcase your services on a profile that HOAs in need can access and view. Join the web-based marketplace and connect with community managers looking for vendor services in their area.
Contact VendorSmart to learn more about how we help.