Small Business Marketing 101

Simple Steps to Start Marketing Your Small Business | Follow These Marketing Steps | When is it Time to Bring in an Agency

Simple Steps to Start Marketing Your Small Business

Research, SEO, web design, brochures — these are all types of marketing. With several available options, it can be difficult to know where to start. And as a small business owner, you’re already handling a variety of different tasks. If you’re ready to start marketing your small business, but don’t have the resources yet to invest in a marketing agency that can help your business grow, start with the tips below.

Follow the simple steps below to start marketing your business.

1. Get organized: Create a strategy and move action items to a specific to-do list. Perfect your elevator pitch so that you can easily explain your business to anyone you meet within 1-2 minutes.
2. Launch a website: When consumers are searching for a business, the first place they usually look is the Internet. Your website can prove to prospective customers that you’re a credible business. Your website should be utilized as your most important marketing tool, so make sure it speaks to what your business has to offer.
3. Claim your Google My Business profile: Google offers a free tool called Google My Business (GMB) that you can use to proactively control what people read when your business comes up in the search results.
4. Gather data: Code from both Google Analytics and Search Console can be added to your website to gather data including how many users visit your site, your best performing content, and more. This data can be used to help you develop your online marketing strategy, so make sure you are utilizing these tools.
5. Implement search engine optimization (SEO): SEO involves the practice of increasing the quality and quantity of website traffic through organic search engine results. Remember that SEO is a long-term strategy, best for growing your business sustainably.
6. Start an email marketing campaign: Email marketing can be a great place to start as it can be done well for a lower cost. Using a program like MailChimp will allow you to upload existing contact lists, add new contact lists, schedule sends, and customize email templates.
7. Start paid campaigns: As mentioned above, SEO is a long-term strategy, which means that results can take some time. Implementing a paid campaign with Google AdWords or Bing can produce more immediate results.
8. Get on social media: If you aren’t currently using social media, there is a huge pool of potential customers you’re missing out on. Use your Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts to reach a larger audience quickly.
9. Develop video: Video is one of the fastest-growing marketing channels today, and YouTube is the 2nd most popular search engine next to Google. Even if you don’t have a professional videographer on staff, you can use shoot video on your phone, which means there’s no excuse for you to not use this popular marketing tool!

When is it Time to Bring in a Small Business Marketing Agency?

Using the marketing tools above can help you grow your small business as you get started. Consider bringing on an agency to further your success when you’re ready to allocate at least 5% of your budget towards marketing. Keep in mind that hiring a marketing agency will allow you to focus more on running day-to-day tasks for your business, which will make your life easier and could save you time and money in the long run.

When you’re ready to elevate your marketing and invest in true digital marketing expertise, contact the team at advancreative. After your experience review advancreative on DesignRush.