In order to survive and grow, your business needs customers. In order to get customers, you need to promote your business. In the good old days, this was a matter of deciding between a flyer, a brochure, a postcard, or an ad in the local newspaper.

But in today’s digital world, the possibilities are endless.

So if you are struggling to figure out the best ways to promote your business; or even just what your options are, you are (a) not alone and (b) in the right place. Promoting your business is a must if you want to stand apart from your competitors and out to your customers, so let’s get started

• How do You Get a Market For Your Business?
• How Can I Market my Business For Free?
• How do I Promote Myself Employed Business?
• How do You Target More Customers?
• What Are The 3 Target Market Strategies?
• What Are The Best Marketing Strategies For a Startup Business?
• How Can I Advertise Cheaply?
• How do I Market my Small Business?
• How do I Advertise my Business Locally?
• How to Market Your Business on Social Media
• How to Market Your Business Online
• Creative Ways to Market Your Business
• How to Market Your Business to Other Businesses
• How to Promote Your Business on Facebook
• How to Promote Your Business in The Community
• How to Promote Your Business on Instagram

How do You Get a Market For Your Business?

1. Conduct market research

Market research is a key part of developing your market strategy. It is about collecting information that provides an insight into your customers thinking, buying patterns, and location. In addition, market research can also assist you to undertake an initial sales forecast, monitor market trends and keep an eye on what your competition is doing.

2. Profile your target markets

Trying to promote your product or service to everyone can be costly and ineffective. Grouping or segmenting your potential customers based on certain characteristics will help to focus your marketing efforts.

Read Also: 7 Effective Ways to Bootstrap your way back to Business

Generally segmentation is based on factors such as:

• geography – location
• demographics – age, gender, education level, income, occupation
• behaviour – loyalty, attitude, readiness to buy, usage rates
• lifestyle – social class, personality, personal values.

Your target market should have a need for your product or service and be willing to pay for your offer.

3. Identify your unique selling proposition (USP)

A USP is the unique reason your customers buy from you and not your competitors – it’s what makes your business stand out from the crowd. It is important to define what you do differently and be able to convey that to potential customers. Commonly, this reflects your special knowledge or skills.

Your USP may be having a new or unique offering or providing exceptional service. Start developing your USP by answering the following questions:

• What do you love most about your products and services?
• What special skills or knowledge do you have?
• What makes your customers come to you instead of your competitors?
• How do your customers benefit by purchasing your products or services?
• Which aspects do you generally highlight when you describe your business to strangers?

4. Develop your business brand

Every business, regardless of size, is likely to need a brand. A brand is more than a logo, colour or tagline. A well-articulated brand emotionally connects with your target customers and conveys who you are, what you stand for and what you can deliver.

5. Choose your marketing avenues

While there are many available, consider your target audience when you are determining which to use.

Options include a business website, social media, blogging, brochure and flyers, networking events, print advertising, word of mouth, cold calling and letter drops.

6. Set your goals and budget

Marketing goals will help you to define what you want to achieve through your marketing activities. Your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based.

You will also need to allocate a budget to your marketing activities. Your marketing budget will need to include elements such as:

• website development and maintenance
• search engine optimization strategy
• design of branding
• printing of promotional material (business cards, brochures, signage, etc)
• advertising
• donations and sponsorships
• employing staff to undertake marketing activities.

7. Nurture your loyal customers

Your customers are the key to your success so it is important to look after them and encourage loyalty. Providing exceptional customer service can keep people coming back and set you apart from your competitors.

Strategies to build loyalty in customers include:

• communicating regularly with customers through social media, blogs or e-news
• providing after-sale follow up
• delivering on your promises
• going the ‘extra mile’ and providing benefits that exceed initial expectations
• using feedback and complaints as an opportunity to improve services
• listening to customers
• training staff in customer service and basic sales processes.

8. Monitor and review

It is important to regularly monitor and review your marketing activities to determine whether they are achieving the desired outcome, such as increased sales. Initially you should review your marketing plan every three months to ensure your activities are supporting your strategy.

Once your business becomes more established review your plan when you introduce a new product or service, if a new competitor enters the market or if an issue arises that affects your industry.

Monitoring activities may include reviewing your sales figures on a regular basis (monthly) or monitoring customer activity during an advertising campaign. You can also access and review free analytic tools to determine the effectiveness of your social media or website campaigns.

How Can I Market my Business For Free?

Before the Internet, small businesses only had a few ways to market their products cheaply, through methods like printing out fliers or sponsoring little local events. Now there are all kinds of opportunities out there on the Web—you just need to know where to look.

Here are seven ways to promote your business online that won’t cost you a dime:

1. Use the three big local listing services

Registering your business with Google Places allows it to be found more easily on Google searches and it shows up on Google Maps. All you have to do is fill out the form and register, then get your business verified through their confirmation process, which can be done either with a phone call or snail mail.

Yahoo! also has a big database of businesses called Yahoo! Local. It’s free, and is certainly worth the few minutes it takes to set up. Microsoft’s Bing has a similar service that’s easy to sign up for.

2. Embrace social media

Social media isn’t just a tool to gain exposure—it has now become a necessary time investment for every business to make. You can tie in ads and offers on your Facebook page and have a direct channel with your customers on Twitter. Networking on LinkedIn—both at the personal and company level—can be another way to help your startup.

3. Start a blog

A blog not only helps your company get its name out through followers but is a way to connect with your consumers more directly. But remember that one of the major keys of blogging is to keep your stream updated as frequently as you can. A dormant, abandoned blog is worth nothing.

4. Put up multimedia on YouTube and Flickr

YouTube provides a free way to distribute creative promotional videos, but in order to succeed you must put up content that people want to view and are relevant to your business—a simple ad will not work. A Flickr profile can also help by giving you one place to compile all the photos for your business, and allows you to link back to your website.

5. SEO your company website

Search engine optimization cannot be underestimated in the world of constant Googling. Pick up a book or head over to an online how-to-guide on SEO and make sure your site is primed for performance on search engines.

6. Press releases

Every time your business does something newsworthy, don’t hesitate to shoot off a press release—maybe folks will pick up on it. They’re a powerful media tool to use to help generate publicity, and having free distribution of them is a bonus. There are dozens of websites out there that you can use for your press releases, such as PRLog and 24/7 Press Release. You can even hire a speechwriter to write a speech for you, allowing you to make the biggest positive impact possible.

7. Join a relevant online community and contribute

Every niche has communities online that you can get involved in. But just signing up for a forum and posting every once in a while about your business isn’t beneficial for anyone, and will likely just annoy people. Actively contribute and build a rapport with the community, while keeping your business out of it. Passively promote your business by putting a link in your signature or mentioning it only when the context is appropriate.

How do I Promote Myself Employed Business?

Marketing yourself as a freelancer is key to building a consistent flow of work and keeping yourself in business. But you don’t want to cast a wide net with marketing aimed at anyone with a pulse. Your specific service or product probably only applies to a small segment of the population, and that’s okay.

That specialization can help you build a strong brand for yourself within the niche, which often increases sales way more than trying to get everyone to buy what you’re selling. When you identify your target audience and establish metrics for success, you put your time and money to better use.

Figuring out your target audience starts by analyzing your product or service to figure out what problem it solves and who might have that problem. As you think about your product, you can start to build customer profiles to define your target audience. Use that information to make marketing decisions that appeal to that target persona.

1. Invest in a Fast, Well-Designed Website

Having a strong web presence helps your potential customers find you. If you don’t have a website, people might keep looking and opt for a competitor who does have a professional-looking website. If your site takes more than a few seconds to load, customers may leave and look elsewhere. A website that’s difficult to navigate on mobile devices also might send visitors packing.

That’s why a well-functioning site is essential for capturing people’s attention and getting them to stay on your site. You can speed up your site by eliminating “heavy” content like videos or images that take a while to load, as well as splitting pages with a lot of content into multiple pages.

While you’re at it, invest in a fresh and responsive web design. This ensures that, no matter what device someone visits your site from, the content and layout render properly, and navigation is simple. Put effort into a design that’s appealing and easy to navigate. Fortunately, price no longer has to be a barrier to getting a top-notch design. WordPress customizable themes offer an affordable or even free place to start.

Beyond the design, you can increase the perceived value of your brand by talking about the benefits — rather than just the features — of your products and including glowing customer testimonials. Keep the information simple with the most important information prominently displayed.

Using words and designs that appeal to your target audience also helps keep people on your page. If you’re targeting a young crowd, you don’t want to create a boring design with stuffy, encyclopedia-style content.

2. Use a Professional URL

Buying a professional URL and self-hosting your site shows your customers you take your business seriously, and the expense is a small price to pay to boost your credibility and professionalism to potential customers. You may also want to transition away from using your Gmail or Yahoo email address and replace it with an email address using your domain.

3. Invest in a Professional Logo

Your logo, like your website, is something you don’t want to skimp on, especially if you’re trying to come off as a professional. When you have just seconds to capture the attention of website visitors, you want to ensure that the logo they see is visually appealing.

Rather than DIY-ing your logo (unless you’re a professional designer), consider using a site like 99designs to crowdsource logo ideas inexpensively or find a freelance designer to help you on a site like Fiverr. Another option is to barter with a freelance designer. Say you’re a freelance writer. You might offer to write the web content for the designer or write a certain number of blog posts for them in exchange for designing a logo.

4. Ask Current Clients for Referrals

Word-of-mouth referrals are a good way to get more business, but how you handle referrals determines your success. Depending on the type of referral, a casual phone call may not do the trick. Consider sending a formal letter or email that outlines why you’re contacting them, who referred you and what you’d like to speak with them about. Make sure to use language that illustrates why the referral should contact you back.

While you may get lucky with an email or phone call, the best way to get referrals is to have your client formally introduce you. It doesn’t matter if it’s by email or in person, the fact that a client is willing to put their stamp of approval on you and your work speaks loudly enough.

You can encourage those direct referrals with a program that rewards your current customers for sharing your company. You might enter everyone who shares your Facebook page into a drawing, or you might offer a discount on a future purchase every time someone’s referral actually makes a purchase from you. Those incentives can spur your clients into telling more people about you.

5. Develop a Newsletter

If you have email contact information for your clients and prospects, email newsletters are a great way to keep you and your services top of mind. Each newsletter should have a purpose and offer value to the recipients to keep them reading.

You might go in-depth on a product or service, including a tutorial on a product, offer a sneak peek of upcoming products or sales, share a testimonial, or share some useful ideas for a product.

If you don’t have a lot of contacts, then adding a newsletter sign-up to your blog or website helps you grow your email list of potential clients while giving them something of value in return. Newsletters also have the potential to be shared, which can increase your reach as well.

6. Maintain a Current and Relevant Blog

Blogging can help you attract attention and build brand value. All content you create should be of interest to potential clients and offer them some type of value. They should feel like they gain something by reading your blog posts. It’s easy to fall into the trap of blogging about things that interest you, but a business blog as a part of your online marketing strategies should focus on your target audience and address what they want and need.

It should also subtly sell your products or services without sounding like a sales pitch. If you’re a freelance designer, you might write a blog post about how to hire a freelance designer. You’re providing valuable information while also promoting your business without coming right out and saying, “Hire me!

7. Use Your Content as a Public Relations Tool

Adding good content to your blog or website only takes you so far. You still need to find ways to lure readers to that content. Many large sites now use syndicated content providers, such as Outbrain and Taboola, to expand the reach of their content beyond their own websites.

These services help you get links to your content onto other sites. Some of the larger networks might also compensate you, but in many cases, getting your name out there is most important.

Another way is to reach out to a few sites directly. Contact the contributions editor or equivalent, and let them know about your content. Suggest how it might fit on their site and why it might be of interest to them, and ask for explicit permission for the site to republish the content.

Some editors may work with you, and others might never reply. But if you believe that your work is good and relevant to the site’s visitors, it’s certainly worth the effort to get it published outside of your network.

8. Implement Search Engine Optimization

As established as the practice of search engine optimization (SEO) seems to be, it’s still constantly changing, mostly due to Google and other search provider’s updates of their search algorithms. The first rule is to focus on quality content about a specific subject. Useful, well-written content sprinkled with a few relevant keywords often ranks better than something written quickly and stuffed with keywords. In other words, quality matters.

It’s also a good idea to choose keywords with less competition to increase your chances of ranking higher in search results. If you focus on “accountant” as your keyword for promoting your accounting services, you probably aren’t going to rank very high since it’s so broad and there’s already lots of content available. Instead, you might use “small business accounting services” or “accountants for restaurant owners” to hone in on your target audience.

9. Book Guest Speaking Engagements

Look for opportunities in your area to speak as an expert on whatever your business does. For example, is there a group of small business owners that get together once a month to discuss trends, challenges, or opportunities? It doesn’t even need to be a formal association meeting, but anywhere a significant number of your potential clients gather.

Reach out to your local Chamber of Commerce to see if they put on any events throughout the year that need speakers. You can also reach out to larger regional or national trade associations if you have strong qualifications or a reputation as an expert in the field.

Should you consider speaking, make sure you have a solid idea for your speech, an outline of what specifically you plan to talk about, and the takeaways for the attendees before reaching out. If possible, try to have the speech finished or nearly finished and a copy of your audio-visual aids completed as well. The organizers of the event may ask for these materials or something similar when making their decision.

10. Pitch Original Story Ideas to Sites You Respect

If you have a good original story idea (e.g. one that hasn’t been written for your website/blog) that you feel is relevant to the site’s audience, don’t hesitate to pitch it to the site editor or contributions editor.

Pitches are generally emails that outline your qualifications, your idea, and why you think it’s valuable to the site’s readership. You may even be able to get some type of compensation. But if you’re starting out or simply looking to widen your client base, then having a byline on a respected blog or news site can be payment enough.

Before you pitch an idea, remember that writing takes time to research and edit. If you believe the time you spend doing that isn’t worth your compensation—especially if you’re writing solely for a byline—then this marketing strategy might not be for you.

11. Hold Meetings in Professional Settings

The way you present yourself to clients can help grow your business. If you work from home, consider what image your work environment conveys. You don’t want clients tripping over your kids’ toys or visiting your closet/office to discuss a project.

If you don’t have a professional home meeting space, a better option may be to meet over coffee or rent a co-working office space to get a professional meeting room for the day. There’s also Skype, of course, but make sure the barking dogs and children are tucked quietly away. You don’t want anything to detract from your message.

12. Talk in Terms of “We”

As long as you have the idea that you are the extent of your business, you limit your own growth. But if you plan to grow and hire staff or even a few contractors, you have to shift to “we” thinking. That includes how you talk to clients.

When you frame your conversation as “we can help” rather than “I can help,” you open yourself up to being able to bring on others in your company, even if you don’t yet have employees or contractors onboard. The challenge with promising to do everything yourself is that, eventually, you reach a saturation point.

Hiring others can help you take on more work and grow more rapidly. Your success depends a lot on your attitude. If you act like you run a slightly bigger, more successful company, you can step closer to making it a reality. Until then, you can attract customers who feel drawn to your positive, professional demeanor.

13. Social Media Tips

With its unprecedented reach and affordability, social media is an unmatchable marketing tool for entrepreneurs. It’s a free option that lets you network and expand your reach to potential customers.

With so many different platforms and media options, you can customize your social media marketing to fit your business. But it can also consume too much of your time if you don’t have a strategy. Your social media presence needs specific goals with your audience in mind to be effective.

14. Pick the Right Platform for Your Business

With so many social media site options, each with its own buzz, there’s a temptation to jump from platform to platform to stay on the cutting edge. Don’t let fickle trends guide you. Instead, go where your audience is. If you’re a coach for midlife career changers, you’d likely be wasting your time on Instagram — a hotspot for millennials — but could reap great returns on Facebook, where Gen Xers and Baby Boomers are plentiful.

It’s often better to focus on one platform initially until you master using it for your marketing efforts. You can expand to other platforms later, but don’t stretch yourself too thin with multiple platforms that take you away from other tasks.

15. Make Sure You’re on LinkedIn

Don’t be fooled into thinking LinkedIn isn’t for you because you’re not looking for full-time employment. As a self-employed professional, the product you’re selling is you. Everything LinkedIn offers individual job seekers — a forum to network with other professionals, promote your expertise, and generate leads — are tools you can use to grow your solo business.

LinkedIn’s professional focus makes it an option for generating quality leads. Make sure your profile looks great, and promote your blog content on LinkedIn as often as possible. If you read an article or some other content and find it helpful or insightful, look for the author on LinkedIn and let him or her know.

This is another way to build relationships. This type of networking can be time-consuming, so try to limit or set aside specific days/times to do it. If you receive an email that says “I want to hire you right now,” consider responding to it even if it doesn’t fall within your designated schedule.

When creating your LinkedIn profile, consider how you position yourself. If you put “self-employed,” “freelance,” or something similarly denoting your independent status in the Company field of your profile, you could undermine the benefits of the site.

LinkedIn designed that field so users can click on it to get to a company’s profile page, or, if none exists, a list of other LinkedIn members who have worked at that company. If you enter “self-employed” in that field, when users click that link they receive a list of other individuals with similar skill sets who have also identified themselves as self-employed — in other words, your competitors.

A better idea is to create a company page for your solo business and link it back to your profile page. In addition to solving this conundrum, you also get another place to promote your products and services, share content, and post company updates.

16. Show Yourself

Your businesses logo is an important part of branding, but you — more specifically, your passion, expertise, and services — are what you’re selling, so let your customers see the merchandise.

People are more likely to engage a person than a faceless brand, particularly on social media, so put a photo of your face rather than your logo in the profile photo. While your online storefront prominently features more traditional branding, let your company Facebook page boast about you and the services or items that you sell.

17. Stay Active

A stagnant Facebook page or a Twitter account with only a handful of tweets doesn’t exactly convey a vibrant business. Engaging your audience with a steady stream of content keeps you on the minds of your followers and encourages them to interact with you. If you feel like you can’t keep up with regular social media posts, enlist some help from tools like Hootsuite and Buffer.

These programs allow you to automatically schedule posts to publish at intervals you define. You can post to all your networks at once or different channels at different times of day.

And, because they let you manage all your social networks without logging into each one individually, they give you back hours to focus on more pressing areas of your business. You may also want to consider hiring a freelance social media expert to help you handle the workload.

How do You Target More Customers?

Brainstorming an effective marketing strategy is never easy work — you have to make decisions on who you think your target customers are, then spend an enormous amount of time gathering and analyzing data about their consumer habits. It’s either time-consuming or expensive, and often it’s both.

However, this time and monetary investment could yield game-changing results for your company. Are you starting to roll out your marketing plan and netting yourself some customers? Follow these 10 steps to be successful.

1. Survey Customers

You won’t be able to connect effectively with your potential customers if you don’t have a customer in mind. Survey current customers, as well as members of your target market, to find out how you can better present your product or service, or what aspects might be missing from what you’re currently offering.

Cast a wide net to capture those you think might be interested in your product or service, and use their data to shape your brand in a way that better resonates with your target market. Once you know who your audience is, where they hang out online and what they respond best to, then you can begin to market.

2. Research Your Competitors And Find Out Who Their Customers Are

An easy way to find out which kind of marketing campaign works and which don’t is by researching competitors in your industry.

Not only will this inexpensive effort give you some ideas to follow for your own campaigns, this research will also reveal dark spots in your competitor’s process and present new directions for you to take your own marketing strategy.

After all, just by going into business in the same industry, you’ll be going after some of your competitor’s target market — you might as well use their example to make your service and product better for their customers.

3. Target Ads

Far cheaper than most methods of advertising, Facebook and Google targeted ads prove that a little can go a long way.

While most advertising in the real world only reaches whoever comes across a billboard, bus stop or commercial, these targeted ads can locate the people who are most likely to need your service based on geographical location, demographics (including age, gender, education and relationship status), interests (based on what they’ve shared or “liked”) and browsing activity.

By investing in targeted ads and paying through their Pay Per Click or Pay Per Impression method, companies can see a significant bump in their user engagement, conversion and sales.

4. Smart Social Media

There’s having a presence on social media, and then there’s having a social media presence. When it comes to keeping customers, a little more effort on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram really go the distance.

Far too many businesses use their accounts to simply promote their own company, while smart social media managers strategize relevant posts, link to cool articles, answer customer questions as soon as they’re asked, and otherwise give online surfers the impression that there’s actually a human who cares.

These are the companies who retain their customers, give users new ways to use their service or product and help solve problems as they come up.

5. Respond To Every Email, Tweet, Facebook Comment, And Phone Call; Adjust Yourself As Necessary

When Paul English was still presiding over Kayak, one of the most valuable practices he insisted on implementing was to keep an extremely annoying, loud phone in the middle of the office to receive customer complaints. This ensured the calls were answered — by anybody, including engineers, developers, content managers, or even English himself.

At Zappos, Tony Hsieh values customer service so much that they build in customer service training for every new hire, regardless of the job. And its customer service has gone to such lengths as to go to a rival shoe store to get a pair of shoes that the site had run out of.

The point? Always answer calls, always care for your customers, and always fix problems as they come in — your customers will love you for it.

6. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing has been around since the early days of the Web, and it’s still an overlooked but highly effective means to raise your brand awareness significantly.

And with the number of affiliate networks out there, who operate on a PPC (Pay Per Click) or PPA (Pay Per Action) basis, it has never been easier or safer to find your product being promoted by appropriate publishers.

EBay, Amazon and certain marketing companies offer their own affiliate networks, but you can also try an exclusive PPA affiliate network.

7. Establish Trust In Your Community: Publish User Reviews, Get Likes, Syndicate Articles

With so many new, competing businesses congesting almost every industry, it’s getting increasingly difficult to stand out and grow a decent-sized following. To gain support, companies first have to establish trust.

As more than 88 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, it only makes sense to start by publishing user reviews and sending samples of your product for trusted bloggers to review.

As your company keeps growing, start placing in-house content in big websites that publish syndicated content, like Huffington Post, Forbes, FT, Fast Company and Inc. Don’t forget to use your real name — people respond better to a human being than to a corporation.

8. Connect With The Right Influencers

Engaging with big players in your industry can be an extremely effective way to garner a wider share base. After all, if you can get the attention of a thought leader or an influencer, you have the chance to capture their fans and friends, as well as establish trust and credibility.

Reach out to appropriate bloggers or entrepreneurs at conferences or over Twitter, send them relevant and interesting blog content that might pique their interest, and once again — be a human being, not just your company.

9. Post Relevant Content On Blogs

Keeping a practice of continually and diligently publishing relevant and original blog content not only helps keep your company shining in the warm Google sun, but it also helps potential customers truly get to know your company and where it’s coming from.

The content doesn’t have to be self-promotional (and shouldn’t be), but it should offer context into why your product or service is important, suggest the best ways to solve industry-related problems that arise in the everyday lives of your target demographic, impart some valuable wisdom, and generally inspire people to share your point of view.

If you don’t have enough resources or writers on staff to keep rolling out a constant stream of content for your blog, enlist the help of a content marketing platform like Content.ly or a virtual communications platform like Commeta.

10. Craft An Engaging Newsletter To Foster Leads

One of the most time-consuming aspects of online marketing is generating leads. Often, that involves analyzing customer demographics and social media activity, putting out ads and online surveys and updating user data from year to year.

However, new companies are cropping up to simplify the process of lead generation, and, in some cases — like LeadGenius — they even do the work for you.

A great way of nurturing prospects is with personalized email newsletters, A/B test advertising and promotional campaigns. Use the data to fine-tune the efforts that work and scale your best campaigns.

What Are The 3 Target Market Strategies?

Target marketing is essential to getting the most from your marketing dollars by reaching out specifically to those who are most likely to buy your products or services; they are your target market or target audience. The three activities of a successful targeting strategy that allows you to accomplish this are segmentation, targeting and positioning, typically referred to as STP.

According to an Entrepreneur article describing target markets, your target market consists of those people most likely to buy from you, but markets have become so differentiated that it’s not enough to target an age group or any other single factor. Not everyone in any age group is buying the same things; they have many different opinions, interests and needs.

An age group may make sense for your marketing purposes, but age can only be one part of it. You must consider many other factors to arrive at your target market.

One of the most effective methods of target marketing is to use the segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) marketing strategy. First, divide your market into segments of buyers who share certain characteristics. According to Smart Insights, the most common segmentation is dividing the market by four criteria: demographics, psychographics, geographics and behavioral characteristics.

Next, in the targeting step, you analyze the segments and determine which one or ones are currently your best target audience. For positioning, you discuss ways to reach the segments you chose, narrow those down by discussing the pros and cons of each, and design a plan of how and where to reach each target market.

1. Dividing Your Market Into Segments

There are many possible methods of market segmentation; you aren’t limited to demographics, psychographics, geographics or behavioral characteristics, but they are a good place to start.

Demographic criteria are based on the data you have on those in your market, including their ages, gender, level of education, occupations, sexuality, interests and family size. Demographics is the most common segmentation because these characteristics most often determine buying habits.

Psychographics is segmentation according to personality and traits, such as values, opinions and favorite activities. For example, people with expensive lifestyles value luxury and carrying, using or wearing high-end designer items. People who are thrifty value a well-priced product but may also look for quality, though they’re not interested in the brand name.

Geographic segmentation is concerned with customers’ locations, which could be based on their country, city and state, or whether they’re urban or rural residents. Sometimes just a ZIP code can reveal a lot of information.

The 1980s television show, “Beverly Hills 90210,” made that ZIP code recognizable as standing for wealth, while other U.S. ZIP codes might be known for areas with high levels of poverty or ones where high-tech individuals are known to live.

Behavioral segmentation looks at how customers behave by how they interact with the business. Are they frequent buyers of one item or type of item? Do they usually buy online or in a store? The USC Marshall School of Business advises in its teaching of the STP model that behavioral segmentation also considers whether buyers are frequent customers – in other words, loyal – or occasional buyers.

With people using digital applications often to research products and make purchases, businesses can easily track how often a customer uses their websites, what products people are interested in by what they look at, and what they ultimately bought.

2. Determining Your Targeting Strategy

After you finish the segmentation, it’s time to analyze each segment and determine which to target with your marketing plan. Have all the segments in front of you on one page or a conference room wall so that everyone involved in the process can easily see the description of each segment as you discuss it. Evaluate each segment on:

• Size: If it’s too small, it may not be worth targeting; if it’s too large, it won’t be feasible.
• Reachability: How difficult or expensive will it be to reach this segment and relay your message effectively?
• Profitability: Run the numbers on expected profit from each segment based on the cost to reach the people in it and how much you can sell your products for.

With your budget in mind, determine which segment or segments make the most sense to target with your marketing dollars.

3. Positioning in the Marketplace

The last step, positioning, refers to the position your business or product occupies in the mind of your potential customers, as explained on the Wemla website. You may already have a position in mind for your business or products, but if it’s an inaccurate or incomplete one, you’ll want your message to change.

If your business or products aren’t known to a segment, you need to carefully consider the message you want to convey. It’s important to get your message right the first time, according to Wemla, because once people have established a position on something, they rarely change.

Now that you have identified the target market(s) you’re going to reach out to, craft the overall message about your business or product(s). A well-rounded marketing plan reaches your intended target market in a variety of ways with a consistent message that appeals to them based on your detailed knowledge obtained through the STP method of target marketing.

What Are The Best Marketing Strategies For a Startup Business?

As your business grows and expands its presence, it may attract customers through word of mouth. Until that happens, though, you should prioritize the following marketing strategies to spread the word about your startup.

1. Send Emails

Email marketing is an essential strategy for attracting customers to your startup for little or no cost. Once you have a prospect or customer’s email address, you can send him or her emails to promote your startup.

To take advantage of this marketing strategy, you must first collect prospects’ email addresses. If you have a website for your startup, consider placing a newsletter signup form on it. Alternatively, you can ask customers directly for their email addresses.

The key thing to remember is that you must diversify your emails with non-commercial content like guides, how-to articles, videos and infographics. If you only send advertorial emails, subscribers will probably opt out of receiving your newsletter.

2. Start A Blog

Blogging is a powerful strategy that can help your startup generate the exposure it needs. One report found that businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads than their competitors without blogs. With a blog, you can position your startup as a leading source while also attracting organic search traffic to your site.

The secret to creating an effective business blog is to publish content that your audience wants to read. If it’s valuable and worth reading, search engines will reward your hard work by ranking your blog at the top of the search results. And when your blog ranks high, it will attract more visitors — meaning more people will learn about your startup.

3. Post On Social Media

Statistics show that more than 2.4 billion people use social media, so it’s important to incorporate this channel into your startup’s marketing strategy. As your business’s presence on social media grows, more people will see and recognize it.

Furthermore, most social media networks, including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, allow business owners to pay for traffic and exposure. With Facebook Ads, for example, you can create ads that appear in users’ news feeds or in the right column of the Facebook website.

It takes more than just a profile to succeed with social media marketing. You must post engaging, relevant content that gives users a reason to follow your account. And once you’ve attracted followers, you should encourage them to stay by responding to their questions and comments.

4. Use Paid Search Advertising

Paid search has become a popular advertising channel for startups. It allows business owners to buy laser-targeted traffic from search engines like Google and Bing. Google AdWords and Bing Ads are two of the leading paid search networks, both of which feature keyword targeting with a cost-per-click (CPC) pricing model. 

Using either of these networks, you can create custom ads for your startup that appear in search results when someone searches for a keyword related to your business. If your startup sells enterprise-grade cybersecurity software, for instance, you can target keywords like “cybersecurity for enterprise,” “enterprise cybersecurity software” and “enterprise anti-malware.”

The most appealing feature of paid search is its CPC pricing model in which you are only charged when someone clicks on your ad. Ten thousand users may see your ad, but if no one clicks, you aren’t charged. Of course, you’ll generate plenty of clicks if you create relevant and engaging ads, but you are still only charged by the click, simplifying the process of optimizing your paid search campaigns for a higher return on investment (ROI).

5. Sponsor An Event

Finally, sponsoring a local event can help get your startup on your prospects’ radar. You’ll pay the event’s organizers a small fee to become a sponsor and promote your business with signs, stationary, banners, booths and other marketing materials at the event. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement that’s highly effective at driving sales when done correctly.

Business owners should sponsor events that are relevant to their operations or what they offer. If your startup business is a mobile health and wellness app, for example, perhaps you can sponsor marathons and 5K and 10K runs. If your startup sells anti-malware software, on the other hand, maybe you can sponsor cybersecurity and other information technology (IT) events.

The bottom line is, don’t let your startup’s market share slip to its competitors. Consider these five strategies to promote your business and generate more sales.

How Can I Advertise Cheaply?

Studies suggest that more than three-quarters of UK consumers carry out online research before making a purchase. This remarkable statistic demonstrates the importance of building an online presence for your business, and the potential there is to reach customers and clients looking to buy products and services just like yours

And, whilst there are plenty of companies offering services to promote your business online, you can probably do most of this promotion yourself at very low cost, or even for free.

Here are 11 effective ways to get the word out about your business online, for very little outlay.

1. Build a company website

It may seem like common sense, but your business needs a website to be competitive online. Without a website, you will face a constant uphill battle to remain visible and appear professional.

Once it has been set up, a website will only cost you a few pounds per year for hosting and a domain name, and with that you can generate customers and sales.

2. Online advertising

Any business can get exposure using online classified ads on sites such as Gumtree and Craigslist, and these can be very cheap – or even free.

You can place targeted ads for your business online every day, and people will find them via search. You can advertise anything from a one-day event like a garage sale to a service like photography, plumbing or gardening.

3. Use search engine optimisation

Free search engine traffic is tantamount to winning the lottery. If you can convince the search engines that your website is the most relevant site for your targeted keywords, you should get a consistent stream of traffic. Some of this traffic will naturally convert into revenue.

You can do basic optimization yourself for free, or you can pay someone to do it for you.

4. Content marketing

A successful content marketing strategy will drive traffic to your website and help with search engine optimization, and it can be completely free. However, it can be labour-intensive, and you will need to be a competent (and quick) writer.

It may be worth employing a freelance writer on a site such as Fiverr or Upwork to translate your expertise into well-written articles, as this will stand a better chance of being accepted for publication on other sites than your own.

5. Use social networks

Some businesses are perfect for targeting social media traffic, and some are not. Consider creating a business Twitter profile or Facebook page. These accounts will allow you to interact directly with online audiences.

You can post product images, let customers know about promotions or events and encourage happy clients to share details with their network of friends. Customers can also interact with you, sharing ideas and suggestions to improve your business.

Social media will also help your business to grow virally through word of mouth.

6. Share video content online

If you are able to produce a few interesting videos that are related to your business, posting them on sites like YouTube and Vimeo could send you a steady flow of website traffic.

These sites are free to submit to, and the potential traffic gain from them is astronomical. Make sure that you submit more than one video to maximize exposure.

7. Share photos online

Online photo sharing is like online video sharing. If you have some photos that are relevant to your business, don’t be afraid to share them on visual platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.

You can post images of your product or people using your products, pictures of staff, company events or images related to your business – the only limit is your imagination. This will increase your website visibility and send more targeted visitors to your site.

8. Use pay-per-click advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is rarely thought of as cheap, but it can drive a massive amount of high-converting traffic to your site. You have to find a balance between cost and revenue to make the best use of PPC advertising.

While it can be very helpful for your business, it could also be a major drain on your budget if you aren’t careful.

You can purchase PPC advertising on almost all of the major search engines, as well as on sites like Facebook.

9. Email marketing

Email marketing has been stigmatized as spam in the past – but changes in data protection and marketing rules has helped to ‘clean up’ its reputation.

To create an effective and legitimate email marketing campaign, you need to build a list of interested parties that have actively ‘opted in’ to receiving emails from you.

Usually, you need to give something away to entice people into providing their email address and permission for you to send emails to them. This can be something as simple as a small report or document that offers genuine value

After you have created your list, you can begin email marketing. It is important to allow your recipients to remove themselves from your list at any time if they want to.

10. Appear in local business listings

If you are promoting a bricks and mortar company, you should be taking advantage of the search engines’ local business listings like Google My Business. This will place your website on the front page with similar local services when someone does a search within your operating area.

This can be a great way to get a fledgling business in front of thousands of potential local customers.

11. Join online directories

It’s true that some online directories are losing their usefulness when it comes to search engine optimisation, but you can still make use of local directories that target your specific area. You may get a small boost to your page rank, and some traffic from the directory itself.

There has been a shift in the way some directories work. Many now allow members of the public to advertise specific jobs and to connect with relevant local tradespeople. In return for a small fee, tradespeople can submit quotes for the jobs advertised.

Tradespeople can also add a profile about their business and the services they offer, and build up ratings from customers.

There are many different ways to get your business name out there, and you should consider using some or all of them. With very little outlay, or possibly for free, you can drastically increase your customer base by tapping into the wealth of online customers.

New opportunities pop up every day, so be sure to keep an eye out for them.

How do I Market my Small Business?

While traditional advertising methods are costly and hard to measure, small businesses have never had greater access to cost-effective, trackable marketing tools. The best way to market your business might be a lot more accessible than you think.

Email marketing is the tried and true digital marketing channel with an average return of $38 for every $1 spent.

Small business marketing services are just the start. Here are the ten best ways to market your business on a shoestring budget.

1. Craft an elevator pitch

You should be marketing all the time — wherever you are. Therefore, you need a compelling elevator pitch.

Research shows the average attention span of an adult is about six to eight seconds. That’s all the time you have to grab someone’s attention.

If you successfully engage them, then you only have a little over a minute to really sell them on your product or service. Invest the time to craft a killer elevator pitch. The return on your investment will pay huge dividends in terms of creating business opportunities.

2. Leverage your community

You don’t have to think big when it comes to your marketing efforts. Think locally. What’s going on in your community?

Sponsor a Little League team or a 5k charity walk/run. Print bookmarks and leave them at the local library. Get to know your ideal customer and think about how and where they spend their time.

Then search for opportunities to get in front of your customer with your marketing message.

3. Collaborate

Put together a group of synergistic, non-competitive businesses in your area and agree to cross-promote.

You can use coupons, fliers, reciprocal website links, bundled promotions or social media platforms. By collaborating with each other, you can expand your customer base because you’ll be reaching new people.

4. Network

I’m a huge fan of networking. I don’t think there is any better way to build a business than to get out there, shake some hands, and get to know people.

Networking requires a time commitment and it doesn’t provide instant gratification, but a strong network is one of the greatest assets any business person can have.

5. Give a speech

A lot of people hate public speaking. However, there are many organizations looking for qualified, subject-matter experts who can present to their groups.

Take a deep breath and volunteer. You don’t have to be a pro as long as the information you share is helpful to the audience. And the upside — the more you do it the easier it gets. Plus, it positions you as a credible authority in your field.

6. Create buzz

Today, a small business owner can accomplish a lot without hiring a professional firm. Subscribe to Help a Reporter Out. You can respond to reporters’ queries that are looking for story ideas and resources. Some are small media opportunities, but others are major media outlets that use this service too.

7. Ask for referrals

Don’t be shy about asking for customer referrals. The majority of people say they are willing to provide a referral if asked, but very few take the initiative to do it on their own.

Referrals make it easier to get in the door with new customers. If you aren’t asking for them, you are missing opportunities.

8. Build relationships

It is a lot less expensive to keep a customer than it is to get a new one. That’s why establishing strong relationships with your customer base is crucial. One of the ways you can do that is by keeping in touch with people through email marketing.

Ask customers for their email address when they visit your store or website. Then, make your communications informative, helpful and professional — something your customers will look forward to receiving.

9. Offer coupons

Coupons are a good way for many businesses to attract new customers. Research shows that people will go out of their way to use a coupon, proving that this method is successful in expanding your customer base.

Coupons can also generate return visits. For example, if you give a customer a coupon for a discount to use on future business, there’s a high probability they’ll be back.

10. Give it away

If someone has the opportunity to experience your product or service, chances are they will want to purchase more.

Don’t be afraid to give someone a free trial or a sample. In today’s economy, people are more comfortable purchasing something they have been able to experience first.

These ten inexpensive marketing strategies will help you engage customers, build relationships, and ultimately keep your brand top-of-mind. It’s not always about the money you have to spend on marketing, it’s about the time and effort you put into it and above all, the relevance it has for your customers.

How do I Advertise my Business Locally?

Regardless of your niche, the best way to begin your marketing strategy as a small business owner is by identifying your local customers or potential clients and understanding where they look for information about your business.

1. Google My Business

Cost: Free

Looking to advertise your business for free? One of the first places your potential customer will search for your business is Google. While Google My Business may not sound familiar, it’s the platform that lets you create a business profile and listing that appears in Google Search or Google Maps.

For instance, when someone searches for “salons near me,” a local list of salon locations appears. Your listing will tell Google to include your nearby business.

Claiming or setting up your listing will make your company’s information – including contact information (phone number, website, address), business hours – visible in Google’s search results. Google My Business also provides helpful analytics, such as how many times your listing has been viewed and appeared in searches.

2. Search engine marketing (SEM)

Cost: Low-cost (you determine the budget)

Search engine marketing (SEM) is a paid option where your listings are featured in sponsored placements (i.e. highly visible) in search engines. Say a popular demographic that likes to frequent your store includes women in their 30s. You can set up ad campaigns to target that demographic and focus your campaign by other criteria, such as ZIP code. Try SEM tools like Google Ads (and similar services from Bing, AOL, and Yahoo!).

3. In your neighborhood, in real life, and online

Cost: Free or low-cost

Spread word of mouth where your neighbors frequent, in-person and online. Place flyers and ads in community newsletters and bulletin boards, and in local online communities like Nextdoor. With 67% of Nextdoor neighbors sharing recommendations, you’ll want to make sure they know about your business.

It’s free to set up a Business Page, collect recommendations, and engage with customers in your neighborhood. Consider Nextdoor’s Local Deals, a hyperlocal advertising offering that enables small businesses to narrow in on an exact area – down to specific neighborhoods so you only end up paying to reach your target audience. 

4. Social media

Cost: Free or low-cost (you determine the budget)

Customers can learn important information about your business on social media platforms, including where you’re located, when you’re open, and how other customers have reviewed you. As with Google My Business, it’s free to build business profiles like on Facebook and Instagram. There are paid advertising options to reach your target audience (by demographics, interests, and location) as well.

Consider other social media platforms like Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and Reddit. These platforms are all great for telling your customers about reopening schedules, any changes that have been made to the business, as well as safety precautions that are being followed to make everyone feel safe while visiting your store.

There are so many tools out there, so it’s important to prioritize where your customers are spending time online and what makes the most sense for your business.

5. Local listings, local search, and business directories

Cost: Free or low-cost (you determine the budget)

New digital options like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Nextdoor provide a platform for companies to list your business with local advertising options. Choose the business listing service that makes the most sense for your niche or industry.

6. Search engine optimization (SEO)

Cost: Free

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of ensuring your company’s website ranks high in search engine results.

SEO involves understanding how people search for your products or services.

Are they more likely to look for “Thai restaurant near me” or “Thai food nearby”? Know the keywords people use to search for you, and ensure your website’s content satisfies those queries. Keep your contact information up to date, and maintain your social media profiles.

7. Blogging

Cost: Free

Once your website is up and running, a great way to help improve your SEO and connect with the community is to create a blog. For example, if you’re a restaurant owner, feature profiles on your staff, share recipes, and highlight loyal customers on your blog. Strong content helps Google understand your niche, which should result in your business appearing in more results.

8. Email marketing

Cost: Free or low-cost email marketing tools are available

Creating an email list for customers to join is one way to keep them engaged. Consider offering a one-time discount or other incentives to encourage people to sign up to receive emails. Local businesses can share updates such as new products or services, promotions, or changes to hours. Tools like MailChimp can get you started.

9. Direct mail

Cost: Varies

While some may think email has made physical mail obsolete, marketers have done some number crunching around the response rates to direct mail. According to Forbes,  response rates for mailers and other physical items sent to local customers’ homes may be 10 to 30 times higher than digital marketing tactics like email.

10. Influencers

Cost: Varies 

Growing your own social media following can take time. One way to generate interest in your products or services on popular apps like Instagram and Snapchat is to partner with local influencers. While costs vary among different influencers, they may be willing to post about your business in exchange for freebies or VIP experiences.

11. Business cards

Cost: Varies

Like direct mail, business cards haven’t lost their power to make an impact. If you are making connections face-to-face, always have a card on hand. If you want to give them a modern update, be sure to include information like your company’s website and social media handles.

12. Supporting local organizations

Cost: Varies

Sponsor a community sports team, place an ad in a local newspaper or school yearbook, or support a charitable event to raise awareness of your company. Gain positive word of mouth as a business that’s looking out for your neighbors’ best interests.

How to Market Your Business on Social Media

On social media, customers and businesses can directly interact. Both parties can ask each other questions, repost each other’s content and work on forming relationships. Getting started with social media marketing can be intimidating, so here are eight tips for effectively promoting your business on social networks.

1. Choose the Right Platforms

There is no shortage of social media sites on which to share your content. The number of sites is growing every day. Sharing your content on the right platforms is crucial to your success.

When determining which channels to use, you should consider your customers and your business. It’s important that you create accounts on the platforms your target audience uses, so they can easily connect with you. Conduct some research to determine what sites your audience probably uses, and then use them too. 

You should also consider which sites best fit your products. For a video production company, for example, YouTube is an obvious choice.

2. Create a Calendar

Scrambling to create posts at the last minute can lead to low-quality content. A lack of organization can lead to repeated posts or a lull in your presence on one of your channels. Creating social media content calendars can help avoid those mistakes and lead to more effective posts. Content calendars also help you create goals and strategies for meeting them, and track your progress toward them.

To make a content calendar, use a regular calendar for each social media channel and plan out your posts in advance, complete with hashtags, links, images and other content. 

3. Encourage Engagement

Social media should, of course, be social. That doesn’t only apply to those who use the sites for fun. Businesses need to be interactive, too. In order to take advantage of social capability, you need to encourage interaction.

Post content that people want to read, ask questions and like, repost and comment on other users’ posts. Doing research on your audience can help you figure out what they might like. 

4. Don’t Over-Promote

One trap that businesses often fall into is treating social media too much like regular advertising. You don’t want to blatantly promote yourself in every post. You need to create content that people will actually enjoy and want to see.

Promoting yourself is okay every once in a while. Some marketers go by the one-in-seven rule, which says that for every one directly promotional post, six others should be content-based. In these other six posts, you could share articles, comment on current events or ask a question. You don’t have to entirely avoid mentioning your brand in these posts; just be careful not to sell too hard.

5. Share Video

Visual content works well on social media. Video content, especially, is ideal for grabbing people’s attention as well as conveying your personality and passion to your customers. 

Visual content stands out as people scroll through their social feeds, so they’re more likely to view it and engage with it. It also allows you to say more than you could in a typical post without taking up much room. Create interesting, narrative-driven video in order to get the best reaction.

6. Address Problems Quickly

Hopefully you receive mostly positive feedback on social media. Occasionally you may encounter someone who is upset, argumentative or has something negative to say about your company.

You should carefully monitor mentions of your brand on social channels, so you can catch issues before they escalate. If you spot a problem, engage with the person by publicly apologizing if necessary and offering to solve the problem over a direct message exchange. This way, people who see the post know you were responsive but don’t have to see all the specifics of the issue.

7. Build a Community

Instead of trying to get as many followers as possible, focus on finding customers who are interested, loyal and engaged. These people are more likely to repost your content, like your posts and become customers.

When you build a community around your brand, the people within that community will engage with each other and help to promote your content. You could even try reaching out to exceptionally influential social media users and asking them to help you by reviewing a product or mentioning you in a post.

8. Provide Value

Perhaps the most important thing you can do on social media is provide value to your followers. Create something that your audience will find useful. It could be something that tells them something they didn’t know before, makes them laugh, entertains them or anything else that’s beneficial in some way. 

This aspect of social media is what attracts the right customers to your business, makes people want to follow you on social sites and helps content to spread. Master this, and you’ll be a big step closer to a successful social media marketing campaign. 

With nearly 3 billion active users, social media is a potential goldmine of new customers and current patrons who could become repeat customers. Create a good social campaign, and you’ll be able to connect with some of those people and grow your customer base.

How to Market Your Business Online

A strong online marketing strategy will help you boost your business. These 10 digital strategies have been proven to help companies improve their performance. If you employ them, you could be on your way to creating a concrete internet marketing strategy that helps you brings in more customers and retain new ones.

1. Invest in Web Design​​

We don’t often think about web design as a marketing tactic, but it influences the amount of time and attention a user will spend on your page. Your website is the center of all your digital marketing efforts, so if your page is not clean, easy to read, and interesting, it won’t matter how much time you put into strategy development – you’re still going to lose customers.

If you don’t have the design skills to do it yourself, then it’s worth hiring someone to create a website that is modern, attention-grabbing, and mobile friendly.

2. Use Search Engine Marketing and Optimization

Search engine marketing and optimization are part of what helps make your business appear higher on a list of search engine results. With a strong SEO strategy, your company website will become associated with the keywords used to find your services. This increases your chances of being the company an individual chooses to work with after searching online.

3. Affiliate and Associate Programs 

With an affiliate program, people who believe in your company can share your information and grow your market on a commission-based platform. An affiliate or associate program doesn’t make sense for every business. However, if you do use these, you can quickly see your marketing efforts improve without needing to do much yourself.

4. Hire a Coach or Consultant 

If you’re not an expert in digital and internet marketing, ask someone who is. There are hundreds of internet marketing coaches and consultants available to you, many of whom can give you a consultation about what you should change to see success. For small business owners who need to focus on other business systems, a coach or consultant can be extremely helpful.

5. Use Email Marketing 

It isn’t enough to just send out emails. You will want to consider various email lists that cater to the specific needs of each individual and can present a personalized approach to your campaigns. Take a hard and clear look at the purchasing habits of your customers and use that information to develop your strategy.

6. Build an Opt-In Email List

An opt-in email list allows customers to come to you and sign up to receive email correspondence. This allows you to connect with potential customers and current clients.

7. Get Into Articles or News Stories 

Work with a public relations professional to get your business into articles and news stories on topics related to what you do. It will not only help establish you as a trusted expert, but it will introduce your business to an even broader base of people. You can also sign up for free services that connect you with writers looking for sources, such as Help a Reporter Out.

8. Write Online Press Releases 

When you use online press releases, you’re getting your information out there in a formal setting. This allows newspapers, blogs, or other media sources to see your information and write posts about your company without you needing to put in the effort to connect and claim a story.

9. Hold Contests and Giveaways 

People love contests and giveaways. Anytime you can encourage promotion from your customers in exchange for a free product or service, you will usually see a surge in purchases or connections.

10. Maintain a Blog 

Your blog should be used for a number of reasons, including allowing you to consistently post new keywords and optimize your search engine strategy. More than that, your blog becomes somewhere you can offer advice, share bits of information, and really connect with your customers. A lasting relationship begins with trust, and your blog is a great way to build that.

Creative Ways to Market Your Business

Marketing your business doesn’t always have to be expensive. Sometimes, all it takes is energy, creativity and savvy knowledge of where to find inexpensive, high-quality tools to help you get it done. Here are a few creative ways to promote your business.

1. Take full advantage of Google

Customers most often turn to Google first and foremost to find a specific product or service. Google is one of the most powerful ways to bring in new business. And, you don’t need to hire an SEO expert to take advantage of the many free tools Google has to offer.

If you haven’t done so already, start by creating and verifying your Google Business Profile. “Your Google Business Profile (Google’s term for your Google listing) is what allows your business to show up in Google Maps results, the local section of Google Search results, and also — when someone types in your business name and location — the right-side Knowledge Panel in Search results,” explained one expert.

Once you’ve verified your Google Business Profile, you can update your store hours, link to your website, and provide contact information to customers. Ask customers to provide Google reviews to boost your listing even more.

Restaurants can use TheOrdering.App, a Google product that’s free until January 2022, to offer customers a way to order right from your website, Google Search, Google Maps and more. The more effort you put into filling out your Business Profile — which is free — the more likely Google will show your business in search results.

2. Reward customer loyalty

It costs, on average, five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. Attracting new customers can be expensive and time-consuming. If you aren’t rewarding repeat business, you’re missing out on a marketing opportunity with high ROI. Showing a little extra love to loyal customers doesn’t have to be costly.

Rewards can be as simple as a discount on a future order, or points earned on every purchase. Determine the type of consumer behavior you’re hoping to encourage and design your rewards program accordingly.

For instance, if you hope to encourage customers to purchase more frequently, a tiered loyalty program might make more sense than a points-based system. Either way, be sure to take advantage of any tools offered by your current point-of-sale (POS) system. Customer loyalty programs are an effective and inexpensive way to show you care about the people consuming your product or service.

3. Create video content

Social videos generate 1200% more shares than text and image content combined. Video content dominates our online activity, and the good news is that it’s not expensive to create your own videos.

Marketing videos can take many forms, from tutorials to customer testimonials to interviews and live streams. In a time when many customers have shifted to shopping predominantly online, and can’t handle an item in-person, video can play a key role in encouraging customers to click “buy.”

Creating effective video content will cost you time, but not necessarily money. Sites like Biteable, Adobe Spark, Animoto, and Canva all offer free options to create high-quality video content with stock footage and licensed music.

If you have a smartphone, you can shoot your own videos and post them to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Instagram Live is an extremely popular way to share behind-the-scenes footage from your business — such as a new product launch, for instance.

4. Use email marketing

Speaking of video: combining video content with email marketing can be an unbelievably powerful way to promote your business. First, email marketing campaigns have been shown to generate $38 for every $1 spent. That’s a 3,800% ROI, making email one of the most affordable and impactful ways to reach customers. And, adding video to your emails can increase click rates by 300%.

There are plenty of free email marketing tools on the market.

5. Network with your community

If LinkedIn is your go-to channel for networking outreach, that’s a good start. You should be taking advantage of all the exposure that the networking site has to offer. But, opportunities to interact with potential customers can be found closer to home, as well.

Check out local business organizations. Attend trade shows and conferences, and don’t leave home without a pocket full of business cards and an elevator pitch.

On social media, search out businesses that complement your own and forge alliances. Feature each other’s products in your photography, tag each other in your posts and search for other creative ways to boost each other’s brands.

It’s also important that, as a small business, you become part of the local community. Get involved in community charity drives and fundraisers. If you’ve got a product or service that you can donate to a good cause, look for opportunities to do so. Genuine, well-intentioned acts of kindness and generosity will speak for themselves.

6. Share your expertise

Whether your expertise lies in plant propagation, pop-up greeting cards or house painting, positioning yourself as an expert can open marketing opportunities for your business. Share the knowledge you’ve gained from starting your business with others to build trust and a great reputation — so that next time someone needs gardening equipment, for instance, they come straight to you.

Beyond video content, blogging and podcasting are obvious ways to show off your knowledge. Contact publishers of websites in your industry and inquire about becoming a contributor.

Join LinkedIn and Facebook groups as well as industry-specific discussion boards. Reddit and Quora are also free ways to reach niche communities. Offering incisive, valuable comments in those forums will allow you to organically build a reputation as a knowledgeable player in your field.

7. Hold a customer contest

People love a challenge — whether it’s guessing how many marbles are in the jar or submitting a photo of themselves using your product. Fostering a little friendly competition is a great way to connect with current customers and potential new ones.

Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat are all popular platforms for hosting contests, and they work for both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce businesses. For inspiration, read the blogs of marketing experts and spend time on the social sites themselves.

Grabbing the attention of today’s consumers takes a concerted and creative marketing effort. The choice is clear — pay for someone else’s creativity, or tap into your own.

How to Market Your Business to Other Businesses

So, how do you market your businesses to other businesses and at what point do growth, ROI and innovation all reach an apex and what concepts can you apply for B2B success? While there is certainly variation in small business marketing strategy there are four specific areas of focus that can become the foundation for growth and leave plenty of opportunity for innovation. Spoiler alert, social media is one of them.

Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing is critical to your business. As consumers move to mobile search, and new developments make mobile sites faster, mobile marketing has become less of a trending topic and more of a necessity

However, like so many things in the marketing world, mobile marketing is now facing changes that could impact B2B marketing. For example, Google rolled out an algorithmic change that essentially impacted the performance of pages that serve intrusive mobile pop-ups.

How do algorithmic shifts like this apply to B2B marketing? While at one time companies could assume their customers were doing research from a desktop device, mobile accounts for over half of web traffic.. There is a new breed of business owner that lives and breaths on their mobile devices.

So, being relevant on mobile and being aware of changes to mobile platforms is important for marketing businesses to other businesses.

Content Marketing

Content marketing has been growing in popularity in recent years, and there is a great deal of conversation around that content turning long-form articles into shorter articles with visual appeal.

However, in the B2B world, research supports that longer content is more effective in B2B blog posts. For this format to be effective, it requires the content to be relevant and educational. Remember, content marketing is defined as the process of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to stimulate interest in a brand’s products or services.

Longer-format content marketing is successful when targeting other businesses because it shows true value. For those businesses engaged in content marketing, they’re looking to share related content with their audiences that shows value and establishes them as industry leaders.

Content marketing is one of the best marketing ideas for small businesses. This strategy allows you to position your business as an industry leader by generating content that is sharable, both by your customers and leads and also by other businesses for their customers and leads.

Visual Content Marketing

As the drive to create engaging, shareable and captivating content continues, constantly ask yourself how you can create visual content. Remember, businesses love to share visual content with their customers to generate engagement. If you want to know how to market your business to other businesses, generating visual content may be the golden ticket; it is highly shareable and it generates high engagement.

Video is also a tremendously important marketing strategy. However, this doesn’t mean you need full studio quality production when creating high quality video. Video that is raw and real feels more genuine and less like a commercial or salesy, which users prefer.

Maybe you’re an expert in your field or maybe you’re opening a new location. Sharing this information with your target audience in the form of a video is valuable to your business. Think about the possibilities of combining it with social media promotion and you could expect to see tremendous reach!

Social Media

While social media is a part of content marketing, it is big enough to be talked about in its own right. Just remember that how you market your business to other businesses using social media will be determined by where the audience engages and shares content.

B2B businesses seem to find LinkedIn and Twitter the most effective social networks. From the standpoint of your business audience this makes sense; many businesses are sharing content on Twitter, and posting relevant industry trends on LinkedIn to generate interest.

Just because LinkedIn and Twitter are the favorites doesn’t doesn’t mean you should skip out on Facebook or Instagram if in your industry these are the preferred platforms. Remember to always focus your marketing efforts on your audience, not your business.

A best practice to always keep in mind with social media is to focus on quality, not quantity. As with the content you are producing, businesses are looking for industry leaders that share helpful information.

Be sure that the information you choose to share online is high-quality, relevant, helpful, and informative, even if it isn’t coming directly from you. Begin by honing in on whichever single platform you think is important for your business and focusing all your efforts there. Don’t make a profile on every platform just to be there.

How to Promote Your Business on Facebook

Here are 10 ways you can still use Facebook to promote your business for FREE!

1. Create a personal business presence using a fan page. One of the major strengths of social media marketing is its ability to create relationships between businesses and their audiences. The person-to-person interaction that can happen on social media makes consumers feel that they have encountered a brand in a meaningful way and that they now have a special connection with that company.

So imagine how much this feeling is intensified when that consumer is interacting not just with “the brand,” but with the person behind that brand!

Depending on your personal social media habits, you may or may not already have a personal Facebook account. If you do, and you prefer to keep your personal profile private, Facebook will allow you to create a page for your public, professional persona, as well.

Otherwise, you can use your personal profile to interact with consumers. Gain a following by engaging with the people who frequent your brand’s page.

2. Maintain a robust brand presence. While it’s true that your company’s Facebook posts most likely won’t show up in your audience’s news feeds without paying to promote them, that doesn’t mean that you should stop posting them on your brand’s page.

People today often use Facebook as a search engine to find out more about a company, whether that means basic info like contact information and hours of operation, or what customers have to say about them. A robust, active page that’s full of regular posts and lots of audience engagement is a great way to showcase the fact that your customers aren’t just satisfied – they’re enthusiastic!

3. Join Facebook groups. While most people think of LinkedIn first when they think online networking, Facebook groups actually offer a similar opportunity for professionals. There are any number of Facebook groups dedicated to various industries, professions, and interests. You can use your personal account to join groups of colleagues, as well as groups where your target audience is likely to be found.

The more you contribute to the conversations taking place in these groups, the more your name will become recognized – and synonymous with industry leadership and expertise. The only thing to watch out for here is never to come across as salesy in your discussions – the quickest way to turn off this potential stream of leads and connections is to start promoting your business instead of offering genuine advice and thoughts.

You can customize your search for groups based on various keywords – and Facebook also makes suggestions, based on your profile.

4. Create your own group. Can’t find a Facebook group that really fits what you’re looking for? Create your own! You can add members, publish articles, carry on discussions, and probably meet quite a few prospects. The fact that you own the group and control the conversations automatically grants you industry leadership status in the eyes of your members, which can only help when they realize they need the product or service you provide.

5. List your events. Hosting a webinar or speaking somewhere? Create an event page and invite friends and people in the groups you’re in. You can even see how many RSVP and get feedback from attendees.

6. Syndicate your blog. If you know that you won’t remember or be able to find the time to share your company’s blog posts on your Facebook page or profile each week, you can automate the task. There are many different online tools you can use to do this, from simple plugins for WordPress to suites of digital marketing software, that will automatically post each new blog post to your Facebook page for you. More Exposure = More Traffic = More Leads.

7. Ask your network to share blog posts. Speaking of posting your company’s blog posts on your personal page or profile, you should also ask your team of employees and partners, your current customers, and even your personal friends and family to share your company’s posts on their personal Facebook profiles, as well. This is called cross-pollination, and it’s one of the Five Principles of Momentum discussed at length in Shama’s new book, Momentum: How To Propel Your Marketing and Transform Your Brand in the Digital Age. According to Shama:

“Cross-pollination means incorporating every single resource your company has into your marketing strategy, allowing each to inform your use of the others. With each one of these typically untapped resources contributing to the mix, you create something new and powerful from the synergy, and your marketing momentum grows dramatically as a result.”

By tapping into the reach that personal profiles can still achieve with their posts, you can get your content out to new audiences – for free!

8. Reach out! Are you a fan or admirer of someone’s work? Reach out to them on Facebook! Many people check their Facebook messages more regularly than their email. They are also more likely to respond to Facebook messages. Don’t feel comfortable sending out a message to someone you don’t know? No worries! Leave them an “I enjoy your work!” blurb on their wall. When posting on different pages make sure you post as your business and not your personal account.

9. Stream live video with Facebook Live. The intimacy and immediacy of live video create the sense for your viewers that they are getting a behind-the-scenes peek at the real you – as well as enticing them to stick around to watch much longer than they would a regular video, because of the unpredictability of live video.

10. Create a community. Perhaps Facebook’s greatest benefit is that it allows you to create a community. It provides you a group of people who are constantly connected to you, and are open to hearing your message.

Engage with people authentically, whether that means writing on their walls, responding to their comments on your own, conversing in groups, or introducing people to each other. Before you know it, you’ll have created a community of friends who look favorably on you and your business – and all for free.

As you can see, Facebook marketing may be pay-to-play these days, but it’s also still about making connections, developing relationships, and sharing your wisdom with others. You just have to know the right strategies in order to be able to continue to do so for free.

How to Promote Your Business in The Community

Big companies spend a lot of time and money trying to create a relatable brand. As a small business owner, you put a face and personality to your products and services. So, think of local marketing as a way for your community to get to know you. Here are easy ways to get started.

1. Join a Chamber of Commerce

Every major city and many small towns have a Chamber of Commerce. Most offer monthly networking events where you can pitch your services and trade referrals. As soon as you join, Chambers typically publish a profile to spread the word about your business. You can also use exclusive member ads or sponsor a Chamber event to promote your business in your area.

More importantly, many people contact Chambers for a list of recommended business. A study by the Shapiro Group, Inc. and Market Street Services showed customers are 44 percent more likely to buy from Chamber of Commerce members.

Chambers build relationships between people invested in local commerce. Get to know business owners in related industries who aren’t your competitors. Let’s say you own a hardware store. Try partnering with a local plumber, contractor, or mechanic to cross-promote services. You can join more than one Chamber to grow your network.

2. Improve your website keywords

Even when shopping locally, customers often do an online search for ideas and reviews. Yet, many business owners build a website without understanding how search engines work. You might be stumped, wondering why your site doesn’t attract as much traffic as you expected.

The good thing is a few small changes to website text can boost your rankings on search engines. Simply add locations to your keywords. Imagine someone searching for “art store” or “art supplies.” You would have to compete with millions of sellers around the country. Add location tags, such as “Memphis art supplies,” and your competition drastically shrinks.

3. Offer referral rewards

Give loyal customers a reason to keep saying good things about you. Offer a discounted product or service for bringing you new business. Word-of-mouth marketing is priceless. Customers trust friends and family to make good recommendations. Not to mention, even one person with a big network can have a huge impact on your business.

4. Build an email list

Everyone is busy these days. Customers may love your products, but they have short attention spans. If you don’t stay in contact, people move on to more engaging companies. That’s why it’s a good idea to ask customers to subscribe to an email list.

Sending an email is a fast way to let customers know about new products or deals. You can also spotlight your involvement in community events or include a case study. Sharing brief stories about top clients shows you care about more than money. You know how to solve key problems for your customers and care about their satisfaction.

5. Ask for online reviews

Make sure your business leaves a good impression on people researching you online. Set up accounts on popular review sites, such as Yelp, and ask loyal customers to write about you. Customers who rave about your products in person don’t always go the extra mile to spread the word. Most of the time, asking is enough to motivate customers to write a glowing review.

Going forward, you should encourage new customers to do the same. Asking for a review right after a purchase keeps the experience fresh in their minds. If any of your customers have a large following on review sites, their praise can send lots of business your way.

6. Host a class or demo

In general, modern shoppers are more resistant to aggressive marketing. Sometimes, it’s more profitable to give without expecting anything back. This is even more true if you make high-ticket products that take more effort to sell.

Talk to your customers about common obstacles or questions they have. If you sell tools, clients might have questions about the best way to clean gutters or put up shelves. Customers might ask a craft seller how to work with certain materials or fix sewing mistakes. Whatever you know, use it to build trust with customers.

Focus on how you can help others with a short class demonstrating how to solve a problem. At the same time, you get a chance to show your expertise and showcase specific products. Create a clear call to action for customers who attend. Set up a display with all the products used in the demo, and talk more about your business one on one whenever you can. Oh, and don’t forget to get email addresses.

How to Promote Your Business on Instagram

Between posts, ads and stories, there is no shortage of potential marketing tools on Instagram. Now that you know how to build your profile and understand the common Instagram terminology, here’s how to use Instagram to build your business.

1. Add professional-looking photos.

Instagram is a photo-sharing social media platform, so it’s important to share visually pleasing content. Generic photos won’t cut it. Take photos, edit them, and take the time to make sure you’re creating a cohesive grid on Instagram.

To add a new photo, tap the camera button at the bottom of your screen. You can take a new photo or select one from your camera roll. On the next screen, there are multiple options to personalize your post. You can add a filter, tag other users, write a caption and add a location. You can also turn off comments on this page with the advanced settings. 

2. Use Instagram Stories.

Instagram Stories is one of the channel’s most popular features. These photos and videos disappear 24 hours after they’re posted. Instagram offers many tools that make it easy to create engaging and creative stories.

“Small businesses should leverage Instagram Stories to market their products and services, getting their messages to followers that otherwise might not see regular Instagram posts in their feed because of the latest updates to the algorithm,” said Laura Kenat, content coordinator at Jo Chicago.

On Instagram Stories, you can post recorded videos, still photos, live videos, boomerangs (videos that loop back and forth), basic text, music and focused photos. You can also add stickers such as your location, the temperature, user tags and hashtags.

The stickers for polls, questions and sliding bars make it easy to interact with your users and get feedback. Some accounts use the questions feature to hold a weekly Ask Me Anything, which is a fun way to answer common questions.

Another way to draw attention to your brand is with Stories Highlights, which stay on your profile until you remove them.

3. Stream live videos.

In addition to Instagram Stories, users can take and stream live video that disappears – sort of like a cross between Facebook Live and Snapchat. You can give customers a live look behind the scenes of interesting aspects of your business, show products or answer live questions through the comments.

Once the video ends, it lives in your Instagram Stories for 24 hours. If you want a video to remain on your Instagram feed, you can upload a video you’ve taken or shoot one directly through the app to post. If you choose to shoot or upload a video, you can still add filters and change the cover.

4. Interact with other Instagram users.

As with any social media platform, it’s important to engage and interact with your followers on Instagram. Here’s how.

Liking: Liking is a simple way to connect with other users. To like a photo, either double tap the image or tap the heart button under the post.

Commenting: Next to the like button is a comment button – just tap it, and the app will take you to the comments page for that photo, with a text box where you can enter what you want to say. Hit Post when it’s complete.

Mentioning: As on Twitter, you can use the @ symbol to tag other users in your Instagram comments or post captions.

Tagging: Instagram allows you to add tags before you post content. To do so, tap Tag People before sharing your photo, and then tap where in the photo you want to add a tag. The app then prompts you to type in the person’s name to search for their account. Once you’ve tagged other users in your photo and shared the image, other users can tap on the photo to see the people who are tagged.

Direct messaging: To access Instagram Direct, go to the homepage and tap the button in the top right corner. Here, you can send private instant messages, photos and videos to other users. To send a new DM, tap the + button in the top right corner and select Send Photo or Video, or Send Message. Once you’ve sent the message, you and the recipients can message back and forth. Users who are not already following you will be asked whether they want to allow you to send them photos and videos before they can view your DM.

Earlier this year, Facebook, which owns Instagram, plans integrated Instagram messaging with Facebook Messenger. This allows you to connect with your followers on Facebook and Instagram through one application. 

5. Use hashtags.

Hashtags are a great way to help users find content on Instagram. Hashtags can include letters and numbers, but they can’t contain any non-numerical characters. For example, #DaveAndBusters works as a hashtag, but #Dave&Busters does not.

Because users can both search for hashtags and click on hashtags they see in posts in the app, relevant hashtags can be a highly effective tool for getting noticed. However, make sure you’re using the right hashtags for your brand.

Hashtags such as #nofilter (a photo that hasn’t been heavily edited with filters), #selfie (a picture of yourself), and #tbt or #throwbackthursday (old photos) are popular on Instagram, but they may not work for you or your brand. It’s a good idea to look at other established brands or even personal users and bloggers in your industry for examples of what hashtags to use.

Instagram allows a maximum of 30 hashtags in a post or comment, but that many would be excessive. The fewer hashtags you can use to get quality responses, the better.

Using a lot of popular hashtags might earn you a lot of likes from other users, but it probably won’t increase your following all that much, and the interactions you get will likely not be from people who are interested in your brand but rather those who just saw and liked your image.

Read Also: How to use Crowdfunding for a Startup Business

Once you understand hashtags, you can branch out and experiment to find which ones work best for your brand. It’s also smart to create a custom hashtag for your business or even an event you’re hosting. This way, customers can follow along with an event, even if they aren’t there in person.

6. Advertise on Instagram.

Like on other social channels, businesses have the option to advertise on Instagram. There are three formats for advertising:

• Photo ads: These look like regular photo posts, but they have a Sponsored label above the photo. They also have a Learn More button in the bottom right corner under the photo.
  
  
• Video ads: Like the photo ads, these look like regular video posts, but with a Sponsored label on top.
  
  
• Carousel ads: These ads look identical to photo ads but feature multiple photos that users can swipe through.

All three ad formats appear in users’ home feeds. These ads support four objectives: video views, click-throughs to your website, mobile app installations and mass awareness.

7. Sell products on Instagram.

In November 2020, Instagram added the Shop tab, which allows users to discover and purchase products from brands directly through the app.

All that’s required to complete a transaction is your name, email address, billing info and shipping addresses. Facebook, Instagram’s parent company, will then save that data for future transactions. Users can pay via Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and PayPal.

Small businesses can also take advantage of Shoppable posts to sell products through Instagram. A business simply creates a product catalog connected to their account. Then you tag the product, similar to how you tag a person in a post.

To create a shoppable post you must have a business account and you must sell physical goods that comply with Instagram’s merchant agreement and commerce policies. You can create your catalog through Facebook, Shopify or BigCommerce.