Today's pace of business is fast. Companies are continually working to attract busy consumers to their markets, and it can be challenging for you to get their attention. However, there are many compelling ways to bring people to your small business. The Maitland Area Chamber of Commerce outlines four key objectives.
1. Understand Your Target Market
While it may seem counterintuitive to narrow down your customer base, doing so can improve your effectiveness. The better you understand who your customers are, the better you can market to them.
As you plan your product or service, think of who is likely to buy from you. Consider your customers' demographics:
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Age
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Income level
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Geographic location
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Hobbies and interests
Once you understand your customer base, you can create a product or service designed to meet its needs.
2. Create and Optimize Your Website
A challenge of marketing a small business is raising brand awareness when you have a small budget and less visibility than larger companies. However, you can still create an effective strategy. Your website is very important. Each landing page should list your contact information. Your pages should also be easy to navigate, with simple, uncluttered graphics that are quick to load. Shane Barker advises using search engine optimization to help people find you online.
You also want to provide a reason for people to visit your site. Ecommerce sites should offer deals and featured products. Promotional and professional websites can offer blog content, video interviews, guest posts from notable people in your area. The key is to give your audience something they’ll see as quality, and to update it on a regular basis.
You may find it helpful to work with a web designer or marketing consultant as you set up this aspect of your marketing plan. If you do, establish clear communication and review processes. One option is to provide written feedback on digital mockups and proofs. You can quickly learn how to edit a PDF to add comments, circle content, highlight problem areas, and add virtual sticky notes. And both you and your consultant will have digital records of your feedback in case any problems arise.
3. Share Engaging Content
Building a robust online presence is a must in today's business world. Fortunately, it's easy to get started. Creating and maintaining a presence on social media keeps your business in front of consumers and offers them an opportunity to engage with you. You can provide content like:
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Behind-the-scenes looks at your company.
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Incentives like a gift when someone likes and shares your page.
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Reviews from social media influencers.
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Photos of your latest products.
Tap into infographics to offer a better visual experience to your followers on social media. You can better engage with customers, and offer more variety than text-laden posts that become tedious to read. You can quickly design custom, professional-grade infographics in minutes when you try a free infographic maker. These dynamic tools allow you to create an infographic with your own logo and brand, your preferred aesthetic and your message in mere minutes.
3. Focus on Customer Service
Offering excellent customer service means providing helpful resources, valuing your customers' time, and keeping a positive attitude. When possible, learn your customers' names, interests, birthdays, and other information that can help you create a personal touch during your interactions. These are excellent ways to build relationships and create customer loyalty.
When a problem arises, respond quickly. Even if you need some time to resolve the situation, let your customer know you're working on it and offer updates. While you're communicating, keep your tone upbeat. It can be challenging to do so without face-to-face interaction, so use humor or an emoji if necessary. Make sure customer-service employees are experts on your product or service, so they are prepared to answer questions accurately.
An email campaign can also help you stay in touch with customers and create brand loyalty. Customers are increasingly willing to shop at the same places — according to a Yotpo survey, brand loyalty is rising among consumers. Most shoppers, however, consider themselves true to only a few brands, so the effort you put into keeping their business is worth it.
Connect with Your Customers
Capturing the attention of busy consumers can seem like a nearly impossible task, but you can do it. A focus on excellent, personal customer service and a powerful social media marketing strategy can grab — and keep — the attention of your patrons.
If you’re ready to grow your business with the help of great local resources and partnerships, join the Maitland Area Chamber of Commerce.
