Most small business marketing tips start and end with your website and your email campaign. While those strategies are extremely important, there are many other marketing tricks you can use that will diversify your strategies and help you get the most out of your marketing budget.
We’ve gathered four marketing tactics that go beyond email to help you find new customers and get your name out there.
Get involved in your community
Even if your small business has a large reach, and especially if it doesn’t, spending time and money on community marketing efforts can be very effective. One of the most overlooked tactics is to join a local Chamber of Commerce. You’ll get valuable networking opportunities and access to information and resources. Most Chambers of Commerce also host events that can get you involved in your community, like charity events, lectures, and socials.
There are also great ways to get involved in your community on your own. Look for opportunities to be a speaker or a member of a panel in industry events. Review your city and county websites for events where you could set up a booth or become a sponsor. Charity events like fundraisers can be a great way to help your community and let people know what you offer. Anything that gets you seen in your local community can pay off in a big way.
Partner with other organizations
Partnering with other organizations is a great way to get more customers and build relationships with other small businesses. You can partner with a company that is related to your business in some way, but not a direct competitor—like a hair salon that partners with a mani/pedi place or a day spa. You can also partner with a nonprofit organization you admire or another local business that compliments what you offer.
Once you’ve identified potential businesses, reach out to them and see if they would be interested in working with you. When you find the right fit, there are many ways you can work together. On the simple end of the spectrum, you can hang signs in your place of business, offer business cards, or link to their company on your website (and ask for something similar in return). You can also incorporate your partner business into your newsletter, guest post on their blog, and mention them in social media posts. Hosting an event or organizing a fundraiser together can also get you great benefits without requiring you to shoulder all of the work yourself.
Apply for business awards
There is a slew of awards available for small businesses. An award badge on your website or other marketing materials can boost your credibility with potential customers and give you some great marketing opportunities. Some small business awards even come with cash prizes, though those are usually harder to snag.
A great place to start is your local Chamber of Commerce (which is one more reason to join one). They often have awards or programs that can get you recognition. It’s also a good idea to search for local or industry-specific awards (like “Readers Choice” awards) to get started. Once you’ve tried a few local awards, you can check out the many national awards that are available.
Repurpose your content
In the age of the internet, high-quality content has become increasingly important in marketing efforts, especially those for small businesses. Good content can a lot of time and effort to create, so make sure you are getting the most out of everything you write.
For example, if you land a speaking gig, you can turn your talk into a webinar or a video for your YouTube channel. You could also update your slides and share them on LinkedIn’s SlideShare. SlideShare is pretty much what it sounds like—a website where professionals can share their knowledge through slides instead of standard blog posts or webinars. (If you want some tips, LinkedIn has put together information on how to make your SlideShare slides stand out.)
Even if you haven’t done a lecture, you can repurpose other content you’ve created. Turn a popular blog post or a series of posts into a short ebook that can be offered to your visitors in exchange for signing up for your newsletter. Or take a blog post with lots of numbers and turn it into an eye-catching infographic that people can easily share. Being creative will help you maximize the return you get on all of the hard work you put into creating great content.
As a small business, you should definitely have a great website and an email marketing campaign. But your marketing efforts shouldn’t stop there. Getting involved, partnering with other organizations, applying for business awards, and repurposing your content are just a few of the ways you can expand your marketing efforts.
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