The ways that small businesses market to their target audience or customer base is constantly evolving. The face of advertising changes with changing trends and so small shops, businesses, and entrepreneurs have to constantly evaluate their advertising strategy and adjust to the changes in marketing. Here are a few ways that small businesses can market their company.
1. Create blog content for your own small business. Slow times can provide opportunity to tap into your experiences and procure an abundant supply of valuable content for the future. Today’s consumers have shorter attention spans now than ever before. This means that you can write shorter, more concise posts that still provide value without spending the time to write a novel.
2. Guest blog whenever you can. Not only does guest blogging expand your audience to whomever you’re blogging for, but it establishes yourself as a credible source in your industry. It can exponentially increase the reach of your content and thereby your business. Yes, quality writing takes considerable time and energy, but realizing that you can focus on quality vs. quantity for a post–in order to cater to short attention spans–makes it a little easier.
3. Be consistent on social media. Stay on-point with your brand and what you represent as a company. Participate in link or blog parties to expose your content to fresh eyes. Sharing your blog posts with these groups, or creating shareable content that outlines the goods or services you offer, moves your words to beyond your own audience to potential customers.
4. Collaborate with others in your industry. You can offer giveaways or create products together. Start a campaign. Just be sure that any collaborations are on-point with your brand and your purpose. Don’t stray too far from what would interest your target market.
5. Create a survey online targeted for your customers. Discover patterns in order to identify your ideal client. Use the results of these surveys to create products or services to fit your niche and promote these as much as possible.
The famed author Mark Twain once said, “Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.” Though your business be small, it can be of great value. I’ve learned at Verity that word-of-mouth can be your best form of advertising, so getting that word out there may produce the best results for your small business.
