To succeed and thrive, your small business needs to have a marketing plan in place. It’s not enough to just open for business and assume your services or products will be in demand. You need to take actionable steps at all times that grow your business and keep it thriving. A strong marketing strategy is the backbone of any business, large or small.

Marketing is how you get your services or products in front of potential customers. As a small business owner, you’re likely wearing many hats regularly. You may have so much on your plate that you can’t do it all. But that’s why you need to know your options so you can choose the best methods to increase awareness of and drive traffic to your business. From billboard posters to social media marketing, let’s look at four ways you can help your business grow and thrive through marketing.

What is Marketing?

Marketing is a process that brings together all aspects of your business to increase sales, increase brand awareness, and get new customers. Simply put, marketing is the act of promoting and selling a product or service.

To do this successfully, you need to understand your customers and how to reach them. This starts with marketing research, where you collect information on your customers and the competition. Marketing may include advertising, sales, branding, and public relations.

All of these areas work together to help your company improve its visibility. The better known your company is, the more successful it’ll be, as customers will be more likely to buy from you.

1. Define Your Ideal Client and Audience

The first advertising tip for small businesses is to define your ideal client and audience. If you’re starting a new business, you likely have a clear picture of who you want to work with. If you’re looking to expand your client base, it’s important to know who you want to work with moving forward. An ideal client or audience member is likely to buy from you. To promote products or services, you have to have a clear idea of who you want to sell to.

This can be challenging for many small business owners who have a specific type of product or service but might not fit into a specific demographic. It can be helpful to ask yourself questions to guide you through this process. For example, what is their income? What is their job? What are their interests? What are their challenges? What is their lifestyle like? The more you know about your ideal client and audience, the easier it will be to choose and create marketing materials that resonate with them. After all, you don’t want to put up big billboards for customers that never leave their homes to see them.

2. Create a Content Marketing Strategy

A great way to get in front of your ideal client and audience is through content marketing. This marketing strategy involves creating informative or educational content about your industry, services, or products. The goal is to educate your audience so they know more about your business and can make an informed decision when it comes time to buy.

There are a number of different types of content that are helpful for small businesses. This can include:

  • Blog posts
  • Social media posts
  • Videocasts
  • Ebooks
  • Email marketing
  • Press releases
  • Surveys
  • Forums
  • Conferences
  • Guest posts
  • Offline local events

3. Develop a Paid Advertising Strategy

Another important marketing tip is to create a paid advertising strategy. The paid ads you use, either on social media or other platforms like out-of-home billboards, can greatly increase brand awareness and drive new leads to your website. Paid ads can be a great way to drive traffic to your website and gain new customers.

There are many different types of paid ads you can take advantage of:

  • Google AdWords
  • Facebook Ads
  • TV ads
  • Print or poster ads
  • Billboard ads
  • Radio ads

4. Plan to bring in local customers

If you have a brick-and-mortar storefront, you’ll want to have a robust and targeted local marketing strategy. You can do this with:

Knowing and Growing

Marketing is essential for any business, and it can be a lot of fun. It’s important to remember that you don’t have to do everything yourself. Hiring professionals like a marketing consultant or public relations manager can help you get your message out in a way that’s customized to your unique business.

Strategically choose the best marketing methods for your time and budget. Although your marketing strategy may change as your business grows, having a solid plan in place from the start will help you get your services or products in front of potential customers and keep your business thriving.