Why Marketing for Small Businesses
is Different

Many small business owners are aware that marketing is different for them than it is for larger companies, but they may not fully understand why. This blog post will discuss the differences and what you can do to make your marketing more successful in a way that is tailored to your size and budget.

A Comprehensive Strategy

A key difference is that small business owners have to wear many different hats, so while the marketing strategy may be similar in some ways, you will need a more comprehensive plan since your name isn’t as immediately known. Advertising online and off while maintaining an up-to-date website is the bare minimum. Going the extra mile to connect with potential customers goes a long way when you’re trying to cut through the advertising noise.

A Tailored Approach

Another difference is that there are many different approaches you might take to marketing your small business. For example, a store with four or more employees may advertise locally via flyers, newspapers, and websites while relying on word-of-mouth for customers who live outside their local area. A company of this size would not typically run a national ad campaign, since they’re not likely to have the budget for it.

The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Word-of-mouth marketing is an inexpensive but effective way that small businesses can generate new business without breaking their budgets or overextending themselves. By making sure you maintain strong and positive relationships with your customers, you can create a word-of-mouth buzz that makes people eager to work with and buy from you. Never underestimate the power of maintaining a good amount of positive testimonials and reviews.

The Value of Local Advertising

Local advertising is also an inexpensive way for small businesses to generate new business without breaking their budgets or overextending themselves. A local ad campaign might consist of flyers placed in store windows , local newspapers, or the use of local radio stations.
 

The Value of Social Media Marketing

Social media is an inexpensive way to generate new business without breaking your budget. It has emerged as a powerful two-way communication channel that can be utilized for both marketing and customer service purposes. Companies should set up pages on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Yelp to help establish a dialog with customers.
 

The Value of Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways for small businesses to generate new business without breaking their budgets or overextending themselves. It’s also an excellent way to nurture leads and turn them into paying customers when it’s time to purchase products  or services.

The Value of Public Relations (PR) Media

Public relations is the process that a company uses to promote its products and improve relationships with individuals or groups who matter socially, economically, legally or politically. Small businesses can benefit from public relations by getting featured in local media outlets such as newspapers and magazines without any cost other than giving  the media outlet an exclusive story.


The Value of SEO for Small Businesses

SEO is crucial to any small business’s success in today’s online world, and it can be key to their physical location too. It improves rankings on search engines like Google, Yahoo! or Bing so that a company’s website appears higher in the list of listings for a given search term. This increases the chances that prospective customers will find them and contact them via their website, phone or email.


The Importance of Offline Marketing for Small Businesses

Offline marketing is just as important to small businesses’ success stories in today’s world than online marketing is. With offline marketing strategies like  events, trade shows and networking events it’s possible for small businesses to reach out to their target audience.


The Importance of Branding

Branding is the process by which an organization presents its products or services in a distinctive way as part of a larger communication strategy with customers. An attractive logo can help make brands more memorable and recognizable over time.

Conclusion

Marketing is one of the most important aspects for any business. Whether you have a small staff or large, marketing can play an integral role in your success as a company and growth.  Small businesses are often overlooked by marketers due to size but there may be even more opportunity because they’re not saturated with competition like larger companies may see. If you need help taking the next step forward to make your brand stand up, click here to connect with a member of our team.