The time is always ripe for small business owners to implement effective marketing tactics. Whether recently started your business or it has existed for years, marketing is vital to keep it relevant and growing. It is also essential to keep your strategies updated according to market trends as the marketing opportunities are continuously evolving.

Below are seven easy tips for small businesses to improve their marketing.

1. Start with a strategy

The first step is to create a marketing strategy. Once you have this in place, you can take the right steps to accomplish your marketing goals. Ask yourself who your target audience is, how they access information, and where you are likely to find them. When you know who your marketing efforts need to reach, you can device the right tactics to engage with them.

2. Learn from your competitors 

It’s important to look at what your competitors are doing to market their products or services. Understand how they are attracting customers, and what strategies are working for them. Document your findings, analyse your strengths and weaknesses viz-a-viz your competitors, and create your strategy keeping this information in mind. For instance, if you have a loyalty program and your competitors do not, then you can further leverage on this unique capability of yours in your marketing tactics.

3. Build an online presence 

Having an online presence is a vital aspect of marketing today. It allows you to interact with your current customers to build a relationship and retain them. Build your online presence with an online store to enhance your company’s business reach and attract new customers. It is also a great place to direct potential customers as they discover you on social media and other digital destinations.

Also read: A step-by step-guide to creating your own eStore with GlobalLinker

4. Feature reviews and testimonials 

Reviews are a very powerful tool for your business. Showcasing reviews from your customers should be a part of your marketing strategy.They are critical when it comes to ranking in local searches and acquiring new customers. Platforms like Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook can be used to actively collect reviews from your customers . Research shows that 72% of people believe that positive reviews make them trust a local business more.

Also read: Use the power of testimonials to boost your ecommerce sales

5. Update your social media 

Social media marketing is very critical in today’s day and age in order to market a business of any size.  Simply having social media accounts is not enough.  If something about your business changes, it should reflect on your social media accounts too. Your website, address, hours, logo, and pictures must all be up to date. Aside from that, post fresh content regularly to engage your followers. You should vary your posts with a mix of informational, topical, product or service related, amongst other subject matter to keep your followers in tune with what you and your business are up to.

Also read: Most important social media trends to know in 2020

6. Curate an email list

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to build a lasting relationship with customers. Create a robust email list from your customer database and you can use a lead magnet to further populate it. A lead magnet is an incentive that marketers offer to their potential customers in exchange for their email address. You can ask members to sign up to avail value discounts, or start a VIP membership program. Once you have generated your email list, create a plan with the types of emails you want to send out. It can be promotional, newsletters, or have featured products, , top-selling products, featured stories, among other ideas. For every email, set a goal, such as brand recognition, boosting sales, customer engagement, or call to actions, and create it accordingly.

7. Delight your customers

You can turn your best customers into brand advocates. Word-of-mouth is ten times more effective than traditional forms of marketing and advertising. To generate this kind of marketing,  you need to exceed your customers’ expectations. Make them feel special and delight them with a ‘wow’ experience. By using the most creative ways to engage and retain your customers, you can create an entire set of  loyal customers to help you spread the word for your business.

All of the above marketing strategies can help attract new customers and retain current customers. Some of them may overlap and work together to set your business apart from competitors. Share your thoughts on what are the most effective marketing strategies.

Also read: Email marketing: The right marketing strategy for your business?

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