Starting your own business can be hard, but spreading the word about your business can be even harder! If you’re on a budget, finding effective marketing tactics may seem impossible. That’s why we have compiled the top five resources for DIY local, small business marketing. With these resources, locally marketing your small business can be easy and low-cost.
1. Be Active on Social Media
To many, social media may seem trivial or unnecessary for small businesses. However, social media’s benefits are unmatched. Not only is social media free, but most platforms allow you to track your analytics and posts so you can actually see your results. Setting up the basic accounts for your business such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn will legitimize your company and make it easily findable by potential customers near and far. Through social media, you can unlock the ability to communicate, connect and promote to your followers. If you have some pocket change, you can also promote your posts to reach new audiences.
Already have social media set up for your business? Try spicing up your content with special product or service promotions, contests, interactive experiences or simple information about the company and its values. Giving your followers the chance to understand and interact with your business can go a long way.
2. Write Blog Posts
Another free-way to give your business and brand a voice is by creating blog posts. Start by setting up a blog tab on your website, and then brainstorm what kind of topics suit your business. Are you a graphic designer? Try writing about how you come up with your ideas. A local coffee shop? Write a blog post on a special coffee drink that only you offer. The possibilities are endless. Keeping up with weekly or monthly blog posts about what’s happening at your company keeps customers engaged and up-to-date. When they feel in the loop, they will respect your business even more. And who knows – maybe one of those blog posts will go viral. You never know who might stumble upon you through a simple Google search.
3. Learn the SEO Basics
In the business world, acronyms are thrown out all over the place. One of the most important ones to learn to boost your local marketing strategy is SEO: Search Engine Optimization. SEO is all about making sure potential customers can actually find you. After spending precious time building your website and blog content, you want to make sure the people you want to see it are actually seeing it. SEO is all about keywords, tags and how you’re writing. To start optimizing your business, do a simple Google research on SEO to understand how it all works. Next, head to our SEO archive where you can find a handful of our top SEO tips and tricks that we have compiled to help you out. If you are running your website with WordPress, a great way to start is by using the Yoast Plugin. Yes, even we use it! Once you master SEO, readers and customers will be more engaged and present with your business.
4. Create an Email List or Loyalty Program
Customer service is key to keeping your local customers around for a long time. To recognize and appreciate your customers, try starting up an email list or loyalty program. When a customer visits your website or buys a product or service, ask for their email address. Compiling a list of who has given you business is a great way to track your audience’s demographics and reach out to them in the future. Try sending out a monthly email with business updates or special offers for “loyal customers” only. Make the customers on the list feel special! Offering special incentives and insider information is the perfect way to keep those customers coming back to you, and don’t forget it’s free.
5. Get Engaged with the Community
As a small business ourselves, we know that engaging with the community is essential to making your business known and respected. To find some super simple ways to get involved, check out our latest blog post on community engagement techniques. Another great option is to partner with other local small businesses around you. Whether it be a promotion swap, a collaboration or a grouped event, partnering with another local business is the perfect way to reach new audiences and help out another business in return. So what are you waiting for? Get involved and reach out!
Now that you have read our toolkit of DIY local small business marketing resources, you are ready to start promoting. If you need a little boost, reach out to us. We are always happy to help out other small businesses!
