Marketing can be a challenge for small businesses. Marketing is the activity you undertake to educate your target audience to raise brand awareness and to fill your pipeline with prospects who ultimately convert into paying clients. 

Here are some key strategies to scale your marketing efforts.

1. Know your target audience

Often we think everyone is our buyer. I suggest that it’s easier to start with a “niche” audience first. The more specific it is when you start out, the easier it is to find these type of customers so you can get to know them and understand the pain/need points you are trying to address with your services or products.

Also look at your previous/existing customers for more insights about their needs. 

2. Be crystal clear about the value you provide

You want to differentiate yourself from your competition so that your target audience is compelled to work with you. Your value proposition is a key message to convey your value.

3.  Be focused on your true goals and objectives

There are many directions you can go in and many strategies you could use.  However, identify the lever that will create the biggest for your business. 

4. Look at the low hanging fruit

Start with the strategies that will deliver results quick. Here you create momentum and cash flow in order to have funds for tactics that take longer to build results.

5. Look at using free promotional tools

Using free tools gives you room to first see what is working in terms of your marketing strategy and thereafter you can invest in the tools that will deliver the results you are looking for.  Here is a great list of marketing tools 

6. Your website is your digital presence foundation

A good quality website is one of your most important assets for your business.  Here you can have your value proposition, your messaging about your services, what you offer and it’s what you own and therefore you control the content.  Building your digital presence on social or marketplace channels leaves you at the mercy of their changing policies and whether they go in and out of vogue.   

Your website can house your lead magnet, programs, courses, services, blog etc. An important strategy for your website is to have a lead magnet or a way for you to capture your visitors email address.

7. Do consider a blog

A blog is a great way to generate traffic as well as help you with creating relevant content for your social channels.  It is also a way for your potential customers and clients to get to know more about you and what you offer and where your expertise lies.

A regular blog also impacts your SEO results as it shows that your website has new content on it. Remember to add calls to action to all your blog posts and messaging. You want tell your readers what to do with the information they are reading.

8.  Promote yourself on Social Media

Everyone knows there are billions of  users on social media. It’s a powerful took and can help you build awareness, find leads and share about your business.  Choose the channels that make sense for you – if it’s channels you like to be on, that is a great place to start.  These platforms have become complicated and need their own strategies for success, so picking one or two channels makes sense until they are mastered.   

Consider showing your expertise in groups or websites like Reddit, showing up, helping, sharing your knowledge inadvertently draws customers to you too.

9. Consider investing in digital advertising

This is a great strategy to drive traffic to your website and to nurture the leads that are not yet ready to buy. Most channels are now a “pay to play” channel which means you need to buy ads to make any headway.

10. Email marketing is where the GOLD is!

Email marketing is a key strategy for your marketing efforts. It is critical to building relationships with your leads and converting them into customers through communicating with them regularly so that they learn to know, like and trust you. 

Email marketing keeps you top of mind and gives you a content strategy – email out your blog posts and create regular content for your platforms from it.  Here is a great resource to see how to slice up  your blogs into smaller pieces of content for your social channels.

If you’d like to talk about your marketing and business strategy, I can help! Connect with me to chat