6 Small Business Marketing Strategies and Tactics That Work

Every business needs a robust marketing strategy that prioritizes its online presence. With 97% of people researching local businesses online, you must meet them where they spend the most time. But, many small businesses struggle with low budgets and limited marketing resources. If you’re one of them, we got you. We share six Small Business Marketing Strategies & simple tactics that can help you establish a result-driven marketing strategy and skyrocket your growth on a budget.

Social Media

Thanks to social media, you can share updates in real-time and completely control the narrative. Moreover, social media is a great place to build user-generated content, get feedback, and address customer service concerns. Most importantly, social media presence is a must if you’re looking to address a larger audience and engage with customers regularly. 

First, determine on which platforms your target audience spends the most time and what type of content they love and talk about. Then, consider how you can give them value to make an impact. Finally, take time and invest in organic social media growth. For example, if your target audience is mostly on Instagram, you need to, first, learn how to get more followers on Instagram and start building your social media strategy from there. 

Content Marketing

Creating relevant and engaging content can help you generate leads and boost your close rate by capturing your target audience’s interest and building trust. High-quality content will show potential clients why they should choose you over your competitors, but it will also increase the chances of getting featured and attract backlinks, increasing your domain authority. 

Showcase your expertise, brand values, and differentiation through different content formats such as blogs, infographics, e-books, and videos. Be sure to combine your content efforts with SEO so that your content ranks high on SERPs. 

Email Marketing

For 81% of small businesses, email is the primary customer acquisition channel, and 80% rely on it for retention. Email marketing lets you build a personalized relationship with customers and nurture them after their first purchase. First, build your email list. Consider offering something valuable, such as a free e-book or a coupon, to customers who join. Also, include a signup form on all your website pages and use social media to share the signup links. 

Once you build your list, send a regular newsletter with company updates. Moreover, segment the list based on relevant criteria and email your customers with the right content and offers at the right time in their buyer journey. This can help you influence a purchase decision without hurting your marketing budget. 

PPC

Pay-per-click advertising isn’t exclusive to large corporations; small businesses can benefit from it as well. PPC allows you to create ads and start bringing in leads fast. These ads offer plenty of targeting options available. For example, you can target users based on area, age, gender, and device type. This will boost your chance of converting while also maximizing your budget. 

Last but not least, PPC offers unprecedented flexibility as you can easily edit your ads and set a budget that works best for you. Plus, you’re only paying for the clicks you get, so you can accurately track where your money goes. For best results, use PPC ads to support your SEO efforts with fast results. 

Referral Marketing

Referral marketing involves rewarding a current customer for recommending your products or services to their friends. This tactic encourages word-of-mouth marketing, which is one of the most trusted Small Business Marketing Strategies. It’s simple—people trust recommendations from their friends and family more than any other source of information. 

Referral marketing is a low-cost tactic that helps you expand your reach and drive more sales within your target market. What is more, referred customers have a 25% higher lifetime value than other customers.  

Reviews 

Online reviews are an essential marketing tool for small businesses. In addition to providing valuable feedback, they can increase your reputation and enhance your SEO ranking, boosting your ROI. 

Encourage reviews by making it easy to post and including a link where people can read reviews. Also, engage with your customers and show your appreciation for their reviews. On the other hand, don’t panic if you see a negative review. Instead, make sure to act quickly to resolve issues and reduce the customer’s dissatisfaction. 

Final Words 

If you’re just starting to build your online presence, you have a long road ahead. These six Small Business Marketing Strategies are proven to work for small businesses. However, keep in mind that some tactics such as blogging can take a few months to start generating results, whereas PPC can have immediate effects. Curate your strategy carefully and monitor the performance to maximize your efforts.