Every entrepreneur knows that in order to have a successful business, offering quality products or services is simply not enough. You need to create an image of a brand and constantly raise awareness of it, with the main goal being to attract new audiences and potentially convert them into customers. This is why your marketing strategy ought to be an integral, as well as an ongoing aspect of your business operation. To find the right approach, you must have a clearly defined target audience for your offers. Various strategies can then be accordingly applied through both online and in real life methods.
Contents
Online presence
Nowadays it seems that your virtual presence and promotion are at least equally important as your actual business operation. Many digital marketing experts would even argue that with the rise of e-commerce and use of smart devices in general, it is more important how you present your brand online, and through which platforms. The trend is that most people will use a search engine before buying a product or a service, looking for either recommendations, or something nearby. This is why you must set up and regularly update your company’s Google Business profile. You’ll be listed on the map, and only the most relevant information is shown there, like the address and your phone number.
Image source
Another crucial aspect of this trend is to have a website with a detailed catalogue of your offers. Possibilities are endless, once you set it up. You could include a blog section, and regularly publish content there, as people are used to both sharing and receiving media content on a daily basis. Bill Gates wrote an essay called Content is king, so you decide whether you’ll believe him! More content drives more traffic on the website, and improves your rankings on search engines.
While we’re at the topic of content, it is highly recommended to promote your business via social networks. They seem to have become one of the most relevant sources of information, and they allow you better interaction with the potential customers. Facebook and Instagram pages are obligatory, and you should explore what else is popular within your target audience. This is an extremely effective strategy, which shows people you are relating to them, responding to their needs and expectations and presents your company in a more humane way. You can publish stories and remind your followers of your brand on a daily basis, publish special discount codes and further engage them in various ways.
Real-life interaction and networking
Following the latest trends is important, but you shouldn’t overlook the advantages of real-life interactions either. This is particularly relevant for your engagement in the local community, stability of your customer loyalty levels, and networking with other entrepreneurs from your niche market. People from your base area should have some obvious benefits of it, and that support will mean a lot even when you reach a point of expansion. Establishing some quality neighborhood relations can help your business not only in terms of promotion, but engagement of the community as well. Think about adding an option of free deliveries in the area, and connect with the owners of popular local bars and restaurants to provide discount coupons for their customers.
Furthermore, to create a network of valuable connections, you need to participate in various events and trade shows on local and state levels, and if an option, international as well. There is always room for improvement, so you can learn a thing or two from your competitors and try to find examples of good practice! There are three key aspects of participation in such events – quality of presentation on your exhibition stands, free samples or merchandise you are providing to visitors, and the activities included. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little and get creative in ideas for the approach of presenting your brand to both potential customers and your competitors.
Image source
Personalization
The process of personalization can show your existing customers you value their input and are not just some faceless corporation. You can start by personalizing your email newsletters and providing information which is interesting and relevant for certain groups of people. Amazon shows one of the best examples of this technique, as their offers are personalized, and based on the related items of your previous searches, for example. Leave some room interaction, and provide several ways for people to reach you in order to ask a question, or simply get you some feedback. You should also apply this to your website, and have contact and call to action boxes on every page.
SEO techniques
We’ve mentioned the increasingly rising importance of digital marketing, so we must recommend investing in search engine optimization, as it presents the key component of it. SEO will provide for long-term effects regarding your online presence.
Moreover, you can boost your online presence through giving coupons to sites like Shipthedeal.com, and improve your Google ratings, helping you end up on the first page when someone is browsing for a product or a service your company offers.
You can choose the main keywords, decide what the focus will be on, for example, you can include the name of your city or an area if you wish to particularly target local audiences. Optimization process includes the technical aspect as well, and helps you maintain some functioning features of your website. Your speed of loading will be increased, your code regularly inspected for any broken backlinks etc.
Conclusion
The strategies we’ve mentioned are basically a necessity nowadays, and these were just the guidelines you will need to adapt to your specific type of a business. Staying traditional in the areas that matter, combined with some innovative approaches and following the latest trends is the recipe for success. It will take a lot of effort, but it will be worth it once you’ve established a certain brand image. Every kind of promotion is based around it, and reflects the values of that brand. Another advice is to ask for reviews and honest feedback whenever you can, as you should be constantly seeking for new ways to improve.