Marketing Your Small Business in the New Year
Some Creative (and Cost Effective) Methods
As a business owner, you always want to stand out from the competition. But, with so much on your plate it can be hard to keep up with the most effective marketing trends.
And let’s face it, marketing is tough. Unless you are in the marketing field, you may not have a clue where to begin, let alone understand how to implement the strategies that sound appealing. But, marketing is essential to revenue-generation and can actually be quite exciting when you get it right. Who doesn’t like getting more business? Am I right?
Luckily, in today’s day and age there are a number of ways you can market your small business yourself without laying down the big bucks. Here are some ways to get started today to put yourself in a great position to generate more sales in 2022.
Claim Your Google Business Profile
If you haven’t done so already, make sure to claim your Google My Business profile. In terms of virtual real estate, this is your most valuable piece of property alongside your website. It is critical this profile be up to date as this listing will show up every time someone does a search for your business.
Stay Active on Social Media
Haven’t posted to social media this hour? You’re stale.
Haven’t posted to social media today? May as well be in another country.
Haven’t posted in a week? A corpse.
The world moves fast these days. Consumers are inundated with social media posts and advertisements every time they open their phones or laptops or simply glance down at their smart watch. And if you aren’t reaching out to your customers via social media, someone else is. These days, customers expect to see businesses active on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Reel in Those Reviews
Just a few years ago, anybody could pop onto Google with a fake name and photo and post their opinion about your business. Because this was so prevalent, Google reviews weren’t worth much. There was less consumer trust in Google reviews overall. But, today, a lot has changed. Since Google implemented better gatekeeping strategies for users, trust in the actual content has surged. Now, Google reviews are worth their weight in gold.
If you don’t have many reviews, consider sending out an email or making a post on social media asking your audience to leave you a review. And make the process easy. Send them the URL to where they can leave a review so they don’t have to spend time looking for it. All they have to do is click the link and write a review. The more positive reviews you can acquire, the greater chance that stranger who stumbled across you will do business with you.
Be Found Via Voice Search
Searching on the internet has come a long way in the last few years and one of the more prevalent trends that has been taking off is voice search. According to PWC, 65% of 25–49-year old’s speak to their voice-enabled devices at least once a day. In 2022, more Americans are expected to use voice search more than ever. Some even project that 1/3 of all searches will be done via voice. So, if you’re wondering how to move your business into this new era, start by optimizing your business for voice search so that you can be found by Siri and Alexa.
Just Start!
The best advice anyone ever gave us about marketing was this: JUST GET STARTED! Your ideas don’t have to be finessed and polished to perfection before they are rolled out. Your social posts don’t have to move mountains, your videos don’t all have to be professionally produced, and yes, it is OK to post personal photos! Just put yourself out there and start communicating with your clients in whichever format feels right to you. The power of these small steps can be transformative for your business in the new year.