Marketing your small business is time-consuming. If anyone gets that, it’s us — after all, we’re small, too! But with the right small business marketing tips, even just a few minutes a day can go a long way toward hitting your eventual goal of earning the title of “Best Small Business Ever.”
Got a minute or three? We do, too. And we’re using ours to show you some quick and painless marketing steps you can take now that can help take you from small to (slightly) bigger.
10 Quick Small Business Marketing Tips
- Make a Connection. Take three minutes each day to connect with someone. It could be a potential customer, another player in the small business marketing world or even just the person you meet at the grocery store when your spouse texts you to remind you to bring eggs home. Exchange business cards. Talk up your company. Solve a problem for someone else, or ask for help solving one of your own issues. Networking matters!
- Reply to an Email. Whether it’s a potential customer asking for a moment of your time or a potential vendor trying to make their pitch, replying to just one of your seemingly endless emails each day is a win! (Obviously, you should try to reply to all of them — but even baby steps get you closer to your goals.)
- Engage on Social Media. If you’re lucky enough to have a social media manager (or even better, a community manager), chances are you haven’t engaged on social media lately. We get it — out of sight, out of mind, and after all, you do pay these people to handle it for you. But coming out of the darkness and engaging with your fans and followers goes a long way towards showing your commitment to the people who made you what you are today. A few comments from the business owner are sure to please the masses, and instill a sense of loyalty, too!
- Check the Hashtags. One glance at the trending topics on Twitter or Facebook can give you some otherwise-elusive inspiration. If you’re up at 3 a.m. and see #catcouture trending, and you happen to make custom dresses for cats, you’ve got it made! (If this happens, please, please, PLEASE let us know!)
- Stalk Your Competition. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of competition-stalking. You don’t need to put on your cloak and fake nose to covertly check out your small business rival. What are they offering that you don’t? Consider adding it to your offerings. What are you offering that they don’t? Maybe it’s time to advertise it.
- Check Your Numbers. When was the last time you looked at your analytics? Do you know what’s working, and — more importantly — what isn’t? Take a peek at your numbers for the past 30, 60 or 90 days and make some tweaks, if necessary.
- Read Through Reddit. Reddit is a weird community. They don’t like being marketed to, but they’re all up for learning about everything from anteaters to zephyrs. (If you can think it, there’s a subreddit for it!) Spend a few minutes reading through a sub that ties in with your business and make a post if the mood strikes. It’s market research at its best!
- Read Through Your Old Content. Yes, “new, new, new!” seems to be the current school of thought when it comes to marketing, but if your old content stands the test of time, why not repurpose it? A cool article full of stats could be turned into an infographic. A how-to article could become your next video. And that piece you wrote seven years ago that generated 1,500 comments could be ripe for a repost.
- Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now! Do you have stock sitting on your shelves, or a service that you’d like to publicize? Give it away! A social media contest/giveaway/sweepstakes will engage your audience like nothing else — and maybe even entice some disappointed non-winners to just buy it, already!
- Solicit Help. Are you burned out? Riddled with anxiety about how you can manage your current workload, let alone take on more? Get some help! Whether it’s hiring a new employee or partnering with an awesome small business marketing firm, there’s never anything wrong with admitting that you can no longer handle it all yourself. (Actually, that’s kind of awesome! It means you’re growing.)
Whether you need more quick small business marketing tips or someone to take the reins, Mischa Communications is here! Contact us today and tell us how we can make your life easier.