Hubspot recently published their Ultimate List of Marketing Statistics for 2018. The top challenges listed by businesses? In first place, 63% reported generating traffic and leads as a real struggle. Proving return on investment (ROI) of marketing activities came in second with 40% and securing enough budget followed close behind with 28%.
So, marketing your business can be costly, confusing, and can feel like hitting your head against a brick wall. For small or medium-sized businesses with modest marketing budgets, it can be difficult to know where to start and which activities to prioritise. Fear not – here are 5 top tips for marketing your business.
- Get sociable
It can feel a bit like reliving the first day of school, but you need to put your business out there to get noticed. This is especially true of B2C companies or those targeting a young demographic.
There are seemingly endless options when it comes to social media platforms: Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook and LinkedIn. Rather than burn yourself out on social media, pick a couple of platforms that suit your brand and focus on building a following there. You can always expand to new channels later on.
- Bring something to the conversation
Attract new customers and improve your Google rankings by putting out valuable content. Behind-the-scenes blogs, videos, podcasts, thought pieces on current events… There are so many ways to share information. Pick a few and generate free traffic, build brand awareness, and establish your expertise in your field.
Too busy to run a blog? You can hire freelancers for reasonable rates through sites like Upwork.
- Embrace the power of the freebie
Everyone loves free stuff! It’s practically human nature. Tantalise your customer base with some high-quality contests and giveaways. You establish your brand as generous and cool, get your name out there, and widen your potential market.
Don’t feel like your freebies need to cost the world. Things like printables and e-books can please and help customers, while tokens like bookmarks and keychains always go down well. You could also run giveaways for products in return for honest reviews.
- Team up
If you’re a small business, chances are your suppliers and vendors could also use a marketing boost. Pair up to save costs and reach a broader audience – you could start a referral rewards programme or send out a flyer with each other’s post and split the postage costs.
- You’ve given away – now give back
Your marketing activities should not only benefit you. Your customers will be left feeling used and unappreciated – bad news for everyone. Get in the mindset of helping your audience and your messages will be welcome distractions rather than annoyances.
How you do this is up to you. Provide education, entertainment, community assistance – whatever. Put others first and the marketing boost, along with warm, fuzzy feelings, will reward you.
One of the best ways to spread your message is through a regular email newsletter. For a professional and easy-to-use template, consider trying email newsletter software.
