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Ultimate Guide

Small Business Marketing – Your (A to Z) Guide for 2020

Beating yourself over the head moaning –

“I run a small business full-time, learning how to market my biz is like another full-time gig.”

It’s a time-zapping, confusing, pounding headache if you don’t have the right info.

If you’re overwhelmed by the ton of free or low-cost small business marketing options at your fingertips these days…

You’re not alone!

I was thinking of you today because four small businesses near my house have closed in the last couple of years. They sold excellent products and services at a reasonable price.

But they struggled to get new and returning customers.

One business was an Italian restaurant.

Now there’s a new Italian restaurant in the same spot.

I haven’t seen a lick of advertising. So, this refurbished, high-end restaurant is in jeopardy.

You understand that marketing is how your brick-and-mortar or online biz will thrive.

Congrats.

Let’s clear the fog right now about the four basic kinds of small business marketing – advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, and publicity.

So you can pluck out the best marketing strategies for your business. Get four or five up and running and get ready for a lot more customers.

First,

What Does Marketing Mean in Business?

Marketing means that you target your audience in ways that show them why your product fits their needs, wants and desires.

To do so, you first have to know your audience:

What are your customer’s buying patterns? – This gives you a good idea of when your marketing will have the most effect

Are there any clear market trends? Copy and cash in on what’s got your customers excited
Keep an eye on your competitor – it’s okay to copy what’s working for them to draw customers to you
What are their demographics? – Where they live, age, financial situation, race, religion, family size, gender, and education

Call, email, or have your customers fill out a survey. Ask five questions:

What do they like about your product?
What keeps them returning?
How does your product help them?
Why DO they like YOUR product more than your competitors?
And, if you have a website, what platforms do they find you on. (Platforms, is just a fancy word for Google, Yahoo, etc.)

Existing customers are the lifeblood of your business. It’s easier to keep them happy than find new customers.

The Easiest Way to Mount Your Small Business Marketing Plan of Attack!

The easiest way to tackle your small business marketing plan is to avoid trying too many different strategies at once. This has never worked for anyone.

Jot down the ideas you like, then choose four or five. That way, you’ll do what the ‘legend’ says and avoid overwhelm.

Also

Set goals. Are you trying to increase your lead generation, website visitors or social media engagement? What return on investment (ROI) do you want from each of your marketing efforts?

If you’re spending time, not money, assess how much time you’re willing to spend on one kind of marketing.

12 Dead Easy Local Marketing Ideas

“How do I advertise my small business locally? Without it breaking the bank!”

Sponsor sporting events or non-profits – Grab exposure as a good guy around town. Attend and hand out logo balloons
Get a car magnet with your logo – It gets people asking you about your business
Join local business groups – The Chamber of Commerce for small businesses. Network at live meetings … bounce ideas off people. Check out specific interest clubs, (like gardening or biking) even churches or schools
Donate a product or service – Add to the prize for a local contest
Be a host – Here are a few marketing event ideas for small business … workshops, tutorials, tours of your facilities, competitions, concerts, pop-up shops, and giveaways
Partner with other businesses – Say you own a doggie-day-care. And you know someone who sells unique dog accessories. Give each other free exposure on your marketing channels
Advertise in print – So many businesses are neglecting offline marketing strategies. For small business owners like you, that’s fantastic news. Because it ‘s still an effective marketing channel and now quite cheap
Send mail – Pamphlets and letters still make great sales. In the case of a letter, put something lumpy inside. You’ll get a lot of opens because your reader will be too curious to toss it out
Make logo bookmarks – And leave them at the library
Write your Twitter handle, website or directions to a sale – In chalk on the footpath. I see this all the time at my daughter’s university and watch the students ‘follow the yellow brick road’
Write a column offline – If you have a special skill or knowledge, the local paper or non-profit magazine would love to hear from you. It’s another way to touch base with your target audience consistently and add to your credibility
Print distinctive business cards – Remember to hand them out!
Set up Google My Business (GMB) – Have you noticed the businesses with maps and locations that pop up under ads when you search online? They’ve got what you want … credibility and visibility for free.

If you don’t already have a Google account, it’s easy and free to sign up.

Follow these steps:

Go to Google My Business and click register
Complete your business information and add a description
Upload high-quality images
Get and reply to GMB reviews
Collect citations
Use posts to promote events, offers, and content
Create and upload videos

It’s Free – Social Media Marketing for Small Business

Small business marketing for beginners … try social media. It’s hands down, the best place online for your customers to get to know you. They’ll trust you…

Which leads to sales.

Your small business marketing budget can be zero if you’re okay investing your time and imagination.

(Don’t worry, you don’t need to pour out your personal life onto the page.)

Facebook

Facebook is fantastic for visuals. Try short ‘how-to’ videos.

Five simple post ideas are:

Interesting photos of your products
A photo of what you’re up to today
Fun staff photos
Special sales or deals
Invite comments and always respond if a prospect or customer comments.

And, create a buzz. Here’s a cool example…

The lead-up video was shot sideways. Hundreds of followers posted to tell “Stephanie” to turn the camera around.

The camera was shaking.

And the commentary was like listening through the sound of a noisy clothes dryer.

In spite of that, the Meerkat event attracted 6,000 viewers. The page was lively with excited comments, likes, and shares.

The captivating idea, badly executed, gave the zoo exposure… That leads to more zoo visitors.

Instagram

On Instagram, good quality photo posts and videos work well.

Here are five ideas:

DIY videos that show why your product is the solution to their problem
Sneak peeks at what’s coming soon
Contests and giveaways
Quote images
Motivational images or videos. For example, the sportswear manufacturer Under Armour uses the hashtag #IWILL. Most posts relate to overcoming physical obstacles. These resonate with their audience who occasionally get branded advertising

If you’re selling a product that photographs well, check out the easy to use Pinterest platform.

Users can create visually pleasing boards, “pin” images of their products, and share company culture. Users can “re-pin” to interact with brands and show appreciation for products or content they love. It’s the Pinterest way of “liking.”

And here’s why it can create traffic to your website and sales for years:

When you pin an image on Pinterest, it’s clickable and goes to your website. Every time another Pinterest user clicks it, you get free traffic. There’s not the usual song and dance about “following.”

YouTube

This video platform is easy to use and gives you the chance to

show instead of tell. ‘How to’ and product demonstrations are a perfect way to gain trust. You know the expression “seeing is believing.”

You don’t need fancy gear to turn out a decent video. A phone camera will do the trick. Just make sure you’re entertaining to give yourself the best chance for ‘likes’ and ‘shares.’

Oh, also, 83% of people watch YouTube without audio, so adding captions is a neat touch.

Recycle your effort by reposting your video on other social media platforms.

Twitter

Twitter is social media, but an attractive option for anyone wanting to avoid social hype.

Like this ‘Twitterer,’ Bob.

Bob’s an extreme introvert, but he ‘Tweets’ almost every day. He typically posts around 30 characters with a link to new content for his followers to read.

He makes multiple six figures a year. Of course, he also uses other marketing channels, but he finds ‘tweeting’ a few words a day is profitable.

Ask your customers to follow you on Twitter to keep up-to-date with any new content or short promos.

Linkedin is often overlooked when it comes to anything other than hunting for jobs.

There’s a ton you can do with Linkedin – Like join groups and make connections.

Even share your blog posts to create buzz and authority.

Also, they own the company – Slideshare…

Slideshare is for professional presentations. If you’re not up to making a video but can make ‘How to’ PowerPoint slides, you can share them here.

Reddit allows users to discuss and vote on content other users have submitted. The votes are called “Karma Points.”

Reddit’s great for :

Extreme niches
Tech-savvy audiences
Posting only the best content. I assume you don’t want bad Karma!

Last words about social media…

I beg you to choose one social media channel because your audience is already hanging out there.

Many times for a couple of hours a day or more.

Again, track how much time or money you’re spending. Some small business marketing services offer social media experts because they know you’ll get a great return on your investment.

Have you jotted down a few ideas yet? Remember what the legendary small business marketer Dan K. said. “Don’t put all your (marketing) eggs in one basket.”

Social media only scratches the surface of online marketing for small business.

Let’s delve into some more complex options.

Small Business Marketing Automation Rules – What are You Missing Out On?

Set up your marketing campaign and let the automation do the work for you!

The Internet gives you amazing and effortless small business marketing options.

Email Marketing

I’ve started here because 64% of business owners say that email’s easy.

And the ROI is astounding. (Roughly $38 for every dollar spent)

Mailchimp charges zero to own a list of up to 2,000 readers.

Or you could get paid platforms like AWeber or Constant Contact.

Signing up on an email platform is like filling out a quick online survey.

Even non-tech business owners master the basics of sending emails to their list.

Seven guidelines for effective email marketing:

Use an email address that’s easy to recognize – If your name is Jon Morrow and you own a shoe shop called “Jon’s Shoes,” send the email from “Jon’s Shoes.” Not JMorrow
Don’t be clever with the subject line, be specific – Let the reader know there’s a benefit if they open it
Make sure your design is neat – And include your special logo
Always give your reader instructions – Click here, buy this today and you’ll get $5 off
Put a prominent opt-in box – Sign up to your email list on your website (I’ll cover websites next)
Keep in touch often – Send them coupons and bonuses if that’s all you’ve got time to do
Send HELPFUL newsletters – Perfect for niches bursting with new info, like health supplements for example

MarketingProfs.com says that almost one-third of consumers prefer to get emails for marketing.

And the rule of thumb is, it takes seven ‘touches’ to make the sale. Email marketing allows you to touch your customer or prospect often.

I hope I’ve convinced you to jot down emails as one of your marketing channels.

Websites

Did you know that 81% of customers go online before heading to the store?

If you don’t have a website, you’re not controlling what’s said about your business online. That’s scary!

Four suggestions for your new or existing website are:

Make it mobile friendly – 55% of mobile shopping results in purchases within an hour
Use Search Engine Optimization – 93% of traffic starts with search engines like Google. (I’ll explain more about this in a moment)
Get placements on websites relevant to your niche – Build up a profile of backlinks to help your site ranking and give you credibility. (stay away from competitors websites) An easy and free way is to respond to relevant Help a Reporter Out (HARO) queries. Provide a quote, and request that the author includes a link to your website
Create a fast website – Your prospects and customers go to your pages to get answers fast. I’m sure you’ve been on sites where the page takes forever to pop up so you abandon it. Avoid that!

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Okay, if you’re creating a website, you’ll need to know about SEO.

SEO is essential when you’re aiming for the lucrative page one of Google and other search engines. Optimized online marketing only needs tweaking. The automation does the heavy lifting for you.

In case you don’t know what a keyword for optimization is…

When you type in what you’re searching for, part of the phrase, or sometimes the whole phrase is a keyword.

For example – If you want to know what the birthstone for April is, you’d type in “What’s the April birthstone?”

The keyword is “April birthstone.” Say you own a business that sells birthstones … target your audience by putting the keyword in your online marketing.

Four more facts about SEO are:

SEO is a long term strategy – For example, I wrote a blog that was published three months ago. It started on page 13 of Google. Today it’s on page two, with an UP arrow I hope. I’ll keep an eye on that and tweak it if it needs a little more help. Yes, tweaking is good
Search engines recognize – the quality of the post and that it answers the question the reader is asking
Search engines AND readers love visuals – Don’t stop at photos or art. YouTube videos are an excellent way to boost your rankings. (more on visuals in a moment)
Blogging can help your SEO – Your blogs must be well-written, friendly posts

If you’ve had it up to the eyeballs with trying to master marketing online, hire an SEO expert. A few tweaks from a trained eye will make a staggering difference to your exposure… That leads to sales.

A Small Business Marketing Strategy that Will Pay You for YEARS

Content gives your reader valuable, relevant, and interesting info without impending sales pressure. Well written content on your website can bring you sales for years.

Four content marketing ideas to get you started are:

Find something related to your business that already exists on the web. Say, a study … highlight relevant points and update them with your unique perspective. Post it on your pick of marketing channels
Collect data that relates to your industry. Post it on your pick of marketing channels. Data.gov, The Census Bureau, and The World Health Organization are good places to look
Provide white papers… An informative, EASY to understand ‘paper’ that explains your product’s benefits. White papers build trust and are awesome for B2B
Offer how-to tips and best industry practices

If you’re publishing blog posts, it’s critical to use SEO, so that you virtually ‘pop up’ to answer questions.

A word of caution about content marketing…

Never try to be misleading to get attention. It will ruin trust. For example, I came across a blog that exploits celebrities.

The headline is “Sally Field Gone Forever.” What, Sally Field died?

The blog details a secret combination of two face creams … it has nothing to do with Sally Field. Although the product has proof, they lost me (forever) on trust. The ‘clickbait’ headline created curiosity but didn’t deliver what it promised.

How to Tackle Paid Online Marketing for Small Business

Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

Place a bid and when your ad is clicked on, you pay what you bid.

These campaigns can sap your money FAST.

But

When mastered, it’s a lucrative marketing strategy. Many small business owners say they’re getting 350% to 450% ROI.

Limit what you want to spend each day. Turn the campaign on and off, tweak it, test it. In other words, you have a lot of control and when you hit that well-refined target market – BINGO!

The niche and platform determine the bid cost to get a prime ad position.

Let’s cover two of the most popular PPC platforms.

Facebook advertising

Small business owners market using this platform because you can:

Target your audience based on location, interests, age, sex, online behavior, and many other factors
Test many sets of ads to see what’s working best and tweak as often as you like
Set your marketing budget for as little as $1 a day
Create Facebook ads very easily. You just need a solid headline, a bit of descriptive copy, one image, and a link.

Google Adwords

Google is the most popular search engine platform. It’s been around a long time. It’s competitive and expensive.

It’s a follow your nose sign-up process.

But, to rake in leads and sales quickly and easily, hire an expert who knows how to optimize your campaign.

Adwords gives you:

The ability to target with precision using a few well-chosen keywords
A quality score for your ad. It assesses your CTR (Click Through Rate), relevance, and the landing page your ad sends traffic to. This quality score factors into the bid rate you will need to get your ad displayed
Immediate results. When you set a campaign live, you’ll see if it’s working straight away. Test and tweak to improve your ROI
Monitoring for your campaign data by using the free Google Analytics tool

Banner ads

Pay for space on a website or placement in an ezine for a monthly fee. Look for sites relevant to your niche. You’ll only pay a few dollars on many sites. It’s easy to track your leads and sales.

Also, many platforms have a cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) bidding system. It works a lot like PPC. Every thousand times your banner shows on the page, you’ll get charged your bid cost.

Stumble Upon Advertising

A cheap PPC option @ 10 cents per click. Add 2 cents for targeting age, gender or device. Photography, visuals, and humor work best on this platform.

A final word on ‘clickable’ paid ads…

Go further than looking at the cost … some web ads are only successful in certain niches. You wouldn’t put a garden manure ad in a bridal magazine, would you? Gross!

2 Small Business Marketing Tips – Shine as an Expert in Your Niche

Webinars

A fun presentation marketing strategy that allows you to ‘show and tell’ about your product online. You don’t have to stand on stage with your knees knocking, or even show your face.

Webinars give you authority.

Present slides and talk, unmute your viewers for Q&A or answer questions in your chat-box. Offer a one time deal at the end to get a few quick sales.

Also, webinars are an excellent way to grab email addresses and grow your (email) list.

You’ll need a computer and a webinar platform to run on. The platform cost varies a lot. It depends on the audience number and other factors.

Go-to-Webinar and Zoom are popular choices.

Offer a Free Consultation

Giving your time is an excellent way to attract new leads. Many of us are online a lot, but we still love the personal touch.

Don’t worry about giving away too much info, your generosity will bring loyalty.

It’s a snap to promote free consultations on multiple marketing channels. (Remember, don’t put all your eggs in one basket) Display the consultation on your website, or social media. Also, pamphlets, newspapers, signs, and word-of-mouth work well.

13 Bonus Simple Small Business Marketing Ideas

Have you been jotting down a few marketing channel ideas? If not, there’s still time by starting here!

Buy video space – Appear in an ad ahead of or beside a YouTube video
Sponsor or partner – Appear on an influencer’s platform that’s willing to share your product or service. For example, being a guest on a Podcast is great credibility
Google+post ads – Pay to promote your Google+ content as an ad on relevant third party sites
DIY infographics – Try Adobe Illustrator or free vector kits. These can be a little challenging to learn, but free is good
Offer your customers – A new product, trial, or free month of service for referring new customers
Create staff incentives – Reward them for bringing in new customers. Incentives can be non-monetary … say, a long lunch hour
Give away – Free trials to keep your customer happy and interested
Use discount coupons – $5 off for a limited time or Buy-one-Get-one-free (BOGO)
Find coupon deal sites – For example, Groupon … a word of caution here. These kinds of coupons won’t have you rolling in profit and you’ll need to plan for high volume. When the customer returns and pays the regular price, you’ll see the ROI
Arrange online contests – To easily to set up a contest and embed the entry form on your website, use Rafflecopter
Write an online column – If you have a skill-set that translates well on an influencer giant site like Forbes.com, offer them a guest post to gain authority
Speak at events – Build your reputation. Check for events on Eventbrite.com and Meetup.com, newspapers and magazines. Even big companies might find it helpful for you to present to their employees in your specialist niche.
Wear a logo cap – My friend Judi wears a logo cap for her health and wellness travel blog. People ask her to tell them about her cap all the time, and that starts her chat about her biz!

The Final Roundup – Which Small Business Marketing Strategies Did You Choose?

Go easy on yourself…

Don’t get caught on the marketing hamster wheel.

Keep things simple, start with four or five marketing channels…

And keep track of what’s working.

By the way, about that Italian restaurant … I drove by it yesterday. In the time it took me to write this to you, it WENT UNDER.

Less than a year after opening. Aghhh.

Don’t struggle to get customers, or even worse, be like the Italian restaurant!

Your small business deserves to flourish. With your fresh savvy small business marketing approach … it will.

Know your audience and target them online and/or offline.
Track your marketing conversions … both time and money
Reach out to your audience often. Show and tell them the many ways your product will benefit them. Hint, hint – email’s the easiest way to do that

Remember, your small business marketing budget may be meager, but you’ve got plenty of cheap and free options.

And don’t get caught in a rut.

Change your channel if what you’re doing isn’t working. There are SO many marketing options, some WILL work for YOU…

Ready, set, good luck!