Truth be told, online marketing is hard!
As a small business owner, it’s a given that you’re worried about this highly competitive business world, especially from large competitors. You also can’t afford the large advertising budget that these companies may have.
So, how do you effectively advertise your small business without breaking the bank? In this post, we’ll guide you through some of the most effective small business advertising strategies. With these options, you’ll not only get your business out there but also boost your earnings and grow your client base.
1. Start By Finding Your Target Audience
The most important step to advertise your small business effectively is to start by defining your target audience. Who are you trying to sell your products to? Where are your customers most likely to be?
Identifying your target market and how to reach them is by far the most essential part. For instance, you may find that depending on the demographics of your market, your customers are more likely to be on Facebook rather than Twitter. You need to target your local areas because most customers search for products where they are before shipping.
Connecting with your community will also go a long way because word of mouth is still an effective marketing strategy. You should consider volunteering in the community with like-minded organizations and participate in community events.
2. Use Social Media Advertising
One of the most effective ways to advertise your business is through social media. The thing is, advertising on social media platforms is relatively cheap, and you can select your audience as you please. For instance, if you’re trying to advertise a retail store, you can narrow down your target audience through ad targeting.
Facebook stands to be one of the best social media platforms to advertise your business. With over 3.14 billion active users, Facebook presents your target market on a platter, and with its relatively low-cost ads, you can achieve a lot with it.
The platform has different ad units that go from lead generation, video ads, customer offers, carousel images, page likes, and event responses. Essentially, with the right Facebook advertising strategies, you’ll have an easier time growing your business.
Apart from Facebook, Instagram ads are an excellent option as well because it’s highly visual, and it appeals to the younger generation. Instagram features almost the same advertising parameters with Facebook. However, you can add calls-to-actions as well to drive traffic to your website.
3. Use Pay-Per-Click and Mobile Advertising
PPC is the next best thing after social media advertising, and for very good reasons. Pay-per-click advertising involves paying a small fee when customers click on your adverts through the search engine. The most common PPC platforms are Google Ads and Bing Ads, and this can be a great way to advertise your small business on a limited budget.
Mobile advertising, on the other hand, involves advertisements only served to mobile devices. These ads could include mobile search ads, videos, display ads, social media ads, and app ads. A well-calculated mobile advertising strategy can rake in great profits because over 80% of consumers under 30 years shop online through their mobile devices.
4. Use Broadcast Advertising
Broadcast advertising involves advertising on mass-market media like radio and Television. This option may be more expensive than most. Still, you can advertise on local channels instead and target your local customers, which is bound to be more affordable.
The cost of broadcast advertising is highly determinant on the length of the business ad, the frequency of advertising, and the time of day it’s aired. Beyond that, factor in all the costs involved in producing the advert as well to gauge the overall cost of the process.
5. Use Direct Mail and Outdoor Advertising
Direct mail advertising is most effective for local customers, and what you do is deliver mail with promotions and offers to them. You can include business brochures, cool brand stickers, sales letters, catalogs, or newsletters. While it’s less popular compared to digital advertising, you’ll be able to engage your customers and make them feel that you care about them.
On the other hand, you should also try outdoor advertising like digital signage, which is compelling and quite engaging. You can also use transit ads on subways, bus shelters, or train ads, but these can be costly, so weigh your options.
6. Track and Measure Your Success
We can’t emphasize enough how important tracking and analyzing your advertising success is. You need to evaluate the performance of different advertising campaigns. This will help you make informed decisions about what to continue investing in, and what to abandon.
Digital ads are especially easy to track. They offer detailed reports on how much you spend, how many people click on your ads, and where those people are located. You’ll even have the ability to tell how many people made purchases, or how many have taken other desired actions depending on your CTAs.
Read More: The Latest Advertising Trends Business Owners Should Tap Into in 2020
7. Try Remarketing
Remarketing is effective and relevant when it comes to digital advertising. Remarketing involves showcasing your ads to consumers who have already visited your website but did not convert to buying customers. For this audience, you need to create highly engaging content and personalized ads. Base them on what the customers initially viewed from your website.
The Best Way to Advertise Your Small Business
These are some of the best ways to advertise your small business and get your brand name out there. Most of these methods are super effective if you formulate the right marketing strategies.
As a small business owner, you have a myriad of advertising options available to you. All you have to do is figure out your budget and what it can afford to do for you. If you’ve found this post informative, we would like to invite you to our blog section, where we have so much more. You’ll find comprehensive posts on business, technology, health, fitness, travel, and many more. Please check us out today!
