Every small business owner is aware that their marketing budget is limited, which is why they know that focusing on local advertising and being creative when it comes to promotion is crucial. If you recently started your own company and are looking for some marketing strategies you can use in 2021, keep on reading.
Rely on email marketing
Regardless of what you might have heard, email is not dead. That means that you should use its full potential. Start by asking your customers to leave you their contact info after they’ve made a purchase. That way, you will have an email through which you can contact them. Then, come up with interesting content that might draw their attention, such as upcoming sales or events they can take part in. It’s essential to tailor your emails to your customers’ interests so if you want to create leads.
Make the most of content marketing
You should also consider producing content that is geared specifically toward your target audience. This most often means that you should start a blog where you will post articles that will not only provide you with a way to subtly offer your products and services to your readers but also help you become an authority figure in your field. If you post useful tutorials and in-detail explanations of your products, you can establish a trusting relationship with your customers. In addition to writing for your own blog, you can expand your audience by writing for other blogs as well.
Focus on social media marketing
In this day and age, if you’re not on social media, it’s almost like your company doesn’t exist. That is why you need to make the most of the opportunity that social media offers. Seeing as how there is a wide variety of platforms nowadays, you should focus only on those that your target audience uses the most, meaning that there’s no reason for you to join Snapchat if the majority of your potential clients use Instagram. Just make sure you are active and post relevant content on a regular basis. Finally, if you have some money you can invest in your social media marketing, consider paid ads as well.
Don’t overlook offline marketing
However, combining online marketing with traditional methods is vital as you want to reach even those potential customers that are not online. From handing out flyers and promotional materials to putting up printed mesh banners and billboards around town, there is a lot you can do to advertise your company offline. What is more, you can also put out TV and radio ads as these are still very popular channels as well as promote your business in newspapers and magazines.
Partner up with other organizations
Word-of-mouth marketing is a very cost-effective way for you to promote your business. From other companies you can engage in cross-promotion with to local non-profit organizations, there are many partnership opportunities to consider that will help you spread the word about your business. You can also join the local small business organization where you can meet and network with other companies. What is more, consider sponsoring a local community event as you will not only get your name out there but support a good cause as well.
Invest in search engine optimization
Search engine optimization or SEO is very important for a business if it wants to be found on the internet. For a small business, focusing on local SEO is the best approach as it has no need to compete with global companies. By optimizing your website and other content you put online, your company will appear high on Google’s search results, meaning that potential customers will easily find you if they’re in need of your services.
There are many ways how you can promote your local business in 2021. Many of these won’t even take a big bite out of your budget. Try some of these strategies and tweak them along the way if you think another approach might be better.