In any business, advertising and marketing your brand are crucial. Being able to tell prospective customers about your products and services will not only expand your visibility and reach, but it will ultimately help widen your customer base and help you generate more revenue for your company.
Smaller businesses won’t have nearly the same type of recognition that larger, more established ones must put together a marketing plan, so you will need to work hard to promote your company and offerings. The challenge is your small business likely has limited resources and a modest budget. Despite these difficulties, you cannot dismiss the need to advertise. Rather, you need to determine the best way to advertise small business.
Luckily, there are ways you can do this effectively without overspending. As a result, you can enjoy success in reaching your target audience and growing your business.
10 Ways to Advertise a Small Business
Larger companies have many advantages over your small business, including when it comes to business marketing. This doesn’t mean you should overlook the need to advertise. Many small businesses such as yours have successfully promoted their company without straining their budget.
Not all advertising ideas will work well for you, but it’s helpful to understand some useful methods and what other small businesses have done in the past to market their goods and services. As you learn about the best way to advertise small businesses, you can implement the marketing tactics that make the most sense for you and your needs.
1. Create and Verify Your Google Business Profile
When it comes to knowing how to advertise your business, Google can lend a big hand. When people search for local businesses on Google or Yelp, a map will show up of the target area they are searching. Business names in that area will show up, enabling people to see what is available in a given region, including one close to you. Or, a prospective customer may search specifically for your business name.
When doing this, if you have established a Google Business profile, your business will show up on Google Maps in the local section of the search results. Setting up a Google Business profile is crucial for brand awareness and recognition. It’s also cost-effective. This can help your business rank high on Google Maps and show up in the Local Pack of businesses when people search for nearby companies or services.
Importantly, you need to verify ownership of your listing and ensure that the information is accurate. You can do this by having a Google Business account. This is free and helps you achieve a higher rank in Google search results. People using the web will then be able to see your company at any time of day, seven days a week, every day of the year.
2. Create a Website
This one should be a no-brainer for any small business. Small business marketing relies heavily on having a well-developed website. Though many potential customers may first hear about you or find you through a Google search or on social media, they’ll want to head to your website to learn more about who you are and what you do. Your website must be user-friendly, intuitive, and have timely, interesting, and relevant content.
A good website is a storyteller and an excellent way to do online marketing. Your website should promote your brand and tell current and prospective customers what you are all about. You may include details about how your company got started, what products and services you have, and what sets you apart from the competition.
You should use your website to show people why they want to come to you rather than any other business. You should also include your contact information here. A website might also be a good spot to post customer reviews. Make sure you update your site regularly and have content that links to other channels such as social media platforms.
If you have a particularly limited advertising budget, you can find free marketing tools and templates to begin setting up a website. CRM and marketing tools also usually offer free website builders you can take advantage of. However, as your business expands and your marketing budget grows, it’s best to allocate money to spend on a paid site. With this option, you can have more control over how your website looks and functions.
3. Have a Blog
A business blog is not a thing of the past. This is still a viable way to attract customers and advertise your small business. You need high-quality content for people to consume, and a business blog is one of the marketing ideas that can help your company grow. In your blog, you can use certain keywords that people are likely to use when searching for services and products. The more content you have with these keywords, the chances are higher that your Google search rank will move up and be more visible.
There are nearly limitless post types to consider when it comes to creating blog posts. For example, effective blogs use tactics such as featuring customer testimonials or posting short videos. You can also post case studies, how-to articles, or question-and-answer articles with experts on any number of topics relevant to your company. You can also have a series of how-to articles that address and resolve common issues customers encounter.
4. Use Social Media and Reward Your Followers
In addition to having a robust website, you also need a social media presence. Many options and platforms are available, but Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are some of the most useful and popular. Social media content should be up-to-date and informational. You can also have fun with your content by posting recent company news, promotions, and events you have had or will have. Social media sites are perfect for advertising your products and inviting people to learn more about what you do and offer.
On your social media pages, you should also reward your followers. You can incentivize people by offering discounts, a giveaway, prizes, or other perks for people who follow you and share your small business with other people. This can quickly generate more brand recognition and help your business grow.
5. Get Involved in the Community
Another type of free advertising you can do is to get out in the community around you. For example, being in public at local events can expand your reach and become more recognizable. More importantly, people will be able to put a name to a face. Consider volunteering at causes or partnering with a charity. You can donate items to an organization or participate in days of service in the area.
Involvement in the community helps people to get to know you. This can also improve your relations and show people what a caring organization you are. This improves trust and ultimately will help your reputation and visibility.
6. Invest in SEO
To get more customers, you need more people to come to your website to learn more about what you do and offer. Driving traffic to your website is essential for growth, and some low-cost methods are available. One of these is search engine optimization.
When people search for a business in the area—and use any number of search terms, depending on the service or product they need—they will use certain search terms. This will bring up a list of options on the page of the search engine they are using. Your business can show up high on the search results, which makes your company much more visible. People are more likely to click on your site when you appear as one of the first few results on the first page.
You can take advantage of effective SEO by including industry-specific keywords in your website and producing quality content. This content needs to be timely, and you need to be consistent in producing it. Make sure you optimize images on your website, too, and ensure that load speeds are fast.
7. Launch Paid Ads
When you are thinking about the best way to advertise your small business, PPC should be the one you use. Pay-per-click marketing is another way to bring more people to your website and promote your business. This tactic is also good for small businesses that have a limited budget for advertising. PPC enables you to target visits to your website, landing page, business page, or app. In it, you pay every time someone clicks on an ad that you put on a search engine such as Google or Bing. Your company’s ad will appear high on Google or other search engines you use. The ad can consist of text or images or a combination of both. You may also use video for the ads.
With PPC, such as Google Ads, you typically pay $3 per click. You can select the settings and targets of the ads: the locations, audiences (including the local community), and devices. Include the place you want the ad to take the visitor. This will typically be your company’s homepage or a landing page on the site. You can then build the ad and include any information you want.
8. Take Advantage of Email Marketing
Another low-cost idea of how to promote your business is to use email marketing, a type of direct mail campaign. Sending an email newsletter to an email list can reach potential customers quickly and in a wide area. You may also be able to establish a new market. Email newsletters can be inexpensive and easy to create. You’ll also be able to send them to any number of people instantly.
The biggest question you will have is what type of content to include in an email newsletter for your email marketing campaign. Keep in mind that people typically don’t want to consume huge pieces of information at a time, especially in an email. Keep your newsletters short but pack them with enough content to effectively inform prospective and current customers.
Your newsletter can include company news, including new products and deals. Use the newsletter to inform people of incentives and promotions. You can also put online coupons in the newsletter so that people who click on it and use the coupon are more likely to open your next newsletter.
9. Network and Collaborate
In advertising and digital marketing, you don’t have to go about these daunting tasks alone. You can learn from others how to advertise your business. Build partnerships and collaborations with other people and organizations. Of course, you will need to be careful with whom you collaborate, as you won’t want to do so with direct competitors.
Networking with other small businesses is a great way to build relations, get ideas, and advertise your company. When you network, you may not see immediate results, but the effects can show up later and be well worth the marketing efforts you make.
In return, you can cross-promote for other businesses. Doing this helps them out and also builds your reputation. You can then reach that company’s customers and be a place they turn to when they need your services. For example, if your company sells software, you can partner with an accounting firm, and the two of you can promote one another’s business.
10. Ask for Referrals
One of the easiest ways to do free advertising is through word-of-mouth. You can use the customers you already have for your business advertising. When a person is satisfied with your products and services, he or she is more likely to want to tell other people about the experience.
Your satisfied customers can be your best spokespeople and promoters. Encourage your current customers to spread the word about your small business. Ask them for referrals. Though people often don’t give referrals on their own, if you request it, many customers are happy to do so. When people do send you referrals, you can reward them with discounts, prizes, or other incentives. A referral program is easy to set up but can yield dividends down the road.
As a small business owner, your goal is to grow your company. Advertising and marketing are the keys to realizing this objective. This can be a challenging task, especially if you are a startup. Your budget will also be limited, so you won’t have the funds initially to devote to wide-scale ad campaigns.
However, effective advertising for small businesses is not only possible but readily available. Learn about these marketing tips and choose the one that’s tailor-made for your business. You can begin to expand your customer base and enjoy an increase in revenue and profitability thanks to a good advertising and marketing strategy.
