I know how important it is to keep things simple when it comes to marketing your small business, AND to get a ROI for the time and effort you put in.

I totally get it….when you’re a small business owner you’re always getting pulled from pillar to post; wearing all the hats from the CEO to the Accounts Clerk, the Administrator to the Sales & Marketing Manager. How do I know this? Because I’m literally doing the same as you, every.single.day. BUT I also have the knowledge of over 24 years hands-on marketing experience so I can show you some smart moves that can make you more productive, more visible AND more profitable.

 

Oh and by the way, these aren’t quick hacks that will go out of fashion next week. Oh no! These are fundamental marketing foundations that will work for pretty much every type of business.

 

So let’s not waste any more time, here’s my Top 10 ‘Must Do’ Marketing Tactics for Small Businesses that can get you marketing more and faffing less!

 

1. Be You

First of all, just be you! If you’re trying to be someone else it’s so hard to come up with ideas and as a result writing posts, blogs, emails and creating graphics become a headache and take an age to pull together.

 

Whereas if you’re just being you, and writing as if you were speaking to a customer about your fabulous business and how you love helping people, the words are more likely to flow, you’ll be more productive and your audience will resonate more with you.

 

2. Create Emotional Connections

People love stories, especially real-life stories where they can imagine themselves in your shoes or be dreaming of being able to enjoy that thing or transformation that you sell.

 

Think about the brands that you love and what inspires you to follow and buy from them – it’s usually because they have connected with you on a more personal level in some way through storytelling. So why not use this same technique when marketing your business.

 

Don’t be afraid to share your journey, the challenges you’ve overcome, the victories you’ve celebrated, and show what happens behind the scenes to give a real flavour of what your business does, who you help and who you are as a person – always remember ‘people buy people’.

 

Also this is no place for shyness and hiding behind your brand. Once people begin to see the owner or the team behind a business the connection is deepened – know, like and trust is created and they are more likely to buy from you when they know you and feel they can trust you. You might find my blog “How to Build Relationships with your Customers” a helpful read.

 

3. Leverage User-Generated Content

Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your product or service. User-generated content, like reviews and testimonials, boosts credibility and provides authentic social proof.

 

But by going that one step further and asking your customers to share photos of them working with you, in meetings, sharing the successes and transformations, wearing, using or opening your products, it opens up your business to your customer’s audience and promotes you as a credible person to buy from.

 

4. Utilise Local SEO

For small businesses, local SEO is a goldmine. Optimise your website for local search queries by using keywords that your potential customer may use, eg. Leeds based accountants, Yorkshire PR expert, Otley women’s clothing retailer.

 

Register on Google My Business and complete your profile fully remembering to post on here regularly as well as on your social media, and engage with local online communities to increase visibility in your area.

 

5. Experiment with Video Content

Dive into video marketing. From explainer videos and product demos to behind-the-scenes glimpses and customer testimonials; video content across social media, YouTube, your website etc can significantly boost engagement and reach.

 

Remember that Instagram Reels are also pushed out to people who currently don’t follow you, so video content is great way to attract new followers.

 

 

 

6. Develop Strategic Partnerships

Collaborate with businesses that complement yours. Co-host events, run joint promotions, or engage in cross-promotion on social media to tap into each other’s audiences.

 

7. Offer Lead Magnets

Create and offer valuable resources like e-books, quizzes, webinars, or exclusive discounts in exchange for an email address. This not only builds your email list but also positions you as an authority in your field and helps potential customers to have a taste of what working with you could be like.

 

8. Engage in Social Listening

Stop the doom scrolling; instead make time scrolling on social media count. Pay attention to what your customers are saying online about you. Understand customer feedback and respond promptly and (most importantly) positively.

 

Also check out what people are saying about your competition or your industry. Is there a missed opportunity that you can take advantage of?

 

9. The Art of Perfect Timing

Identify and utilise those micro-moments – these are times when your customers are most likely to seek out information or make a purchase decision. When these times arise you need to be there, in the Google Search or at the fore-front of their minds.

 

Optimise your online presence for these moments with your Google My Business page, an up-to-date website, stories, posts, regular emails to your database and targeted ads.

 

This is where your consistent marketing across multiple platforms comes into it’s own!

 

10. Analyse and Adapt

Regularly analyse the performance of your marketing strategies might be boring but it is absolutely vital to the success of your business.

 

By understanding your insights and doing more of what’s working and less of what’s not working will help you to refine your strategy and stay adaptable to changing market trends and customer preferences.

 

Ready to ignite your marketing and get your products/services in front of the RIGHT customers?

 

Remember that small businesses have the upper-hand over the big online giants – it’s so much easier for us to change direction at the drop of a hat. Remember Covid when everything changed and businesses were popping up from nowhere, adapting to online selling and setting up home deliveries within days, rather than months or years!

 

The right marketing can be transformative, taking your brand from the shadows into the spotlight.

 

If you need help with this, we can explore where you want to be in the next 6/12 months and together we can get you there.

 

I love chatting marketing over a cuppa, so why not Book a FREE 30 Minute Discovery Call HERE.

 

Rachelle x

 

Founder of The Yorkshire Marketing Company, Marketing Strategist and Accredited Marketing Mentor

 

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