As 2023 is just around the corner, it’s time to finalise your marketing strategy. Decide how you’ll be allocating resources ready for the new year.
Consumers are shopping online on a larger scale than ever before. The digital landscape continues to head towards a far more privacy-centric future. And one of the key focuses will continue to be exceptional service in personalised advice and support.
At its core, small business marketing will have the same values. But, in sight of the new year, it’s time to look to the top tips to utilise your strategies and have a great year.
1. Make the most of social media
Social media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and it continues to change the way people shop online. In fact, more people are converting directly from social media platforms than ever before. This only highlights the importance of meeting your customers where they are.
Now, this isn’t about being present on all platforms. It’s more about maximising your presence on the ones relevant to your audience. So you should consider: which social media platforms they use; how they consume content; and what motivates them to buy.
2. Own your niche
Small businesses have many advantages over larger companies – one of which is the opportunity to own their niche. Demonstrate to your target audience that you’re the answer to their problems and take ownership of it.
3. Be informative
There are several reasons why sharing your expert knowledge is important. It helps you rank on search engines, generates organic traffic, demonstrates your authority, and supports your inbound marketing efforts.
You don’t just have to share blogs to do this. Create and share industry whitepapers, listicles, articles, infographics, social posts and videos too. Demonstrate your knowledge and answer commonly asked questions clearly and helpfully.
4. Build a loyal audience
As a small business, it’s important to nurture those personal relationships that you’ve worked so hard to build. Retaining your clients and customers will foster loyalty and repeat purchases. Some online and offline loyalty programme ideas include:
- Membership cards and point collection programmes
- Customer-only perks such as exclusive rewards or new product access
- Loyalty cards with collectable stamps or stickers
- Exclusive email discount codes or sale access
- Refer-a-friend schemes and rewards
- Birthday gifts and discounts
Rewarding customer loyalty is key to retention. But it can also help to: boost your engagement rates; aid word-of-mouth; reduce your marketing spend; and earn positive user reviews.
5. Make sure your website is SEO-friendly
It can be frustrating when you enter one of your key terms into a search engine to discover your website doesn’t show up or is far down the rankings. Luckily, you don’t need to suffer this frustration for very long. There are a few key aspects that make a website search engine friendly:
- Using relevant keywords within your site copy and metadata.
- Writing clear and informative copy within your blog.
- Creating copy and titles that are relevant to each page.
- Boost your authority with links from other relevant sites.
Search engines value two key things when deciding which results they serve to the user. Those are relevancy and authority. While SEO can be technical, getting familiar with the basics can put you a step ahead of the competition.
6. Maximise email marketing
Email is a traditionally high-performing marketing channel for those that use it. That’s because you have a tailored list of already engaged customers who are highly receptive to the content you send them.
You can build these lists by asking for their emails directly on your website, social platforms or in-store at the checkout. You can increase sign-ups by offering an incentive like exclusive discounts or priority product release notifications. As you build your email lists, be sure to segment them. You can send tailored and relevant info to different types of customers, eg. Previous purchasers, lapsed customers, new leads, etc.
7. Take part in promotional events
Small businesses support small businesses, especially if they are based locally or rely exclusively on footfall. That’s why it is a great idea to get involved in local events, such as business expos, craft fairs, sponsorships, networking, workshops or volunteering efforts.
You can also support each other online and get exposure for your business on social media. A hugely popular onlinenetworking event is Small Business Sunday, created by Theo Paphitis in 2010.
8. Invest in agency help
Most small business owners are forced to be masters of all trades and wear many different hats and it’s what makes you a superstar.
However, certain channels can be worth scaling up and require time and expert knowledge to maintain, such as paid channels like search engine ads, SEO or social media. Don’t be afraid to reach out for agency assistance to take the pressure off and help propel your business forward – they are often more affordable than you think.
Now you know how to supercharge your marketing efforts for 2023 – question is, which method will you try first?