Marketing in the Digital Age
New and small business owners are often limited in their advertising and marketing knowledge, and almost always underestimate the budget required to get meaningful results. For small business marketing can be quite a challenge, getting noticed in the digital world is like looking for a needle in a haystack, a haystack the size of Mt Everest!. However they’re not without options, and with the right marketing strategies, you can make a big impact in your local area, increase awareness and ultimately revenue.
The first step to successful small business marketing is to determine the goals, budget, and target market. Knowing these three essential elements is critical to creating an effective marketing strategy. The goals of a small business should reflect its overall mission and what it wants to accomplish. Small business owners must then think about their potential target market and determine who their customers most likely are. A good start is to take an inventory of all potential customers and allocate the budget accordingly.
Once the target market and budget have been set, small businesses can begin to plan their marketing and advertising activities. There are loads of ways to market a business without having to spend a great deal of money, for example we all use social media, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, Pinterest are all platforms that you can use for free. You can also start a website, write a blog (like this ☺️), email newsletters, and of course word of mouth. These methods are all cost-effective ways to reach a potentially huge audience and increase the visibility of a small business.
Digital marketing has become the highest impact and cost effective marketing channel since the t
Town Crier (ok maybe since the advent of TV and Radio). Digital marketing services can be very effective in driving traffic to businesses through various channels, including search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, affiliate marketing, and social media campaigns. Digital marketing also allows small business owners to track their campaigns to see which strategies are successful and which ones are not. This is important because it helps the small business owner fine-tune their campaigns and maximize their marketing budget.
Small business owners can also take advantage of more traditional marketing strategies, such as print advertisements, radio spots, television commercials, and other traditional media outlets, but be aware TV is hugely expensive as Radio not a great deal cheaper. Although these methods may cost more money than digital services, they provide the potential for a different audience, one that may not be on all of those social media channels you’ve setup.
Last, but not least, small businesses must build a strong customer service system. Historically it was literally people in an office answering support questions, but more an more companies are shifting to AI (Artificial Intelligence to answer common questions). It is important for small businesses to make every customer feel that their business is valued and that their inquiries and concerns are taken seriously. Providing a high-quality customer service experience can mean the difference between closing and maintaining loyal customers.
Small business marketing may be a challenge, but with the right strategies and smart budgeting, small business owners can make a huge impact in their local market and increase their revenues. By taking the time to determine their goals, target market, and budget; researching digital marketing services and traditional outlets; and providing high-quality customer service, small businesses can build an effective and successful marketing plan. Luckily franchisers of Mobile Gym Fitness have all of this legwork done for them! Yep, seriously.
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