Boost Your Small Business Visibility with 5 Digital Marketing Strategies
So you’ve got a great product or service, but you’re struggling to get visibility for your brand and connect with your ideal clients. It’s a common challenge small businesses often face, right up there with limited budgets and lack of time, combined with already-overextended resources.
Plus, let’s face it, your goal when you started your business probably wasn’t to become an expert digital marketer. But that’s almost what you have to become if you want to have any chance of standing out in a crowded market.
At Studio Three 49, we’ve had the pleasure of working with many small businesses and startup entrepreneurs, and we’ve experienced firsthand what works - and what doesn’t. That’s why we’re sharing the top 5 small business marketing strategies we recommend to effectively market to your potential customers and gain traction in your industry. With these strategies and tactics, you can effectively become your own mini digital marketing expert.
1. Identify your target audience.
One of the most important aspects of marketing is knowing your target audience. Who are your ideal customers? What do they care about? How do they like to be communicated with? By understanding your target audience, you can tailor your marketing efforts to speak directly to them and their needs.
For example, female founder, Karen Gordon, is the #1 trichologist for the salon industry in the US. She uses Instagram and Facebook to share her tips and recommendations with men and women struggling with thinning hair and hair loss, as well as to promote her upcoming educational webinars targeted to salon professionals.
Meanwhile, staffing and recruitment company, Advanced Resources, is focused on leveraging their LinkedIn following to reach hiring managers and professionals seeking new career opportunities.
By focusing on your target audience, you can improve the effectiveness of your messaging and tailor your specific marketing efforts to better reach your ideal clients and drive new business.
2. Serve, don’t sell.
Remember that behind every like, comment and share, there’s a real person with fears, pains and goals. Your message should reflect that and be about them, not you. What does that mean? So before you start rattling off your qualifications, certifications, years of experience and benefits of your amazing new {insert your product or service here}, share valuable and informative content that educates, entertains or solves a problem for your target audience.
This can take many forms, such as blog posts, videos, infographics, lead magnets and more. By creating content that is relevant and engaging to your target audience, you can build trust and establish yourself as an industry thought leader.
For example, private caregiver agency, Sitters, LLC, shares regular blog content repurposed as an email newsletter with helpful information and resources to support individuals caring for aging loved ones at home.
Content marketing allows you to demonstrate your expertise and provide value to your target audience. And by consistently delivering value, you can build brand awareness and authority, drive website traffic and generate new leads.
3. Leverage the power of social media.
It almost goes without saying that social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn offer powerful advertising tools that allow small businesses to compete with larger companies and gain traction. By using demographic targeting, location targeting and other advanced features, you can create highly effective ad campaigns that drive significant results for your business..
However, before you begin with paid social, make sure you’re optimizing your accounts and fully leveraging the data and insights you’re gathering from your organic social media. You don’t need to be on every platform. Pick the one to two focus platforms where your target audience is most likely to be hanging out and maintain a regular posting and engagement schedule.
When we collaborated with Houston-based interior design firm, Rosenberg+Gibson Design, to create a consistent Instagram presence, we started by sharing behind-the-scenes images of their design process, projects in progress and completed work. The result was a 48% follower growth rate, increased website traffic and scaled growth to expand their team.
Social media offers a vast potential audience for your business to connect with and with a targeted strategy, you can attract and engage directly with your ideal clients, increase awareness and build a solid foundation for more successful paid ad campaigns.
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4. Optimize your website for search engines.
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a little bit of a long game, but an essential component of any small business marketing strategy. It involves optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), so you can attract more organic traffic and generate more leads.
For example, if you’re an e-commerce store that sells handmade jewelry, you might optimize your website for keywords such as “handmade jewelry” or “artisan jewelry.” Meanwhile, if you’re a residential builder, you might optimize your website for location-specific keywords such as “builders in [city].”
SEO can be somewhat complex and time consuming. That’s why we love UberSuggest. It’s one of our favorite small business marketing tools to help with keyword research, competitor analysis and to track search engine rankings. With UberSuggest, you can identify areas for improvement, optimize your content for search engines and increase your visibility in search results.
5. Regularly update your Google Business profile.
Maintaining an up-to-date Google Business profile can have a significant impact on how your business shows up in search results. Google Maps, Search and other Google services heavily rely on what's listed in your profile, so it's important to take the time to make sure it's accurate and engaging.
The first and most important step, if you haven’t already done so, is to claim your profile. It’s free and it allows you to add and edit your business information. Make sure all the information is accurate and up-to-date, including your business name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation and business category.
Visual content is also a great way to showcase your business to potential customers. Be sure to include high-quality images and/or videos of your products or services, as well as your physical location if you have one.
Finally, make sure to regularly update your profile by sharing positive reviews and posting updates about your business. This is a great way to show Google that you're trustworthy, authoritative and actively engaged on their platform. In return, you could see a boost in your search ranking.
The Benefits of Outsourcing to a Boutique Digital Marketing Agency
If you're reading this, chances are you've already had some success with digital marketing and social media. But let's be real, using the same old tactics isn't going to take you to the next level. That's where we come in.
When you're ready to outsource your marketing, working with a boutique digital marketing agency like us can be a game-changer for small businesses. Here's why:
First off, we're all about personalization. We know that no two businesses are alike, so we take the time to understand your brand and create custom strategies that align perfectly with your business goals. Forget one-size-fits-all solutions - we're here to make you stand out and get noticed.
As a boutique agency, we're nimble and responsive to market trends and changes. And we genuinely care about giving you and your business the attention it deserves. You'll never feel like just a check-the-box to us.
And finally, get excited about unlimited creativity! We'll bring fresh ideas, new perspectives and expert insights to all of your marketing efforts.
Ready to take your digital image to the next level? Schedule your FREE ST49 Digital Review for personalized, expert advice and the best strategies to grow online.
