The previous two years or more has witnessed many businesses of all sizes and types hit the wall. The pandemic saw national retail and restaurant chains close, not just in the US, but in other countries too.
Creating and maintaining a new business, especially a small one, can be challenging. According to one report by Forbes, around 20% of businesses will collapse in their first year. A separate study by Investopedia links that failure to several key areas, and one of these is poor marketing.
While there are many factors for businesses failing, including trends changing, price increases for materials, and poor financial management, marketing is a crucial area that cannot be ignored.
Why is marketing so crucial for smaller businesses?
A small business owner may look at the corporations and think that they cannot compete with them. However, clever use of marketing can elevate a small business despite having a smaller budget than the big boys.
Marketing allows a small business to increase brand visibility, and to connect with consumers. It also lets them to vie with other local businesses and rivals. And when the correct steps to creating a marketing strategy that works are taken, revenues and sales can be increased.
Marketing also lets a small business showcase their products or services, and explain them to their potential customers. When it comes to audiences, clever marketing strategies allow them to target specific groups and demographics too.
Is networking an important part of marketing?
In the old days, networking may have meant golf courses and various functions. Today, networking is likely to be done more online as well as in person.
Networking with local business owners for ideas is an excellent strategy for small businesses and should be used as part of a total marketing plan. Connecting with local businesses can forge connections that help a small business to grow.
What are the different types of marketing?
Today there are many different types of marketing, but the purpose is exactly the same as in the past. To promote and advertise products, services, and the brand itself. Marketing is used to forge a connection with customers, and hopefully make a loyal bond that lasts for years.
Some of the different forms of marketing today are as such:
- Outbound marketing
- Inbound marketing
- Digital marketing
- Social media marketing
- Search engine marketing
- Traditional and digital advertising
- Content marketing
One of the purposes of these different forms of marketing is to help a business to grow. Marketing helps to keep a company and brand relevant and visible. Today with so much competition online, being visible is absolutely crucial.
SEO, search engine marketing, social media, and digital marketing in general, are all necessary for small businesses. Even if they aren’t a clearly defined ecommerce business. An online presence is critical today to reach the maximum audience.
How does social media affect a small business?
Social media allows a business of any size to have engagement, and make personal connections with its audience. As a part of marketing today, social media is vital and should never be neglected.
Statista reports that there are almost 4 billion users of social networking sites in the world today. This figure is predicted to grow to over 4.4 billion by 2025. Clearly then, there is a huge potential audience waiting for any business.
A small business owner may not see the relevance of social media, but it allows a great way to connect with customers. Problems can be resolved swiftly, and this increases trust. Questions can be answered, and products can be promoted through social media. It can be a low-cost marketing solution for small businesses.
It can also help with the networking that was mentioned earlier. Small businesses can reach out online to others and make partnerships for supplying and distributing.
Why is digital marketing so vital for a small business today?
Even if a company doesn’t trade online, its customers are almost certainly looking for solutions this way. If a company does sell online then digital marketing is even more necessary.
Put simply, digital marketing can help to increase web traffic. The more web traffic, the more likely a business is to see an increase in sales. This is only true though if the website is functioning as it should.
How can you improve the online presence for your small business?
Digital marketing covers a whole array of factors, and these are all forms of marketing in themselves. However, a successful digital marketing campaign may cover social media, SEO, online advertising, and optimizing conversion rates.
Small businesses will often have smaller budgets than their bigger competitors. This is natural, and over-extending is never a good idea. Nevertheless, solutions do exist.
A professional digital marketing business can deliver a tailored solution to a small business. They would look at Google Ad placements, discuss social media strategies, and perhaps look at the business’s website and its SEO.
Is SEO important to marketing today?
To many small business owners, SEO may be something of a mystery. This isn’t surprising as it is a technical area that most people don’t comprehend or need to. Yet, SEO is vital to any digital marketing campaign.
Fine-tuning a website’s SEO will mean that the site ranks higher on search engine results. This helps to drive more organic traffic, and this will also help with conversion rates.
SEO also makes the website more functional, faster to load, and generally improves the user experience. This is vital for keeping visitors online and reducing drop-offs.
Local SEO can be used to help promote a small business that primarily trades in its own area. This is a great form of marketing for a smaller, local business.
Summary
Marketing isn’t something that any company can ignore. Even the largest global companies such as Coca-Cola and Nike still run advertising campaigns continuously.
Using the various forms of digital marketing will end with higher volumes of traffic, which in turn would lead to a better conversion rate and increased revenues.
Marketing will help a small business increase brand awareness, connect with customers, improve trust and relations, and ultimately to grow.
