Small business marketing: 21 ways to grow your business

No matter what stage your business is in, you need to have a website that works seamlessly across all devices. This makes it easier for potential customers to find information about your products and services. There are many low-cost solutions to building a website without technical knowledge, and you can even have a built-in online ordering service to turn traffic into sales.

Local SEO is the process of optimising your website so that it ranks higher in local search results. Research shows that the top 3 Google search results get over 75% of all clicks, which makes this a good tactic to focus on. You can incorporate keywords you want to rank for on pages across your website and in your content.

By creating blog posts regularly, you can build authority and answer questions before your audience asks them. Post about your business values, upcoming events or tips you want people to know to strengthen your SEO efforts and connect with customers.

When you engage with your customers on social media, it shows that you have an interest in building relationships with them. Social channels are also a great place to boost brand awareness. Connect with your customers by commenting on social posts that you’re tagged in, and post your latest offerings to generate buzz.

Video is a great asset to add to your content marketing strategy. In fact, research shows that 88% of consumers are convinced to buy a product after watching a video and that people are twice as likely to share videos than other types of online content. You can use videos in all kinds of ways to educate, entertain or directly promote your business. For example, give sneak peeks into what’s coming up or details about one of your products.

Claiming your business on local listing sites like Yelp, Facebook, TripAdvisor and Google is free and easy to do. Monitoring these pages gives you greater control over the way people perceive you. It also makes it possible for you to see and respond to customer reviews. A study from Yelp found that 93% of people compare businesses on their platform before making a decision. This suggests that investing in your presence makes an impact on your reputation and sales.

Use live classes or webinars to educate your audience and engage directly with customers. If you choose this strategy, make sure you have a clear call to action at the end of each lesson so people know how they can learn more about what you offer.

Email marketing is a great way to stay in touch with your customers, and it also serves as a sales channel. By growing your email list and reaching customers directly in their inboxes, you can have more frequent and personalised communication. You’d also be in good company if you decide to ramp up your email marketing efforts: 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers.

You can post great content to social platforms and offer impressive customer service, but it won’t matter if your buyers don’t see it. Share links to social channels on your website homepage, in email communications and on in-store marketing collateral at brick-and-mortar locations.

Give people a compelling reason to do business with you by introducing coupon codes and promotions for first-time customers. This is an easy way to entice new clients into trying your products or services at reduced prices. Additionally, you can offer coupons for repeat visits or for regular customers to show your appreciation.

Through a loyalty program, customers get a benefit from each purchase they make from your business. This encourages them to come back and buy again. Research shows that 75% of consumers will favour a brand if there’s a loyalty program, so it’s in your best interest to offer one to increase customer retention.

Find out how much people like your business or product by asking for their feedback. Host polls on social media or embed feedback forms in your email marketing campaigns. Let them choose what they want to see from you, like a special promotion or a new flavour for an item.

Many small businesses find that digital advertising works well for them because they don’t have the budget for expensive marketing campaigns. It’s important to do your research here because some options require more budget than others. For example, using Google Search Ads, you can set a budget cap and pay only when people click on your sponsored listing. If you work with a third-party delivery platform, many offer similar targeted ad capabilities that bring your brand to the top of screens for browsing customers and operate with the same type of pay-per-click (PPC) model.

Offering a chance to get something for free is a quick route to generating buzz on social media or gaining foot traffic for a promotion. Give away a prize, discount or coupon in exchange for your audience’s information or engagement. Nearly half of users share the contests they participate in. That number increases if you incentivise them to recruit people to earn more entries.

Influencers can promote your products or services to their following in the form of sponsored posts and content creation. For example, if you own a bakery and want to promote gluten-free cookies, you might reach out to a creator who runs a successful gluten-free blog and offer compensation and/or product in exchange for posting on their feed. If the influencer agrees to link back to your website, this will also boost your SEO efforts.

Welcoming your employees to share and be a part of the conversation can add a new level of depth to your marketing. You can do this in many ways: celebrate new hires, allow employees to give your customers a look behind the scenes with a live video on Instagram, or create posts highlighting their favourite products.

Getting customers to share their experiences can be a great way to spread the word in your area. Create lines of communication with your customers, and ask people to share what they love about your business online. Whether your customers are leaving reviews on online aggregators or through a third-party delivery platform you’re partnering with, it’s important to read and respond.

Taking part in events will get your brand out there and establish you as a helpful business that’s in touch with the community. During these events, you could give away samples, do a demonstration, or offer an incentive to order from you. Do what you think will serve your people best.

Connect with complementary businesses and promote one another. This helps boost traffic while creating goodwill with other business owners. It also gives you exposure to a new customer base who might not have come across you organically.

Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing information from your business to the public. Leveraging PR and connecting with journalists is an effective way to tell the story of your organisation or launch a new offer. Any links back to your site from journalists will be SEO wins.

Attracting more customers can be a challenge, but it’s key to keeping your business running. Using a third-party delivery person serves as a great way to expand your reach and engage with customers through a new channel. Some providers even offer built-in marketing solutions that can help with a wide range of goals – from boosting visibility and increasing sales to driving repeat business from customers.